Loving Dog Filmed Refusing To Leave Pregnant Owner's Side During Labor
Our pets quickly become part of the family, but what about having your dog there for one of life's biggest milestones?
Maria Shayna Tzouvelekis-Bremauntz, who lives in Sonoma County in Northern California, has shared how her deer-head Chihuahua supported her throughout her pregnancy—and even while she was giving birth to her first child.
A video on TikTok shows how the 7-year-old pup, Wolfie, stayed close by as Tzouvelekis-Bremauntz labored.
"Wolfie began sensing I was pregnant early on and stayed closer to my side than usual," the new mom told Newsweek. "About six months in, he started becoming protective of me, guarding me and the baby against visitors and even my husband."
Maria and her husband Erick adopted Wolfie when he was just 7 months old and describe him as incredibly smart.
"He knows many tricks and has a great vocabulary," said Tzouvelekis-Bremauntz. "He is extremely kind, compassionate, playful and bright. He sleeps in bed with us by our feet and during the day takes turns between lying in the pet bed next to [our cat] C.B, sitting on the patio soaking up the sun and snuggling with us on the couch."
When her contractions began, Wolfie was right by his owner's side.
"He has always been very perceptive," said the owner. "As the contractions began, about three days before birth, he began to lay down closer to me and stay up with me when I was in pain."
Wolfie followed his owner around the house and even slept outside the door while she labored in the shower for an hour.
The video originally posted on TikTok shows the first night of Tzouvelekis-Bremauntz's labor.
"Wolfie loves to stretch with us and always stretches or lays by my side when I'm on the yoga mat," she said. "He will also sit on our shoulders when we're walking around outside or sitting on the couch. So him on my back was a pretty normal occurrence even if it looks quite funny in the video!"
During the pregnancy, the couple also spent time trying to help Wolfie understand that there would be a new human in the house.
"Every time we would speak about our baby in pregnancy, Wolfie would wag his tail and crawl up to us to get pets, cuddles and kisses," said the owner. "We would always give him attention but every time that we would talk to her, we would teach him that he was a 'dog' or 'puppy' and she was a 'baby'."
She added that Wolfie "and my phenomenal husband were both by my side continuously throughout and I have so many fond moments of pregnancy with both of them."
Now the Chihuahua is getting used to the new baby. "He was so excited to meet her and every single day he has shown more growth, comfort, respect and love," said Tzouvelekis-Bremauntz. "We took every precaution and have introduced them safely. It took about one week until we felt he completely understood and settled in."
The couple began posted their favorite pet moments on TikTok to look back on themselves, but were amazed by the attention their video has received.
"I know everyone always says they had no idea their video would go viral … but we also had no idea," said Tzouvelekis-Bremauntz.
"It's honestly pretty amazing that so many people, from so many places around the world, have watched, commented on and shared our videos. Babies and dogs are so wholesome and in a world that isn't always pleasant, it's wonderful to share a piece of our joy with the world."
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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