My sister, niece, and nephew arrived last night. They had a long drive so my nephew Merrick was crying
for a bit when they arrived. After he stopped, he went to hug each of us
good night. My sister jokingly told him to hug Ava but when he
approached her, she growled. I was initially upset at her but I read
that a growling dog is a good thing because it's properly communicating.
However, this morning, my niece Marley who loves dogs was gently petting Ava and she snapped at Marley without any warning. Fortunately, she didn't bite her but it devastated me for a bit. Dean was so good with kids and I don't know really how to deal with a dog who would do that. I took her downstairs to my room and isolated us for a bit.
When we came out, my niece was okay and my sister very kindly brushed it off, casually warning her kids to avoid the dog. I spent the rest of the morning separating Ava and them. In the afternoon, we decided to go to the pumpkin patch outside of town and leave Ava with my dad to watch during his football game.
The break was nice. For a solid five days, Ava hasn't left my side. She's even been sleeping in the same room as me. She was in good hands with my dad and the pumpkin patch was a lot of fun. The kids loved it and I got to pet goats, rams, horses, baby bunnies, and a sweet dog who Marley really enjoyed seeing. I love how much she loves dogs and it pains me that my dog doesn't reciprocate that love but maybe she will with time. As Andrew said when I texted him about it, she has no idea what's been going on for the past five days and if her life and routine has permanently changed. Having a dog with negative behaviors with kids is just a new experience for me.
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