Answers In The Footage
Glen Joseph turned the baby monitor on and immediately felt his body tense. What was he going to see? Did he even want to know? His gut told him yes.
He realized his gut had been right. Watching the footage confirmed it. Another emotion he couldn't put a name to overtook the tension he felt he couldn't name as he watched his son head toward the dog.
It Was A Big Change
For Glen Joseph and his wife, Georgia, moving to Wisconsin had been a significant change. The pair of 28-year-olds were not accustomed to life in the Midwest.
Glen was a CPA, while Georgia was a fifth-grade school teacher. Sunny Florida had been a far cry from the frigid temperatures out here, but the weather wasn’t the only surprise waiting for them.
The News
As a CPA, Glen’s greatest ambition was to work for one of the “big four” firms. When he was offered a senior associate position at one of them, it was a dream come true.
He knew Georgia would support him since the position was so far away. What he didn’t expect was the other big news the couple would get once they reached there.
The Other News
Shortly after their marriage, the couple had adopted a rescue dog. Caesar was a white Boxer with black and brown highlights. Adopted from a local rescue shelter, he had a very docile personality for such a large dog.
It was also a sign that he’d likely experienced trauma as a former “street dog”. When the Josephs heard that Georgia was pregnant too, they knew their little family was complete.
Their New Life
Settling into their new lives hadn’t been easy. Milwaukee was a city whose places and customs differed from theirs, but they adjusted well.
The months flew by blissfully, and the couple found themselves loving their new life and home. In January 2020, the big moment they had all been waiting for finally arrived.
Little Mick
Mickel Joseph was a six-pound, nine-ounce baby. Glen and Georgia were thrilled. It seemed they were blessed beyond their wildest imaginations. It didn’t take long for this to all change.
After little “Mick” was born, later that same evening, Georgia could tell something wasn’t right. Her suspicions were confirmed when doctors gave the couple some bad news.
It Was A Scary Moment
The doctors informed the Josephs that Mick had a rare heart defect. At first, this news was highly distressing, and the couple feared the worst.
Their fears eased once the doctors explained that the defect was treatable as long as directions were followed. It was a huge relief, but there was still one snag; Mick couldn’t leave the hospital just yet.
They Finally Met
After a two week wait, Mick was finally deemed healthy enough and discharged. A little worried about how Caesar would react to the infant, the couple were ecstatic when Caesar immediately took to Mick.
The pair were like brothers, and Caesar showed more excitement these days than ever before. The couple now had a new problem.
The Brothers
Caesar was fully grown, and Mick was still too delicate. The couple tried to keep them apart more, but Caesar refused to leave his side. Eventually, Mick’s crib was set up with Caesar’s doggy bed beside it.
Seeing how Caesar watched over Mick day and night was touching. The two were like brothers. However, like any other sibling relationship, trouble wasn’t far away either.
They Were Inseparable
Part of Mick’s treatment regime required the rubbing of nitroglycerine gel on his chest before bed, but he was otherwise as carefree as any young child. In no time, a year passed, while Mick and Caesar became inseparable along the way.
As Mick grew, he cherished every moment spent near his “brother.” That was when Glen first noticed that something was wrong with Caesar.
Caesar’s Paws
Glen noticed that Caesar would frantically lick his paws every morning. Checking them, Glen found they were red, gave off a weird scent, and seemed to be having some sort of allergic reaction.
Glen’s instincts told him to check Mick’s room since the pair both slept there each night. Glen had installed a baby camera in the room. As he studied it now, his jaw dropped.
Mystery Solved
Now that Mick was old enough to walk, it seemed each night, after tossing and turning and not being able to sleep, Mick would climb out of his crib.
Snuggling himself next to Caesar and sleeping with the dog’s paws around him had become a routine. Glen finally realized what the weird smell on Caesar’s paws was; it was Mick’s nitroglycerine ointment.
Not Over Yet
Now that they had finally figured out that it was their son’s ointment that was causing Ceasar’s paws to smell strange and go red, they had to find a solution for the problem. They first decided to try and separate the two.
Glen moved Ceaser’s bed out into the hallway so that he wouldn’t be exposed to the ointment and have troubles the next morning. But they had no idea how futile that was.
The Next Morning
The next morning, Glen and Georgia woke up and greeted the new day. When Glen first walked down the hall to see Ceasar in his bed he smiled. But 20 minutes later while he was making breakfast, he noticed something.
Caesar, now in the kitchen begging for scraps, started licking his paws again. Glen shook his head. Clearly, something was still wrong.
Why Was It Still Happening?
Glen decided to check the footage once again. Unexpectedly, he saw that Ceasar had managed to get into Mick’s room while he was sleeping. He was surprised that the dog somehow got into the room and then snuck out before he woke up.
Glen couldn’t believe it. He saw Ceasar sleeping in the hallway when he woke up. He had to check the door to be sure.
More Clever Than He Thought
Glen figured out that Ceasar was much more clever than he had been giving him credit for. The canine was opening the door handles in the night to get to his loyal friend. But it was to the poor dog’s detriment.
Glen knew that he had to figure out another way to try and solve this problem. He clearly wasn’t going to be able to separate the two.
Looking For Other Solutions
Glen racked his brain for other solutions. He looked to Georgia who normally had brilliant ideas when he was stuck. They ruled out separating the two of them and they didn’t want to either.
They both agreed that it was a good thing that to two of them had bonded so much. They just had to try and find a better solution to make sure that their best canine and their special boy were both safe.
Couldn’t Compromise Their Son’s Health
They knew that they couldn’t compromise on their son’s health. No matter what, they had to keep applying the ointment on little Mick. He needed it and they wouldn’t stop that routine.
But then they had to find another way. They sat down and thought long and hard about it. Then Georgia’s eyes widened as she looked towards Glen. She had a brilliant idea that he hadn’t thought of.
Considering The Vet
Georgia explained to Glen that if they couldn’t keep them separated, then they would have to solve Ceasar’s problem. They’d have to find a way so that the two of them could snuggle every night and have no problems.
But what exactly was wrong with Ceasar when he was exposed to the ointment? Was it dangerous to dogs? They decided they had to take him to the vet.
The Vet
Like most dogs, Ceasar hated the vet. It took a lot of coaxing and treats just to get him into the car. From there, they drove three miles to their closest vet. They just hoped there would be a solution to their problems.
They got to the vet and were now standing in front of one of their veterinarians. When they explained things to him, he seemed surprised.
An Explanation
The veterinarian looks surprised at first. But once he understood the situation, he knew exactly what course of action to pursue. He explained exactly what was going on with Ceasar. He was having an allergic reaction to the ointment.
It wasn’t uncommon for animals to have allergic reactions to seemingly normal things. Thankfully, he also had a solution to their problems.
An Allergy Shot
The veterinarian told the anxious couple that everything would be okay after he gave Ceasar a special allergy shot. If everything went well, it would fix him up well and make sure that he didn’t have any problems when exposed to the ointment.
With the shot given to Ceasar, the three of them went home. They just had to wait and see what would happen.
Checking The Next Day
They had to wait through the night to the next day to see if the shot had worked. They anxiously slept, hoping that both their dog and their son were alright. The ointment had been rubbed onto Mick like normal.
The next morning, Glen woke up and went into Mick’s bedroom, he had to see if it had worked.
Caesar’s Paws
Glen checked Ceasar’s paws, he couldn’t believe what he saw. They looked perfect! There was no redness on his paws and he wasn’t licking them. It seemed that they had finally found a solution to their problem.
With that solved, they could now look forward to finding a way to integrate their dog and their son into a better sleeping arrangement.
It Was A Relief
Now that the mystery was solved, Mick and Georgia were relieved. It was also the perfect time since they noticed that Mick had outgrown his crib, they had to figure out a solution to their newest problem..
After reviewing the footage together and watching the adorable scene over and over, the couple knew what they had to do.
A Dilemma
They now had a new dilemma. It wasn’t bad at all but they had to find a way to make the sleeping arrangements with their dog and their son work. Now that the crib was sold, they had to make a decision.
They knew it would be an important one. It would be a longterm investment and it had to count.
The New Arrangement
It was clear that Mick and Caesar were not separating, so the couple decided to make them more comfortable instead.
With the crib removed, a brand new double bed was put in so Mick and Caesar could now sleep beside each other every night. The new arrangement was adorable, but there was just one thing missing.
The New Sign
When Glen and Georgia first chose their new house, they never imagined that the “baby room” would end up having two occupants so soon. Since it was clear Caesar would not be moving out, there was just one change left to make.
Glen went to the hardware store and bought some paint, wood, and a wall hanger. He came home and got to work on his project.
“Mick And Ceasar’s Room”
After an hour of working with the wood and the paint, Glen showed his creation to Georgia. She was proud of her husband. Now all that Glen had to do was walk up to his son’s bedroom door and make the change.
Taking down the first sign that hung on the door, Glen replaced it with one that now read, “Mick and Caesar’s Room.”
Sailing Smoothly
Things seemed to sail smoothly for the family once they had solved all of their problems. Their faithful canine continued to sleep in their son’s new bed while they sometimes watched on the monitor.
They knew things couldn’t get any better. They had a nice house, a happy dog, and a wonderful child. In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.