In August 2011, when I was 8 months pregnant, we ended up with a third dog. This dog was completely unanticipated. He had been abandoned and was near death in my parent's complex when we found him. He took an immediate attachment to Ricky and there was no separating them. We called him Bones and prepared for life with three dogs and a new baby. Trooper was not thrilled with the new dog (especially because he had not been neutered) but he tolerated him pretty well. We were just worried about how Trooper, the original "only child" would respond when a new human baby entered the home and took over all of our attention and energy.
We were quite pleasantly surprised. Trooper immediately loved Maximus and became his protector. From the very beginning he would always be by Maximus' side and in every picture of Maximus you would find Trooper nearby. He so loved that baby from the moment he laid eyes on him. Earlier this week I put Maximus down for a nap. As always, Trooper was at my heel and followed me into the room where I laid Maximus down. Then I closed the door and left. An hour later I heard what sounded like a dog collar shaking coming through the monitor. I looked around for Trooper and found him trapped in the baby's room. Now... if you know Trooper you know that that dog never tolerates being closed in or locked out. Usually he barks, scratches, jumps and goes crazy. But this time I think he knew that he was with Maximus and that he could not bark and wake him up. I think he was content just being in the room with his little buddy. Its a very endearing memory that I hope to hold on to.
