d to have kids at some point, and we were a bit concerned that Jesse had a big question mark next to the "good with kids" category. He hadn't been around any in foster care, and this excitable young adult dog with anxiety seemed reactive to children in public. At 35 rambunctious and sprinting pounds we couldn't scrounge up volunteers among our friends with kids to help him learn to stay calm around children. So we put in some time and effort on the basics. Then more time and effort. Reining in his anxiety. Eradicating his insecurity and replacing it with confidence in our pack. Reprogramming his mind to check in with us to see if we trust a visitor, rather than take it upon himself to act as the family bouncer. Demonstrating for him that kind, trustworthy people can wear boots too...apparently the opposite was a deeply held belief. Just when we got Jesse where we wanted him to be, we dropped a bombshell on him: He was being demoted from Only Child to Family Dog...Baby #1 was on the way. Baby #2 wasn't far behind.
He makes us feel safe and keeps us company. He exudes silly joy when we play outside and makes us all laugh. Thanks to Jesse demolishing toys left strewn about, our kids have learned to pick up after themselves or suffer the consequences. He rarely wants affection from the kids, but when he asks for it, they are finding his favorite spots to be stroked and I can see they are learning self-control and empathy from him. One of the good things about having a dog who sets clear boundaries for himself is that my kids are learning to seek his consent and read his body language, and they use this knowledge when they encounter other animals and people as well.
