As first time parents with a house full of pets, my wife and I were a little nervous when we brought home our new daughter. Our canine family includes a happy, well mannered Labrador Retriever mix, an oblivious Basset Hound and a 100 pound Rottweiler/Great Dane mix. The feline in the house is a very affectionate short haired calico. None of the animals had been around babies before, so we didn't know what to expect when the day finally came to introduce everyone.

We didn't have any worries about Kumba, my wife's Lab cross dog. She is extremely gentle and friendly. I was a little concerned about Lexus, my hound dog, just because she is clumsy and pretty clueless about a lot of things. The one dog we were concerned about is Dinah, our BIG Rottweiler cross. She was (like all the others) a rescue, but unlike the others didn't really train well. She is ferocious with strangers and likes to bark and bounce around in a frightening manner. This is the dog we can't take anywhere with us because she isn't leash trained and scares everybody. She's never bitten anyone, and is truly a sweet dog, but she is still quite intimidating. I didn't even give the cat any thought as a risk to the baby, but I have since heard stories (I think urban legends) about cats smothering babies in their cribs.

There are volumes of information out there for expecting parents about ways to get the pets ready for the new baby, but we honestly had not done anything to prepare the animals. All the books recommend training the dogs to get used to less one-on-one time, putting gates at doors to rooms they will no longer be allowed in, and desensitizing them to infant noises by playing tapes of crying babies. Many authorities suggest getting the dogs used to smells like baby powder and dirty diapers. Really, it's a good thing we didn't read all of this, because we would have been much more worried.

When the day finally came and it was time to bring home our new little Rosemary, we were too happy and excited to worry about anything, and as it turned out, there was nothing to worry about. Kumba was fantastic with our little girl. When she would cry, Kumba would come up to her and sniff at her, and we were amazed to see that Rosemary quit crying! She loved Kumba! Lexus didn't even notice that anything was different in the house. She kept sleeping or sniffing around for food but didn't pay a bit of attention to the baby. We were more careful introducing Dinah to Rosemary, but the big clumsy oaf of a dog seems to know how delicate the new baby is and even though we still don't let her too close, Dinah is Rosemary's favorite of the dogs. She laughs hysterically every time she sees her goofy smile and funny ears.

But it was Gretta our cat that turned out to be Rosemary's favorite pet. From the first day that Rosemary came home, Gretta has been the most exciting thing in her life. She smiles and laughs whenever the cat is in sight. Gretta likes Rosemary too. When Rosemary is playing on the floor, Gretta will come up to her and rub against her hand to be petted, and even though Rosemary is now only seven months old, she is not too rough with her. One time Rosemary was in her jumper (one of those contraptions that hangs a seat from a door frame with a spring) and she got a hold of Gretta's tail. Gretta was trying so hard to get away, but we have hard wood floors and her feet kept slipping. She never tried to scratch the baby, but she sure went and hid for a while when she did get away. Rosemary will watch Gretta wander around the room for hours and thinks she is the most fascinating thing in the world.

The hardest thing about having pets with a baby in the house is giving the animals the attention and love they deserve. It's easy to ignore the dogs and just let them spend their time entertaining themselves by chasing squirrels in the yard, but when we ignore them too much, they let us know. We explain to them that they are still loved, and we try to dedicate as much time to them as possible. They have been very good about sharing our affection and don't make us feel too guilty.

Becoming parents is of course the most life changing event that my wife and I have ever experienced, but having four friendly, well mannered pets in the house has actually made the change easier. They brighten up Rosemary's days, entertain her better than her toys and I've even read that children who grow up with pets in the home are less likely to develop allergies than children who do not grow up with pets. I can also say that the responsibility we learned caring for our companion animals was the best training for parenthood imaginable. I can't even imagine being a dad without the help of our pets.