Thing on Thing Interactions

When Thing 2 first made her appearance in our house, the big question was, "How is Thing 1 handling it?" The Alphas were pleasantly surprised to be able to say that Thing 1 was doing just fine with the introduction of a new Thing to the family. What the Alphas failed to take into account was that Thing 1 was doing so well because Thing 2 couldn't do anything yet. Why would Thing 1 feel any animosity toward a baby that just lays around and sleeps? Now that Thing 2 is starting to seem like more of a person to Thing 1, Thing 1 is starting to have some adverse reactions to her.

Until recently, the Things would usually bathe simultaneously, but separately. Thing 1 would get the big tub (and all of Alpha Male's attention), while Thing 2 was relegated to the tiny baby bathtub sitting on the counter (and the less desirable attention of Alpha Female). However, because Thing 2 is such a piggie and eats all of her food without sharing any with me, she is getting way too big for such a tiny bathtub and the Alphas have started bathing the Things together. Bathing Thing 2 in the big tub can be tricky enough in and of itself, because it requires leaning over the side of the tub and supporting Thing 2's head while the rest of her body floats around. This is harder than it sounds, because her huge thighs tend to make her very buoyant and the real trick is trying to keep her from floating out of your hand (or paw, as the case may be). Adding to the challenge of this task is Thing 1's reaction to her sister. When Thing 2's leg floats over to Thing 1 and touches her, Thing 1 appears to be disgusted and protests, "no, no!" The same scene (minus the naked, floating baby) plays itself out over and over again in our house whenever Thing 2 gets her hands on a toy that Thing 1 decides she then wants to play with.

This good news to come of this is that I think I am Thing 1's favorite. When I took a bath with her, she didn't push me away. However, she did need to take another bath after I got out of the tub because I dirtied the bath water too much. It's good to be the dog!