Leo Cooper Knecht-Van Saders

During my pregnancy I did a load of research on how to introduce your dog to a new baby. The countless articles and videos I watched all said the same thing. It is very important that you a:) continue to show your dog love and affection and b:) if he reacts negatively toward the baby, do not yell at him, instead distract him with a toy or lead him to another area of the house. Associating any negativity with the baby can be detrimental. We arrived home 4 days after Miles was born and Leo could have cared less about him.

He like napping on my belly:)

He was so ecstatic to see me. After a couple hours I allowed him to jump on the couch while I fed Miles. Imagine my surprise when Leo just plopped down next to us after taking a couple sniffs of Miles feet. The next time he wanted to join us on the couch did not go as well. He jumped up, sniffed Miles, and gave a little growl. All my research and preparing was out the window in an instant. Without even blinking, I punched Leo in the face, yelled at him "NO", and pushed him off the couch. Those motherly instincts are no joke.
Since then, Leo has been pretty amazing. Anyone who knows our dog can attest to his eccentricities. Leo has always been a bit of a weirdo and can fly off the handle, barking and growling if he so much as hears the floor boards creak. Miles adores him and loves petting him, sharing his baby food, and getting stinky, sloppy kisses.


Shortly after we moved here we made the extremely difficult decision to give Leo to my brother. At first it was because I really didn't think he would do well with Miles as he got older. I was nervous that once Miles was crawling or walking Leo would turn into an even crazier animal. I had horrible visions of my nut job pit bull snacking on my poor baby's face. 

At this point, it has everything to do with me not being able to love and care for them both. I love my dog and always will. I honestly like him more than most people. I firmly believe he will be a happier, less anxious dog with his super cool Uncle Tom.

Leo loves me unconditionally. He just wants to please me and be near me. I guess that's how most dogs are with their owners, but I like to think our love runs deeper than that. He smells like Frito Lay chips and I can't get enough of it. His breath is like a warm breeze of garbage when he kisses me. As a puppy his nose was nearly all white. With age the spot has gotten smaller and darker, but it is still there and reminds me of when he was able to fit in the palm of my hand.

 Meeting Uncle Goliath at 5 weeks, the day I picked him up

-Leo is the loner in the back of the pack-

He is by far the best cuddler of all time and keeps me warm while curled up on the couch. Not sure how life will be without him. Not sure if I'm going to freak out and cry every morning. I am certainly crying right now!  Not sure if I'll be less stressed and actually okay with him being gone. I AM sure that this sucks and the days before he leaves are flying by. A part of me wants to take him on a vacation, just the two of us, so I can spend as much quality time with him as possible.

These next couple of days are going to be really emotional and difficult. I  love Leo with all my heart and can safely say there will never be another quite like him.