One of the more interesting speculative talks Casey and I had prior to Oliver was how bringing home a little human being would go over with our different pets. We have two cats, Link and Dexter, and one dog, Dani. They all have such very different personalities and this led us to a few conclusions.

Link and Oliver

Link, our courageous little boy. His personality has always been more canine then feline. When we come home he is often first to the door to greet us. He begs for food when we are eating, regardless of what it is. When you call his name he comes running. He’s loved cuddling Casey’s belly while pregnant. Because of all these things we figured Link would be the most curious and open to the families newest addition.

Dexter and Oliver

Dexter, our scaredy-cat. There are not many things in this world that don’t startle Dexter. You look at him funny and he will go running. Yet with all that Dexter is our most vocal and needy pet. I’m sure for even our regularly occurring house visitors that is surprising to hear but when it’s just us, and we are sitting still, he comes out of his shell. We thought with out a doubt though, the cries of a newborn baby would send him running.

Dani and Oliver

Dani, of house Matter, our dutiful and loyal girl. She is extremely affectionate and loves to cuddle. And even though she is 65 lbs, she still thinks the 6 inches of space between mom and dad are more than enough for her to squeeze in. She has always shown affection towards children. Bounding up to them as fast as she can but knowing to be gentle and giving playful licks. Given her track record we had a feeling she wouldn’t be phased by Oliver but in fact would love having a new playmate.

We walked in the door with Oliver to our three furry children. As we expected, Dani came up to us and Oliver immediately with some friendly sniffs. We had Oliver give her a toy right away and she carries that around the house with such pride. Surprisingly, Link heard Oliver’s first cry and ran for cover. Dexter, our scaredy-cat, actually was more interested in the car seat but didn’t even mind the crying. As the days went on Casey and I were amazed at how brave Dexter was with Oliver. Didn’t shy away from him and gave him plenty of friendly sniffs. Dani’s maternal instinct seemed to kick in almost immediately. When Oliver cries she checks on him with us and even supervises us on diaper-changing. Link has warmed up to Oliver but for the most part remains aloof. In the end, we have been pretty lucky with how our pets have done and they are all adjusting to this new normal quite quickly. Before we know it, Oliver will be the best of friends with all three of them.