Harley

Female

5

I've owned Harley since she was a puppy (4 months old). It has been close to 5 years since she has been a part of my family. She has lived with two cats since that point and does great with them. I recently gave birth back in October. The introduction with her and our baby went great, she sat and laid on command. Prior to the arrival of our baby, we sent her to behavioral training for 4-weeks in anticipation of the family dynamic changing (sitting on command, going to place, down so she does not put her paws on us or the baby- all which she listens to now). She has not bothered the baby at all, although we do not allow her near the baby unless I am holding her just because she is still very small. The reason I checked that I am unsure if she is ok with children, is that when I am not holding the baby and she smells her scent on me, she growls and has a bit of an aggressive demeanor towards myself. She has not tried to harm me in any way, but I do worry that since the baby has arrived, she now thinks of her as the reason she is not getting as much attention from myself- as the baby takes up a lot of my space and time during the day. Harley is the sweetest and most loveable dog, all she wants to do is play, run around, and cuddle when she's tired. But now that we have a baby in the picture and her behavior is a bit different/aggressive towards me since I am unable to give her as much attention, I do worry that this behavior will continue to worsen, and the last thing I want is for her to get aggressive while I'm holding the baby. I am truly heartbroken that I am even typing this right now and having to make this decision as Harley was my first "baby", but it is a choice that I ultimately have to make as I can tell that she is not adjusting well to our new addition.