Lately I have been losing my patience with Comang. So much so, that the thought of giving him away has entered my mind on more than a few occasions. 🙁
Our beloved shih-tzu has a classic case of first child syndrome. He is insanely jealous of the attention that Claire receives and is adding undue stress to my life.
Please don’t get me wrong — he has never acted out against Claire and I am certain that he won’t. Instead, he acts out toward me, his mommy and his favorite person in the world.
Whenever I am sitting anywhere with Claire, he will try to squeeze himself between us. When I am doing something with Claire that requires most of my attention, such as feeding her, he will scratch at my legs and endlessly bark.
He has even become destructive of our property, which he has never done before.
I try my best to discipline him with a stern “No!” whenever he does these things. And when Claire is napping, I head over to him, ready to shower him with attention…
But at these times, he will plain-out ignore me, perched on the couch and staring longingly out the window with desolate sighs.
A shot of Comang during one of his melancholy moods
It really isn’t that bad. I know that many dogs choose a more terrible path when babies are introduced to the picture, and I am thankful that Comang hasn’t been horrible (yet?). But I feel really bad for the little guy, knowing that he once had a more enjoyable life.
At times like these, I can’t help but wonder if he would have a better life with another family.
J has brought up the idea of getting another dog to keep Comang company so that he is not so lonely. I am not sure this is the best course of action, especially with BebeDeux on the way.
And speaking of BebeDeux, I now fear how Comang will react to yet another baby in the household, one for whom he will undoubtedly have to sacrifice more of my attention.
I am also scared that Claire might react similarly to how Comang has when the second baby arrives.
Do any of my pet-knowledgeable readers have any advice?
