Brotherly Love

Last year at this time, we were eagerly anticipating Colton's arrival.  As those days creeped by (or at least to me), one of our biggest worries was how Chipper would adjust to the arrival of a new baby in the house.  As I have explained before, Chipper was our first child and was very much an only child.  Chipper is not exactly known for his good behavior, so while most expecting parents probably fret about how the baby and dog will interact, for us it was a major issue. 
Other parents, doctors, and even Chipper's vet advised us that Chipper's protective instinct would kick in once Colton arrived home, but we were still not 100% sold on that idea.  Once Colton was born, the nurses advised us to take one of his baby hats home for Chipper to sniff and get familiar with.  Hallelujah...my parents reported that not only did Chipper not attack the hat, he actually seemed to proceed with caution around it.  We had a minor setback the day we actually brought Colton home...Chipper bit at his leg as he lay motionless on the floor...luckily, we had Chipper on a leash (knowing this was probably going to be the reaction) and Josh quickly jerked him away. 

Colton and Chipper in their early days (4 days old for Colton)

But luckily, from that day forward, Chipper has taken to his brother, and Colton, likewise, has developed quite an affinity for Chipper (and any other dog for that matter).  Just this morning, the four of us were laying in bed (quite a difference from what laying in bed used to be just a year ago by the way!), and Colton was pulling, biting, slapping at Chipper...our crazy cockapoo just laid there letting him do it, and I melted.  As much fun as I have watching Colton do everything, I have to admit his interactions with Chipper are some of my favorite.  Colton lights up when his big brother appears, and I know now without a doubt, that Chipper would never, ever hurt his baby brother.  They share toys, they share food, they're best buds (well, at least Colton thinks so...) 

How cute are they?  Why was I ever worried?