The Doggy Blues

My dog Elway.  Let me tell you, when he was a puppy,  I wanted nothing to do with him.  He chewed up parts of our carpet, ate a corner of our wall and destroyed some of my shoes.  You don't mess with a girl's shoes.  I guess someone forgot to mention that to him.
Somehow, throughout our nine years of owning him, he worked his way into my heart.  I took him for two or three walks a day during the summer and he came with me to do track work outs when I ran. My husband and I took him to Dairy Queen for ice cream cones.  We were three peas in a pod.
Until I became pregnant.  Things changed.  Apparently, there is no room for four peas in a pod.
I've heard stories from other women that their dogs became protective of them during pregnancy.  They were excited to see the baby when he was brought home.  That sounds nice and lovely.  That's what I, too, had in mind.
Our dog had somewhat of a different reaction.
He seemed jealous and anxious during the pregnancy, as if I was growing a spawn of a vacuum cleaner inside my uterus.  Dirty looks from him were the norm.  It's not all his fault.  My raging hormones turned me into an unlikable character.  I blamed him for everything.  He could do nothing right.  We came to some sort of understanding to completely ignore each other.
And so we did.
For nine months.
Then my husband and I disappeared for three days.  People he knew let him out and fed him. They reported that he was getting restless, wondering where we were.
Unfortunately for him, we walked through the door with an eight pound baby that took every ounce of our attention.  He was ancient history.
Sure, he wagged his tail and curiously sniffed our son at first.  He wanted to be by him and help comfort him when he cried.  But once he realized he wasn't getting the attention anymore, that routine quickly changed.
I'd like to report that everything is better and normal in our relationship.  That's simply not the case.  The poor guy mopes and would rather be outside than inside with us.  He gravitates toward other people for attention and ignores us.
That's okay.  It really is.
Because I also know that if a stranger comes to the door, he'll be greeted by a vicious bark.  Elway still wants to protect us, my son included.  He still acts concerned when my son screams at the top of his little lungs.
Our relationship may never recover.
But I still love the guy.