Pirate's Baby

The last time we went to Arizona, Linda's dog Pirate just about had a heart attack from having so many kids around. He's used to just Linda and Keith, and he has one other dog buddy that comes over some to visit. He stayed hidden under a bed most of the time we were there.

Last summer when we were in Oregon with David's family, we reminded the kids that Pirate doesn't want to be bugged or petted or disturbed. He took off as soon as we walked in. Even when the kids were on the beach and it was just adults, he didn't want to be messed with. Until he discovered Daniel.

Once he figured out that Daniel couldn't do anything to him, he followed that baby around wherever we took him. He slept by Daniel's blanket. He laid next to Daniel's bouncy chair. When Daniel started to cry, Pirate would run to whatever adult was nearest to make sure you knew his baby was crying and needed some attention.





This weekend when we got to David's aunt's house, Pirate was already asleep. But the next morning when all the kids were playing in the backyard, Pirate made sure to keep his distance. Even when I tried to pet him, he backed away. His spot was directly under Linda's feet or in the house. Until Daniel came outside.

I really think he remembered Daniel's smell or something. As soon as that little boy started toddling around, Pirate started following him. Daniel played in the dogs' water dish, and instead of hiding, Pirate sat there and watched him. We got Daniel a bunch of ice cubes to play with, and he and Pie sat on the porch for half an hour and just played with the ice. Daniel would feed a cube to Pirate, and the dog would actually take it from him. It was amazing how that dog remembered that this little boy used to be his baby.