Back when I opened up my blog for questions, the most commonly asked question was about Boudreaux, our Golden Retriever, and his relationship with Hudson.
photo by Kelly Moore Photography
Y’all wanted to know what we did to help them have such a great bond. The truth is, we didn’t do a whole lot of anything. Boudreaux is a Golden Retriever, so he’s naturally a very loving, very loyal, very obedient and very gentle dog.
He totally has his wild moments, but they’re never based on aggression. They’re just a result of his excitement.
photo by Kelly Moore Photography
TC and I got Boudreaux when we were dating. He was really my dog because he lived with me and I trained him. But he has always loved TC so much. They have such a special bond.
I had a hard time every imagining that we could love anyone the way we loved Boudreaux. And I refused to believe that our dogs could take a back seat. We were going to be super parents and our dogs were going to be in our lives like they always had been! (ha!)
photo by Kelly Moore Photography
When I had Hudson, my labor and delivery nurse was talking to me about how to introduce Hudson to the dogs. She and I had many, many hours of labor to discuss this and she gave us her tips. She suggested we save the blankets that first held Hudson and take them home for the dogs to smell. So we had a big plastic bag with blankets in it containing Hudson’s smell.
February 2010
Boudreaux always lets Hudson climb all over him. Hudson will line his toy animals up on Boudreaux’s back. He has tried to climb on Boudreaux while saying “horsey ride” a few times, but we quickly put a stop to that. And Boudreaux just tolerates it and shows so much patience. He sees how much we love Hudson, so he’s going to love him, too. Every night before bed, TC will lie down on the floor with Boudreaux and they’ll cuddle. That’s their male bonding time. But I do think it has been really important for Boudreaux to get that time with TC.
terrible iPhone photo!
Boudreaux has always been super sweet with Hudson and now also with Hayes. The worst he has ever done is lick him to death. And now, Hudson treats Boudreaux like a sibling. If Boudreaux tries to come sit near Hudson while he’s playing, Hudson will start screaming for Boudreaux to get away because he thinks Boudreaux is going to steal his toy. He tries to fight with him like a brother.
But he also will open the gate to his room and say, “Come ‘ere, Dreaux.” He wants to invite Boudreaux in to play. He’ll pet Boudreaux and talk about how soft he is. He follows him around to give him a hug and wants Boudreaux to be near him as often as possible.
It’s a very sweet relationship. I don’t see it when I look at him, but I notice in pictures that Boudreaux’s face is getting whiter. He’s almost seven years old. I don’t really know how that is possible. Fiona is also almost seven years old.
Fiona tolerates Hudson and only snaps at him when he terrorizes her. And he is such a boy. He totally gets a kick out of chasing Fiona around the house. We try to explain to him that he has to be sweet to her and that she is very small. But he has recently started to love on her the way he loves on Boudreaux.
Boudreaux has also been really sweet with Hayes. I’ll catch him licking Hayes’s foot sometimes and I try to get down on the floor to let Boudreaux and Fiona sniff Hayes if they want to. I want to protect my babies, but also let my dogs feel involved. And in this crazy house of sometimes chaos, my dogs are definitely the family members that have been forced to take a back seat. That makes me sad.
But I love these sweet boys of mine and my old boy, Boudreaux. I’m proud of the way he has embraced Hudson and Hayes and I love the bond that the three of them share. Hopefully, they’ll let little Fiona in on their fun every now and then.
I am such a sap when it comes to dogs, you almost had me tears! It is so sweet that they love each other so much. When we were younger our boxer treated my sister that way. Such a sweet post.
We have a girl golden retriever that will be 2 the day after Christmas. We were concerned when we first had our now 7 month old son that she would be rough around him because she was still full of PUPPY!!! However, she has been the best puppy we could have asked for! B is now crawling arounda nd starting to pull up on things, including Molly! I caught him last night with his hands on both ears, pulling himself up her face and she was just laying there letting him!!! Molly also has to bathe b every night before he gets his “normal” bath!! I will have to say that golden retrievers are the BEST dogs ever!!!
We have a golden – Folly – who just turned 7. We got him after we had our first two boys, then decided to have two more. Folly is our “middle” child 🙂 Golden’s are so good! He just lays there and takes whatever the little ones do to him. And we treat him just like a kid. I even have a birthday party for him every year 🙂
Love Boudreaux’s name!
Our dachshund had a definite adjustment period when it came to accepting BB in our home…he was driving me crazy and I often thought he wasn’t fitting into our family anymore. But thankfully we made it through that rough patch and now he loves the boys and they LOVE him.
This made me so happy. One of my favorite things about watching Grayson grow up is watching him form that same strong bond with our dogs. Hudson (our dog) is his protector and is so gentle with him. The excitement on both their faces when they see each other for the first time very morning melts my heart. I’m glad Hudson and Boudreaux have that same relationship! So sweet!
How sweet Erin! We feel the same way about our 7year old Rocky 🙂 We actually call him Carsons brother ha!
I just love pics of babies and dogs together! Your pup looks like a larger version of my pup, Brady!
What a sweet pup! My maltipoos, Ruby and Pearl, have differing opinions when it comes to the baby. Pearl thinks she’s Julia’s nanny. She always wants to be close to her, lick her feet, she even follows my husband into the nursery when he’s checking on her (she doesn’t follow me…maybe she doesn’t trust Daddy with the baby?). Ruby, on the other hand, tries to ignore the baby. She’s never been aggressive towards her, she just doesn’t get close. I guess 1 out of 2 isn’t bad!
I’m a firm believer that there really isn’t any other type of dog I’ll ever have, other than a Golden. They are perfect. I loved growing up with one – they are so gentle and loving!
Oh this was the sweetest thing to read first thing this morning! There’s almost nothing better than a story about a boy and his dog. Boudreaux and Hudson seem to have a close bond that Hudson will always cherish. Your living room is gorgeous!
Oh this made me tear up for sure. The picture taken from behind with Hudson’s little arm wrapped around Boudreaux is just about the sweetest thing ever. It’s so nice to see the effort that you and TC put forth to really incorporate your puppies with the babies– so important and a bond that will last forever! Wonderful post 🙂
i agree with emily above. i love pups and was almost in tears reading this post. sweetest post ever and i love how much hudson loves boudreaux (and vice versa).
happy little family 🙂
This is so sweet! Lance and I always say we can’t imagine loving anything or anyone more than we love our two goldens 🙂 But I know that one day a little one will come and take over spot #1- well, I say I know that will happen but it’s still hard to imagine! But I do think about how they will be the trusty companions of our future children and it gets me choked up. They’re special dogs, those goldens 🙂
This is such a sweet post! We also have a golden retriever, Mason! He is our child until we have a “person” child one day! I don’t know that I could ever not have a golden in my life– they are really such wonderful dogs!!! So glad to see that the dogs still remain a part of your family, even if they do take the back seat sometimes! 🙂
Very sweet! We have two wonderful dogs and I can’t wait to see how they’ll be with children. I picture them being fast friends but it’s important to be prepared with the tips you outlined. I hope that the transition is easy for them and as special as your son’s bond with Boudreaux.
Erin,
Your dog is so sweet but I have to comment on you in that coral dress. GORGEOUS! That is such a great color for you. You just look so lovely in the photos.
Sincerely,
Maria
Our black lab Grace is the same way with H. She is really patient with him, we try to recognize when she reaches her limit and give her some one on one attention. She may not go on as many walks as she used to but that’s okay. H loves to chase Grace around and always wants her to come in his room, but like Hudson he tells Grace to go away if she is near his toys!
Love the pictures of the boys with Dreux!
Oh, so sweet. We have a lab/Brittany mix who will also be seven on her next birthday…she is the sweetest nanny dog ever and so patient with our children. I’m also afraid to ever get another dog because we have been so spoiled with our Lulu!
I LOVE this post! It’s so precious! I really hope our beagle is as sweet with our future children! We love her so much, and I want our kids to have that special bond with her too! Those pictures of Hudson and Boudreaux will always be so special to you and him! Thanks for sharing!
Such a sweet post! We also have a golden retriever. He is so great with our son who is 13-months-old.
I know they are going to be best buds! I love the last pic on this post – looks like they are both smiling! 🙂
Raising my hand…. GUILTY.
My poor animals hate me. I’m sure of it. When Coen arrived, I just couldn’t do both. I couldn’t care for them like I was caring for them before Coen. I had to let my husband. They can tell that I still love them, but they know that things have changed.
At first I was scared, because of my c-section, I didn’t want my dog to jump on me and hurt me. Now, I just am careful for Coen’s sake. Toby is just guilty of too many kisses but I don’t want him to get carried away. Coen doesn’t mind, just have to control Toby so he doesn’t lick him to death!
I feel bad, but I know that as Coen gets older, it will become easlier to do both. It’s sad. I know that they feel loved though. They live a pretty awesome life. I bet they enjoy their alone time more though… 😉
One of my favorite posts! I love the pictures and videos you post of H and Dreaux. I had a golden retriever growing up and he passed away a few years ago. I’ve always loved golden retrievers, and while I adore Frank the puggle, I hope we can add a golden to our family someday in addition to Frank. Seeing how Dreaux is with H makes me excited for how Frank will be with our child. Such an adorable relationship. The last picture is just precious.
Awww!!! This made me smile and cry at the same time! We lost both of our very old and loyal dogs within 3 months – in february & may – this year. I miss them SOOOOO much! I miss watching them with my boys and I am sad that Oliver will not know them like Sam and Fulton did. It is such a special, sweet bond.
Even though they do often take a backseat when babies arrive, I think having a pet for your children to love is very important. It teaches them a lot!!! My boys ask everyday when we can get another dog. Mrs. Claus is on board but I’m hoping Mr. Claus will pony-up and bring one at Christmas time. Maybe?
XO
Oh this topic touches close to home. My husband and I have three big dogs who are currently our children. I worry about how they will react once we have children of our own. Will they resent us? Will we still be able to give them as much love? All questions I’ll figure out someday…I guess 🙂
Aw, this was so sweet. We treat our dog like he is our child and we often wonder how that will change when we bring a baby into the mix. I can’t imagine loving someone more than we do our dog! I can’t wait to see how he acts with a baby, I’m hoping he’ll be just as loving and sweet as always.
What a great relationship! Hudson will remember this forever I’m sure of it. I had a great relationship with our chocolate lab when I was a toddler and I still completely remember it. I used to ride him around like he was a horse. It was so much fun!
Loving that picture of Hudson with his arm around Boudreaux!
These photos absolutely melt my heart! If you recall, I grew up with Goldens, and Nick and I look forward to welcoming one into our little family some day (hopefully next summer). We can’t wait for the puppy and our Peanut to bond the way that Hudson has with Boudreaux.
I have never posted on your blog, but I just am in love with that last pic. Your family is just so adorable!
Way to cute for words. They look like old pals. Love it!
Aww this is so sweet. We have two golden retrievers and they are both so good with Alivia. Especially Zoey – Alivia climbs all over her and Zoey just thinks she’s being pet and loves it. I can’t imagine not having our dogs!
Cate and Daisy are the best of friends too! It’s funny though, the little dogs kind of annoy Cate and then Daisy will come over and get the little dogs away from her. Daisy is always looking out for her:) I love goldens! they are the sweetest!!! I so wish Hudson and Cate could meet! I pray it will happen someday! xoxox
So adorbs. Lula has so much energy and wondered how she’d be around babies. She is incredibly gentle and protective with them. It’s really great to hear a positive baby/dog experience since so many friends have admittedly lost time for their pets.
We had many Golden Retrievers when I was growing up. They are the best dogs for children. Our boys love dogs so I know a pet is in our future and I want it to be a Golden Retriever! This was such a sweet post, Erin.
LOVE!!!
Oh my…that last picture makes my heart want to explode! LOVE it!
Such a warm and fuzzy post 🙂 It’s amazing how your pets become such a part of your family. Oliver is definitely our “child” right now, and I can only hope he has a relationship with our children like H & B have. Adorable pictures!!
Our dachshunds are really good with my son, and are so patient with him. Our older one Daisy watches him like a hawk. And growing up I had a blue heeler named Sugar. She was my age, and I had her from the time I was one until I was almost seventeen. Even though she passed away over thirteen years ago, I still miss her. Hudson will be forever blessed by his bond with Boudreaux. Such a sweet, sweet post and such precious pictures.
Oh, that is just precious. Sweet sweet!! The boys will have such great memories with that doggy. 🙂
This is such a touching post. Makes me all teary eyed being the huge dog/animal lover that I am. So sweet. Thanks for sharing.
You have melted my heart with this post!! The picture of Hudson with arm around B…practically put me in tears!! Love it!
This is so sweet, and made me cry. Our family dog Reilly has absolutely taken a back seat…he’s almost 12, and it breaks my heart to think he may only have a few years left. He is so sweet when we bring Charlotte over, but sometimes I get so nervous, I don’t let him come very close. And she adores him. This post made me realize we need to spend more time with Reilly when we are at my parents.
Our family dog growing up was a golden retriever. They are so wonderful! I love the picture of Hudson holding onto Bordeaux from behind. So precious!
That is the sweetest thing! My parents had a Sheltie before I was born and it was their first baby too! The sweetest thing was that when I was trying to learn to walk, my parents told me that I would completely pull on his hair to stand up and he would just sit their and let me 🙂 good times
Hey! That is so adorable:-) I have three labs and we love them like they are our children. We keep the 2 males outside and the female stays inside with me! I am expecting twins and she is so protective over me! I have been nervous about her adjusting after the twins get here but I think she will do just fine now!! Ive been following you on twitter for a while and noe following your lovely story! Have a great weekend!:-)
Your boy and the dog are so cute together!
AND you look so pretty on the pictures. I love the dress and your smile. You have a wonderful smile!
Greetings from Germany
so sweet. I love the picture of hudson hugging Boudreaux in your living room.
The bond among kids and their dogs is amazing. Ours is only 7 months old and she is already in love with “her puppy”. She wants to chase him around all day, “pet” him, and screams in delight anytime he pays any attention to her.
Thanks for posting this 🙂 us dog lovers appreciate it.