Dogs After Kids

Before we thought about having kids, we got dogs. Those dogs were our babies. They had their own shoes to protect their feet and their own shirts to wear when it was cold outside. They had matching collars and leashes. They ate only the best food. They went everywhere with us. As tiny puppies, they slept in a special crib that sat on the floor. We had it built just for them. On their first birthday, I baked them a peanut butter and banana dog safe cake. They opened presents wrapped in edible paper. They were our babies and they knew it.

When I got pregnant, I remember people telling me that it wouldn’t last. I remember them telling me that the dogs would get replaced and baby would come first. Of course he would, but not in the way that they were talking about.  We would still celebrate their birthday. We would still take them everywhere. We would still get them Christmas presents from Santa.  They would always be our babies too.

We read a lot about how to prepare them for our new baby. We developed a plan that worked surprisingly well. We were impressed with their reaction to our son when he came home. We told our little boy that the dogs were his brothers. To this day he calls all other dogs “doggy,” but the boys, our dogs, are his “bubbas.” It’s heart warming.

They are still our babies. We have three babies now, but our friends were right.  Things have changed. Now, there are many times when we find it easier to leave the dogs at home. We take them with us less. We also go to less “dog friendly” places. We still celebrate their birthdays, but now they don’t get custom made cakes. They usually get gravy on their dog food, which is still the best food we can buy. They get a bone from the butcher and we call it a day. For Christmas, they still get a present from Santa, but if I’m being honest, it’s more about preserving the magic for my son than actually going above and beyond for the dogs.

I’m sure there are people out there who managed to keep things the same for their four legged babies even after they had kiddos, but we weren’t part of that group.  But I am proud to say that we’re not part of another group, the group of people who quickly got rid of their pets after having children. I know a lot of people that did find new homes for their beloved pets after having children. There are many different reasons, some of them seem a little silly to me, but others have real weight. Some were forced to give up a cat after baby developed an allergy or find a new home for a dog that just didn’t like children. However, I’m glad we didn’t have to make a difficult decision like that. Maybe our dogs don’t get homemade cakes and their own purified water bottles anymore, but they are still part of the family and they are still our babies.

Written by: Sara Parise