Perhaps you’ve been told to get a pet, a dog in particular, if you’ve mentioned to anyone in the universe that you’re considering the expansion of your family. There’s a number of reasons people say pets prepare you for parenting. I can tell you that there are some similarities such as the getting up at night, not being able to be out for long periods of times, feeding schedules etc.
That being said, pets are not as snugly in the bed, you cannot soothe a puppy in a sling or at your breast, playing tends to involve lots of running & tugging & TEETH, and pets are much more mobile much sooner than a baby!
I’ve had puppies in my life, but all came B.C. – Before Children. My mom bred bassett hounds when I was growing up. I look back now & wonder how she did it. We were 3 active kiddles in the house & my parents both worked full-time outside the home. My husband & I had dogs already when our children were born. The last few years have been petless. Now that we have bought a home & intend (in our minds anyway) to stay here for the duration, my family has gotten a puppy. Now, if I had things my way we would have waited a bit longer, at least until the summer when the older 2 are out of school. But here we are, 2 1/2 weeks into puppydom, he’s adorable & almost 11 weeks old, but so much more work than the 3 year old who is the normal variable factor in my day. It is glaringly apparent just how much work a puppy is, but the entire world needs to tell me this as well. Sound familiar?
Just like labor, birth & parenting, mention you have a new puppy & WHAM! Every bad story & negative comment about raising a puppy comes out just like every awful birth & parenting story come out.
So one again I challenge you to be the supportive person. Whether it’s a furbaby or a human baby have a fun, positive story to tell. Offer to help. Give constructive advice. There’s enough drama out there to last a lifetime.