Mabel was living her best life as an only dog — until everything changed.
At 3 years old, her peaceful reign came to an end when her parents brought home a new sibling: a bouncy goldendoodle puppy named Milo. Overnight, Mabel went from center of attention to older sister — and she wasn’t exactly thrilled about it.
“Mabel and Milo both get super jealous if the other is getting too much attention,” their mom, Carrie Bartsh, told The Dodo. “I try to keep things fair, like ‘trimming’ Mabel’s eyes when I trim Milo’s, even if hers don’t need it.”
It’s not just Milo, either. Mabel even gets jealous of the cat. “He needed ear drops, and she would sit there waiting patiently for her own ‘dose,’ too,” Bartsh said.
Despite their rivalry, the two dogs are inseparable. They play rough, love fiercely, and wrestle like siblings who’ve known each other forever. “Milo will run full speed and barrel right into Mabel, but even though he’s bigger and faster, she’s the boss,” Bartsh said. “Milo keeps her young, and Mabel keeps him in line.”
But last week, during a snowy walk, Milo had a mishap.
“They were roughhousing as usual,” Bartsh said, “when I suddenly saw blood in the snow. I checked and saw that Milo had a small cut on his paw.”
She brought him inside to clean and bandage the injury — but someone else had plans to get in on the action.
“When I called Milo over with all the first aid supplies, Mabel marched right over and flopped on her side in front of me, pretending she needed help too,” Bartsh said. “She was totally fine, but ready for her turn.”
So, Bartsh did what any dog mom with a flair for drama would do.
“I ripped an empty gauze wrapper to make it sound official, pretended to apply a pad to her leg, and wrapped a bit of vet tape around it,” she said. “Then I gave her kisses and told her she was all set. She looked so proud — then got up and trotted away, satisfied.”
Now that Milo’s paw is healing, Bartsh still changes his bandage every night — and every night, Mabel gets a matching fake one too.
“She expects it now,” Bartsh laughed. “If Milo’s getting treated, she’s getting treated.”
Sibling rivalry has never looked so adorable.
