Dear Moms Who Get Mad When I Call My Dog My Baby

Dear Moms Who Get Offended When I Call My Dog My Child, (or more specifically dear this mom.)

First of all, I guess I’m sorry it offends you when I call my dog my child. I had no idea you even cared. I certainly don’t mind when you call your human children dogs. Or peanut. Or monkey. Or duck. Or whatever it is you like to call your kids. I always find it quite cute. Ducks on the other hand, well they might be pissed. You probably want to talk to them first, you know, to make sure you’re not offending them.

As you said, “dogs ain’t people.” I guess I didn’t realize in order to call something your baby or child they had to be people. Then again, I also didn’t realize people are still using the word “ain’t” so what do I know?

You are correct in pointing out that I didn’t carry my dog for nine months in my womb. That’s just silly. And it’s taking away from Harlow’s sweet biological mom, Big Nosed Kate. And I didn’t have to go through a year long grueling adoption process. But here’s the thing, and go with me here because this might sound completely crazy, but I’ve heard there are other ways to become parents other than just the two options you mentioned. Mind blowing, right? And from what I’ve seen, the people that become parents the “non traditional way” usually seem to love their children just as much.

You’re right, my dog can’t draw me pictures with hearts on them. And he can’t say “I wuv you, mommy” like you made sure to point out. But he can make me feel better when I’m sad. And when I’m really lonely, he’s always there. When something is wrong, he just knows. He stays by my side like glue when I’m sick. When I’m happy, he wants to jump with me. When I’m scared, he wants to protect me.  He can’t draw hearts, or verbally say I love you, but that’s okay with me. He’s come up with other ways to tell me. I was under the impression human children did this as well, but who am I to say since I don’t have my own.

Really though Beth, is it okay if I call you Beth by the way? I don’t want to offend you. My entire post is a moot point because I could tell we were different parents the moment you said you could drop your dogs by the doggie spa and hop on a plane “guilt-free.” See, I can’t do that. Man, I wish I could, it would make traveling a heck of a lot easier. Instead, I worry about my pup the second I drop him off and miss him the entire time. What can I say, I’m just a crazy dog lady.

Beth, here’s the thing, I have a lot of friends who are amazing parents. And they really don’t care what I call my dog. It doesn’t concern them. They’re happy with their family and I’m happy with mine.

But I also have friends who don’t have children. Some by choice, some not by choice. And when you write a post telling them “they can’t call their dog a baby, because it’s not even close,” it’s so damn hurtful. You don’t need to remind them that their dog is not an actual baby, they’re well aware. But who are you to judge what we call our animals or how we love them?

Beth, continue to raise your children and I’ll do the same. I bet you’re a really good mom to your kids. But to your dogs? Maybe not so much. I think all of us “crazy dog people” saw red flags the moment you said “you can mostly ignore your dog.” So why don’t you let one of us come on over and take your pups home so we can raise them as our children. Because that’s the thing about us dog people, we always have room for one more, even if they’re not our own.

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149 Comments

  1. June 19, 2015 / 10:50 am

    Nailed it. The next thing you know, she's going to write an article about how we shouldn't call our dogs our "best friends" because they are still not people. But my dogs are my best friends AND my children, so THERE!

    • January 16, 2016 / 12:24 pm

      My dog is my best friend. His name is Buster. Lets just examine my reason for calling him my child. When I got him. He picked me. I did not pick him. There was a bond like no other I have ever had. Well I went on the road driving a truck. It was 110 degrees outside and I laid down in my sleeper thinking I would just take a quick 30 minute nap. 3 hrs later my Buster was laying on my chest trying frantically to wake me up. I was having a heat stroke. Because of his love for me he made his way to me to save me. As I crawled to the floor and reached the ignition I noticed he stopped breathing. I turned on the air and begin to wet him and gave him mouth to mouth to start his breathing. He had used what could had been his last breath to save me. So to tell me what I can call my own best friend that I owe my life too because you have no understanding of the bond. Is why there are so many abandoned and abused dogs in the country. Understand just like your child you had. It was a choice you made to take on that responsibility of another living thing. Your decision not theirs. But, I guess your liberal views are your right. So are my views. Unless you walk in my shoes..you will never know why I do what I do. Thank you and God Bless.

    • January 16, 2016 / 12:26 pm

      My dog is my best friend. His name is Buster. Lets just examine my reason for calling him my child. When I got him. He picked me. I did not pick him. There was a bond like no other I have ever had. Well I went on the road driving a truck. It was 110 degrees outside and I laid down in my sleeper thinking I would just take a quick 30 minute nap. 3 hrs later my Buster was laying on my chest trying frantically to wake me up. I was having a heat stroke. Because of his love for me he made his way to me to save me. As I crawled to the floor and reached the ignition I noticed he stopped breathing. I turned on the air and begin to wet him and gave him mouth to mouth to start his breathing. He had used what could had been his last breath to save me. So to tell me what I can call my own best friend that I owe my life too because you have no understanding of the bond. Is why there are so many abandoned and abused dogs in the country. Understand just like your child you had. It was a choice you made to take on that responsibility of another living thing. Your decision not theirs. But, I guess your liberal views are your right. So are my views. Unless you walk in my shoes..you will never know why I do what I do. Thank you and God Bless.

    • January 16, 2016 / 6:50 pm

      I enjoyed your reply until you said "liberal". What does politics have to do with this? I'm a Liberal (proud one) who feel the same way about my dogs as some feel about their kids. My furbaby is my soul mate, my best friend, my baby.

    • January 18, 2016 / 11:02 am

      ^^^100% agree. Also, I think you're writing an argumentative argument to someone who agrees with you. This whole article is a rebuttal to the idea that dogs aren't our children. You should probably click through to the original article she's arguing against and put your reply there…

    • January 21, 2016 / 3:53 pm

      I should probably stop calling my husband baby too since I didn't carry him in my womb for 9 months o_0

    • March 11, 2016 / 4:53 pm

      Liberal is a word, look it up. It isn't just a political party…. To be liberal does NOT mean "member of the liberal party", it typically refers to someone who has individual freedom. So in A. Conners response, I believe he means the persons has the right to their free/liberal opinion… Why do people get offended so easily and jump to conclusions? Exactly what bothers me with these "better than you" attitude who self righteously judge everyone who don't have kids and think their lives as mothers is far more valuable than other humans lives. We "non-parents" don't get to have a say in how they treat their children, or what they call their children, so pardon me but why the f… should they get to have a say in how others treat their dogs or call their dogs? People need to mind their own business, and stop thinking they have the right to get offended just because they are moms.

  2. June 19, 2015 / 10:53 am

    Lord I read that article and it made me so mad! Love that you wrote this. She is clueless.

  3. June 19, 2015 / 11:02 am

    YES!!! Love this post so much and I totally feel bad for any baby that has to be her "dog".

  4. June 19, 2015 / 11:07 am

    Wow. Someone really took the time to write an entire article of all the ways dogs and babies are different? How does she have the time with all the children and dogs running around? Sheesh.

    • December 28, 2015 / 7:02 am

      Maybe she doesn't give any of them enough of her "valuable" time. LOL

  5. June 19, 2015 / 11:08 am

    Oh my goodness – her post pissed me off! But I love your response! I, too, want to find her and take her dogs away from her because it doesn't sound like she's a very good pet parent! My dogs are my babies and they will most likely end up being the only type of babies I ever have so I'm going to love on them and spoil them as much as I can.

    Also – dropping off your dogs at the kennel guilt-free? Are you kidding me? I worry about them the second I turn to walk out of that doggy hotel room and call at least once a day to check on them while I'm gone!

    • January 16, 2016 / 11:02 am

      So true I'm a teenager and I call my dog my baby and since he is my dog officially I am always worrying about him thinking about him and i go camping alot so he usually comes and if he can't I worry about him because I always have to figure out what I should do with him and actually he does wake you up because he is protective and if he hears a noise out of the ordinary he will bark until I let him out of my room to check on it then he doesn't go back to bed right away either he is on edge for the red of the night and wen I am upset he jumps on me and puts his head on me or sometimes I even hold his paw and wen I'm sick he follows me around and wen I'm excited he wants to play with me and wag his tail

  6. June 19, 2015 / 11:09 am

    All of this! I'm so glad you wrote this. That lady in a moron!!

  7. June 19, 2015 / 11:13 am

    Perfect response to her crazy post! I always feel guilt about leaving my dog when we go on vacation because he doesn't understand why we're leaving. A human like my husband understands so I don't feel guilty about leaving him.

  8. June 19, 2015 / 11:15 am

    As always, this is spot on! I always scroll through your "crazy dog lady" posts about Harlow and smile because it is totally me – I am completely insane when it comes to our dog. I'm probably borderline psychotic but why not be? Our dogs can be the best companions if you give them the chance to be. Exhibit A – the amazing response to this video:

    I'm not normally one to throw shade on the views of others, but seriously? Shame on you, Beth.

  9. June 19, 2015 / 11:16 am

    I happen to have a human baby and a fur baby, and I don't find it offensive at all when people call their dogs their babies, because I do it too! And I agree with you about it being hurtful reminding people that their dog is not an actual baby. It took me almost two years to get pregnant, and I think I would've gone crazy if it weren't for my loving little fluff ball. He was there for me through many dark days in a way that humans just can't be. And now, he is the best brother for my daughter.

  10. June 19, 2015 / 11:17 am

    Perfect response!! This lady most definitely seems like a horrible dog parent. I agree, someone needs to take her pups and raise them with love and care like they deserve to be treated!

  11. June 19, 2015 / 11:32 am

    That article is a waste of space on the internet. I cannot believe anyone thought that was worth posting! Your response was perfect! I love my dog almost as much as I love my husband and all my friends know he is my child and call him my son, NOT my dog. I'm not sure he even realizes he's a dog most of the time.

  12. June 19, 2015 / 11:32 am

    I can't love this enough! My dogs are my children until I choose or choose (not) to have human children. I read Beth's article and it looks like we're not in the minority based upon the comments she received.

  13. June 19, 2015 / 11:32 am

    I can't love this enough! My dogs are my children until I choose or choose (not) to have human children. I read Beth's article and it looks like we're not in the minority based upon the comments she received.

  14. June 19, 2015 / 11:36 am

    This is too too true. If your dog isn't a family member, you should not have a dog. I was going to read this book called People I Want to Punch in the Throat because I heard it was funny…then in the description it listed "people who treat their dogs like children" so I decided I'd rather be punched in the throat than read that book.

  15. June 19, 2015 / 11:39 am

    It sounds like the whole premise of her article is, "I work harder than pet owners, and I need to be validated for that." Ridiculousness. The amount of care or love that another person spends on their pets is none of her business! And disliking "furbaby" as a term is a stupid little pet peeve that's definitely not worth writing an article about. I don't like the phrase "hubs" but who am I to tell other people what to call their loved ones?

  16. June 19, 2015 / 11:43 am

    There is nothing more perfect than this! I don't call my dog my "furkid" or "furbaby" but I do refer to him simply as my baby, and I tell other people that he's basically a toddler. Whatever.

  17. June 19, 2015 / 11:52 am

    OMG that article is ridiculous! You had some kids and you take care of them, good for you! What do you want, a medal?? BUT I LOVE this response, thank you so much for writing it! I am fully aware that my three furbabies are not human beings, but yes I call them furbabies or "my babies" because they are that to me! Also thank you so much for addressing how hurtful this can be to those of us who can't have children. So many people don't seem to get that. Ugh, this one hit a nerve! Again, LOVE your response though!

  18. June 19, 2015 / 11:55 am

    THANK YOU!! I read her article and I was livid. The first thing I gathered from the post is that she is a TERRIBLE pet owner and shouldn't have a dog. Because I can't simply ignore my dog when I'm at home, and I feel guilty as hell leaving her with someone else for night, let alone the entire length of a vacation. My dog may not be human, but with the exception of my husband, I love her more than anyone in the world and would rather stay home on a Friday night and hang out with my dog than go out. More than anything, I feel sad that this woman's dog doesn't get to experience the kind of love that my dog does.

  19. June 19, 2015 / 12:11 pm

    Um, I will call my cat whatever I damn well please, because I live in America, and probably won't have kids of my own. I love my cat, and cherish her, worry about her while I'm gone (A weekend camping trip a few weeks back made me a wreck!), laugh when she's acting all cute. Sure, she can't verbally speak, but when she rubs her head against my hand, and settles herself on my chest, it's pure adoration. Love her! <3

    This woman is bananas.

    BTW: Puppy Harlow, ADORABLE! Viszla puppies are so stinking cute!

  20. June 19, 2015 / 12:17 pm

    Wow…someone got a first class ticket on the crazy train. I bet your dog is smarter than her kid, especially if she is the one teaching them how to speak. I have four fur babies and made it very clear in a letter to my future child, that they were there first and will be loved still.Having a puppy, or any animal for that matter, is like having a toddler. I've woken up in the wee hours of the night because one of them peed, pooped, vomited, etc on the floor. With cats you change their litter and clean their messes. Kids need food, love, discipline, shelter, obedience training, etc. So do pets.

  21. June 19, 2015 / 12:35 pm

    This! Yes! I don't even have a dog and I'm offended by her post. What if I can't have kids (a very likely scenario)? Guess I shouldn't get a bunch of pets and consider them my children, then? What a ridiculous argument.

  22. June 19, 2015 / 12:38 pm

    Hell yes. The moment someone tells me how to live my life or treat my animals we have a big problem. PREACH IT

  23. June 19, 2015 / 12:41 pm

    I went and read the post you linked to. Wow. That woman is bitter and hates being a mother.

    Your response is exactly right.

    I mean, who CARES how you choose to refer to Harlow? What business is that of anyone else's?

  24. June 19, 2015 / 12:46 pm

    AMEN!!! My dogs are my parents' other kids and therefore my brothers and I wouldn't have it any other way. I shared this and will even call her out on Twitter (you'll see ;))–she started it, damn it! How dare she.. Like a commenter on her post said: WHY does she even care? And does the fact that our SOs aren't babies mean we can't call them "baby"? Yeah right.

    Yet another genius post, girl. Thanks!! (And big thanks to Harlow, too, for inspiring you!)

  25. June 19, 2015 / 12:49 pm

    Yes yes yes!! That article got my blood boiling…I don't have kids, but I love my *furbaby* Sullivan more than I love a lot of people. He is without a doubt a part of our family. When we lost our other sweet pup to cancer last year, I cried for months. Beth (any word on if she's allowing us to call her by name?) should probably just close up shop and head on home. After browsing through some of the comments on her article, I don't see how she's going to get very far.

  26. June 19, 2015 / 1:00 pm

    Just shared from two of my accounts :)! We got your back, girl.
    PS- After a litle research, I found her kids are named (or just nicknamed? Hopefully..) Falcon and Bear. Oh, the irony!!

  27. June 19, 2015 / 1:08 pm

    This post gives me major baby fever… DOG BABY FEVER. That picture of BABY Harlow made me want to jump in my car and add like, 10 more BABIES to my brood of FUR KIDS. [I'm emphasizing out of spite, here. Not yelling.]

    I barely made it past the first paragraph of her article after reading her talk about her dogs in the past tense. Seeing, "We lovED them, we kissED them, we cuddlED them…" made me sick. I'm actually shocked she didn't drop them off at the shelter the very minute she saw the two lines on the pee stick because human babies are far superior and she had no use for those annoying dogs anymore. She seems like the type who thinks pets are temporary until you have a baby, move, it pees on the floor, or you just get bored with it— then good riddance.

    No, my dogs may not be able to say "I WUV YOU, MOMMY" but their affection for me and their DADDY is obvious in many other ways… Although the worst part of that statement is the fact that she seems to ignorantly believe ALL human children are capable of verbally telling their mothers they love them, or being taught how to read and draw pictures of hearts. Wowza, I am actually really glad I don't have human children right now, especially if mine happened to not meet her small-minded "perfect" human child standards… Hey lady, all humans and mammals [and probably a bunch of amphibians, reptiles, and fish] are capable and more importantly, deserving of love and affection. Not just your 3 little perfect brats. I'm with ya, Taylor- I'd be more than happy to take over and be her dogs' new MOMMY 😉

    • June 19, 2015 / 1:12 pm

      I thought the EXACT thing about the past tense. We lovED them. And then you had your human kids and that was that.. So so sad.

  28. June 19, 2015 / 1:42 pm

    Great post as always tay. I read the original article and I think what bothered me the most was her implication that you can only call something a baby or child if it involves great sacrifice hardship and misery. Her reasoning for not calling a dog your baby is because you didn't go through hell to add him to your family. Or you weren't up all night with him as a crying fussy baby. June is a very easy child and a good friend once jokingly said to me after watching how easy motherhood is for me "oh Bonnie you have no idea what it means to be a mom". Like I hadn't earned it by being miserable enough. I hate when moms are weirdly prideful about how hard it is to be a mom – like no one else can understand if they haven't been through it. And the idea that we can't call whatever or whoever we want our baby because we didn't have it torn out of our womb – now that's just absurd.

  29. June 19, 2015 / 1:48 pm

    the only thing i dont love about your repsonse is how much traffic she will get now lol! but you are so right. very hurtful. and now i will go love on my 5 fur babies and my 1 human baby.

  30. June 19, 2015 / 1:51 pm

    Am I missing something here???? WHO wrote this post? WHERE can I find it? WHO does this lady think that she is? My cat got spade yesterday and I cried. Sure I didn't carry her for nine months or push her out my vagina but Cornflake is my baby and will be even after I have human ones!

  31. June 19, 2015 / 2:02 pm

    This post is spot on! I'm shocked at how insensitive and rude her post was. Ugh!!

  32. June 19, 2015 / 2:18 pm

    YES. Her post. GRRR. Five minutes of inattention and my pup is DEF into something. Plus I guarantee her toddler sleeps more.

  33. June 19, 2015 / 2:29 pm

    Love your post! That woman is deranged! I've had my cat Leo for 9 years- he was with me in college and 7 years after and he shows me so much love every day! Her post is very mean to everyone who can't have children- not everyone is as lucky as her to have both children and pets! What a bitch- thanks for telling her whats up!
    Virginia
    theritzyglitzy.com

  34. June 19, 2015 / 2:39 pm

    I'm a mother to human and fur children both and I have no problem with people calling their pets their kids. It makes total sense to me. What doesn't make sense are the people that have pets that treat them badly and don't love them! Why make a big deal about people that love animals like one of our own when there are so many poor, innocent animals suffering?

  35. June 19, 2015 / 2:50 pm

    You are the spokesperson for all dog moms out there.

  36. June 19, 2015 / 2:58 pm

    This chick needs to go away. She is a bitter woman whose writing is neither cute nor funny AND DOES NOT DESERVE TO BE A FUR PARENT!!!

  37. June 19, 2015 / 3:01 pm

    Love this!! My dog is definitely my "baby." I spend an obscene amount of time worrying about how he's going to act when the day comes and I'm married and he has to share me – and the bed… – with someone. And kids? Oh, I fret over whether or not he will like my kids because right now, he's kind of anti-baby and I just can't see not having the little nugget as part of our lives. He's my first baby, after all.

    And dropping him off guilt-free? Nah. I tell him I love him and to be good at least 12 times before I leave in the mornings for work…

  38. June 19, 2015 / 3:45 pm

    The best part about this is the lack of positive comments on her post.

    Also, she's right, her dogs aren't her kids, but that's because she isn't a proper parent.

  39. June 19, 2015 / 3:53 pm

    YES!!!!! My Vizsla is my baby boy, he is my fur baby, and I love him like my child. I make no apologizes for it and if someone cannot accept it, then they do not get to be in my life. I post pictures of my dogs like my friends do of their children.

    I am a firm believer in if you wouldn't do it to a toddler, than do not do it to your dog. Dogs are like toddlers and there is no way to not look at it. We (my husband and I) do not go on vacations because we do not want to leave our dogs. We do not want to board them and if we are away from the house for too long, we feel guilty and rush home. We love them. We WANT them in our lives and we love them like children.

    THE END. P.S. There is a great group on FB for Vizsla owners (with great people and no drama) called Vizsla International. If you're not in it already, I would look it up.

  40. June 19, 2015 / 4:53 pm

    Brilliant! I am going to save this and keep it on hand because I couldn't have put it better myself. I have a friend who was so grateful when I defended her for being a stay-at-home mom. Less than a month later, she was telling me I was wrong to get a mother's day gift from my dog because he wasn't a "real child." Wow, irony. Intolerant much over other people's choices? Thank you from me and my boy, Gus.

  41. June 19, 2015 / 9:00 pm

    Amen. My dog is my baby. Period. And much better behaved than some human children I have had the displeasure of meeting!

  42. June 20, 2015 / 3:23 am

    Oh jeez she's so ugh, a dog is like having a child. You gotta feed it, clean it, clean up its poop, love it, teach it things, discipline it, etc. You do all that with an actual human child so I don't see why it can't be called my furbaby, and I'm its furmama. I'm obsessed with dogs so when I finally get one I'm gonna treat it like I birthed it, I'm sure of it lol.

  43. June 20, 2015 / 7:38 am

    Hahaha…love your post! Why do some people need to worry so much about what others do? Certainly if you see any sort of abuse ( of any kind, to any living being), speak up, but if there's love and caring mind your own business!

  44. June 20, 2015 / 9:22 am

    Oh my, thank heavens for all of us " doggie" Mommies out here. Really, why not give a member of our family some nurturing, share compassion for and find more joy in our life by enjoying a pet in the home. I am sorry for those who do not see animals as another one of God's creations with a purpose here. Thank you for sharing your story.

  45. June 20, 2015 / 3:50 pm

    So well written!!! and AMEN! I'll gladly take her pups and add them to my family pack with my 2 "babies" and no 'human' babies.

  46. June 20, 2015 / 9:07 pm

    BAM. Mic drop.

    Love this!

  47. June 21, 2015 / 6:27 am

    Well said! I absolutely love this! It's such a shame you've had to defend yourself and all us other dog mums just because this super thick minded woman can't be bothered to deal with her own fur babies. IMO she definitely should not be allowed to keep them, she clearly doesn't want them anymore now that she has her human babies. It's a shame that there has to be such a degrading line between the two – most people love having both kinds of kids running about the house but it's clearly such an issue for some.

  48. June 21, 2015 / 8:08 am

    At first I was just annoyed that someone took the time to write an entire post telling people they're wrong for something that literally does not matter to anyone else, but then…"You can mostly ignore them." WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL.

  49. June 21, 2015 / 11:13 am

    I'm going nuts over here, this was so friggin good. Hi fives and hi-paws from the three fur babies snuggled at my feet right now. Seriously. This says so much more about the type of person, and probably mother, that she is than anything. My husband joke constantly that we are afraid of having a human child because we can't imagine loving it as much as we love our pets lol- mostly because of their unconditional love, joy for life, and we aren't afraid they will grow up into major asshats like this woman. People can be so cruel and clueless, they are obviously threatened by others with the capacity to love their pets, children, spouses, and even themselves without needing to draw demeaning lines between them all. What a sad life. Gtg, my "kids" need me to get off the computer and cuddle them on our fur-covered floor. 🙂

  50. June 21, 2015 / 1:36 pm

    But for real though. I'm actually offended she calls herself a dog owner. I am filled with guilt every single day I leave my pup to go to work. I've raised my little nugget baby since she was 3 months old. Flash forward to 3 years and Monday-Friday never gets easier. THAT is a dog owner, Bethy, and clearly we are not in the same camp.

  51. June 21, 2015 / 8:25 pm

    Love this! Although I currently don't have a dog (just passed up an amazing opportunity to get paid monthly for taking in a pitbul pup, but alas I do not have the resources) I still got angry at that Beth lady. Your reply post is on point!
    One day I hope to raise my own puppy child, until then, college.

  52. June 22, 2015 / 12:05 am

    AMAZING! I started reading the other article and got so upset that I couldn't finish it. Everything you wrote here was spot on with what I was thinking when I saw the other article! I think she's ludicrous! I wanna say thank you, I'm one of those dog moms who don't have children, and it's not by choice. So our little Naya IS our baby. She means the world to us. And we love her more than anything. I don't know what we'd do without her. Even though she can't say it verbally we know she loves us too.

    • February 7, 2017 / 7:35 pm

      It really irritates me that she writes about her kids as if they are some horrible inconvenience. I think I am sad for her children AND her dogs.

  53. June 22, 2015 / 8:54 am

    i don't have a dog, but if I did, they would certainly be labeled my babies – just as my two cats are right now!! i hope that girl comes across your post. idiot!

  54. June 22, 2015 / 9:46 am

    Oh, man… this one got me right in the feels this morning. I read that post. And it angered and saddened me. Because I get it–dogs/children; they're not quite the same. But I love my goofy boxer/pit bull mix Buster with all my heart and I would take a bullet for that pup and it doesn't matter to me whether or not I birthed him. Believe it or not, he came into my life when he was 9 years old! He was an old man and someone discarded him like a bag of trash and he's filled my heart with so much joy in the year + my bf and I have had him.

    I know that having children is different, but I don't understand why anyone should get offended that we care and love our animals unconditionally, the way that they love us. And no, I don't believe I could just "go to a breeder" to get another one or hop on a guilt-free trip, because Buster came into my life for a reason and I'll be damned if I'm going to show him anything but love for the rest of his days.

    Sorry, stepping down from my pedestal now 🙂 Anyway, thank you for this. Can we direct this "Beth" person over here somehow?

    XOXO

  55. June 22, 2015 / 11:18 am

    I read that post when it first came out and I was so upset, like what gives YOU the right to tell me I can't call my 85 lbs newfounland/black lab mutt my BABY!!!! He IS my baby according to me, I rescued him at 4 1/2 months old, cleaned him up, helped him get back to a healthy weight, and it took me YEARS to finally get him able to be around A LOT of people at one time because he was abused. He lays with me when I'm sick or sad, he gives me a "hug" when I get home from work and a few kisses, he follows me when I walk around the house. I just can't, and before I leave a novel on your page I'm just gonna stop.

    I am SO glad you wrote this post up because it's TRUE. And I LOVE you just that much more for it. ♥

  56. June 22, 2015 / 1:13 pm

    Oh, my God. This is beautiful. Spot on. I don't have children yet. But I do have a furry child. One I almost lost. I know the paint, the hiccuping crying, lost feeling you get when your "baby" (for fear of offending anyone) may not return to you. I also miss her the moment I leave until I come home. I stop working on the computer, I refuse to move while she's on my lap, I give her kisses – doesn't matter what else is going on. She's my baby. I don't know how it'll be when we decided to have our human child, but I hope to God I don't learn how to ignore her. She's part of the family now, our little rascal. I can only hope she'll still be my baby once the new human comes in. 🙂

  57. June 22, 2015 / 1:55 pm

    Read through the comments, everyone has said what I have been thinking. All I want to say, is very well said. 🙂

  58. June 22, 2015 / 2:46 pm

    Love this! Perfect! We have a boxer who has been our baby for 7.5 years….is he a child no–i never said he was a human….but he is a fur child and baby! I would like to know her stance on ladies and gents calling their significant others "baby"….she going to get her undies all in a wad for that one too?

  59. June 22, 2015 / 5:30 pm

    Dang Gina! Ok, now I need to find this Beth and her ridiculous article.

  60. June 22, 2015 / 5:53 pm

    Oh Lordy, some people just shouldn't be allowed access to the internet. If celebrities have the right to call their kids Blanket and North West I'm pretty sure I have the right to call my dog my baby.

  61. June 22, 2015 / 8:02 pm

    I wanted to scream, "YAAAASSSSS" reading this post! You took every thought I had reading that article and then some, and made it sound so much more civil. Well done, and cheers to us crazy dog people.

  62. June 24, 2015 / 11:20 am

    I read about half of the other moms article and it really just sounds like she's bitching about raising her children…. She seems very bitter about having kids. As for me, I will call my cat my furbaby for as long as I live! She loves me, talks to me, snuggles with me, doesn't leave my side when I'm having a horrible day or sick, and sleeps with me. We have a bond!!!

  63. June 24, 2015 / 4:01 pm

    My daughters called my Handsome Man their brother, and in school I remember the teacher asking me at a conference that they weren't aware she had a brother but she over hears her talking to her friends about him. LOL. My Gimmo saved my youngest daughters life when she was almost 4 months old. We put her to bed and were watching a movie when he started scratching the carpet and scratching the door to her room. We had told him to hush and stop fearing he would wake her up but he wouldn't and he started making a growling noise I had never heard before and we figured he forgot a toy or a snack in her room, so after about 10 minutes my fiance, her sister and I got up to let him in to get what he forgot. He ran so fast to her crib that he skidded under it and he literally crawled up the railings and was barking and whimpering. When we got to her crib she was drenched. Literally the sheet, her night gown, her blanket and her head was soaked. I remember screaming as her dad picked her up and my oldest daughter ran to get the phone. She was breathing so shallow I wasn't even sure she actually was. We left immediately while on the phone with 911 and we actually met them at the middle school parking lot to save time. Turns out she had Pneumonia and with her being so small and young it can happen just as it did with her rapidly and intense. The doctors told us that had we waited even 10 minutes longer she wouldn't be with us because her lungs would have been filled with fluid. Since that day and until he went to heaven he watched over her like a hawk, not to mention any small baby he was around. So not only is he my 3rd child he is also our family HERO. BTW…I, miss my little man when he was groomed and they knew to call me 10 minutes before he was done so I could be there so he wouldn't have to go into a cage. I would miss him while out shopping and cut my trip short. He was terrified of thunder and lightening and if I was out and it started then without thought or hesitation I would immediately check out and go home, and if it was a big trip and I had lots of things I would just leave my cart and hit the parking lot. I would get home and find him with his head under the couch because that was all that would fit but when he heard mommy calling him he would run straight towards me and his face would snuggle into my neck and he would start to snore (his unique ability he had when he was super happy) and he would fall asleep in my arms. This is no different than I would do with my girls or my niece and nephews if they were scared or sick and like them I wouldn't leave them in their time of need. It is sad to know that people exist who cannot be moved by the pure innocent and total unconditional love of animals. I actually feel sorry for her because she doesn't even realize what a wonderful gift she has in her dog however I do hope she never gets another one because so many people are more deserving of having one than she does. PS.. I especially love when he would be curled up next to me and even while still asleep and not waking up he would instinctively huddle closer to me if there was a gap or a better spot he could get closer to me in. I now have a Chinchilla and she has free range of the house. She loves the freedom and if I do put her in her cage she will actually bite the frame and try so hard to get out that her bottom half will rise from the floor. She loves playing under our beds because the box springs have the wood under them and she basically has a huge obstacle course in any one of the rooms.

  64. June 24, 2015 / 6:27 pm

    I was once told that having a dog is like having a perpetual infant. Now that I have had both, I couldn't agree more! Kids mature and become independent. Dogs still need us (and I like to think we need them too!).

  65. June 25, 2015 / 11:40 am

    I love this! It brings to mind the nights I've actually stayed up all night when one of my dogs is sick, cleaning up vomit, trying to make them as comfortable as possible and talking on the phone with the vet to see if it's anything serious. If that's not being a mother, I'm not sure what is.

  66. June 28, 2015 / 11:24 am

    & all of the crazy dog moms said AMEN! My dogs are my babies. So beth can suck it!

  67. June 29, 2015 / 2:00 pm

    Omg I absolutely love this. It is AMAZING. Animal lovers united 🙂

  68. July 7, 2015 / 1:28 pm

    You are my favorite. I agree you with 100% the second I saw that she can drop her dogs off and leave feeling guilt free I wondered how that was possible. I feel guilty going to the grocery store on the weekend when I want to spend the whole day with my dog. The weekends are his. And weeknights and pretty much I make every decision around him.

    One of my friends has a two year and two dogs and always points out how similar they are. My dog and her kid are like BFFs. It makes me so sad when I see dogs who aren't treated like family.

  69. July 9, 2015 / 1:52 pm

    My furbaby Castro has been working on saying ri ruv ru since he was a few months old.

  70. July 9, 2015 / 5:07 pm

    I'd ask you to marry me, but I don't think your dog would want to share an awesome mommy like you 🙂

  71. July 24, 2015 / 12:45 pm

    Did anyone else pay attention to the fact that she said if she looks away for a few minutes her kids will be drinking bleach? Then how in the world did she manage to find time to write this hateful article?! None of my pets would be drinking bleach if I look away for a few minutes. So really, I win. This article however was written so perfectly. Defending all us crazy pet parents who have the audacity to feel as if our pets are our children. How silly of us! But honestly, thank you for sticking up for all of us who probably love our and obsess over our pets a little too much.

  72. August 22, 2015 / 6:48 pm

    I don't have kids and have a dog I love and two others that passed away in 2013. I wasn't really upset by her article but curious as to what else Elizabeth Broadbent had wrote. Earlier on in 2015 she wrote an article about how her dog prepared her for children and says "But in the end, your babies—both furry and human—are worth all the trouble." I wonder what changed for her between now and then? You can read her other article here: http://mamalode.com/story/detail/how-dogs-prepared-me-for-kids

  73. August 25, 2015 / 11:58 pm

    I have two sons I carried for nines months gave birth I did what most woman do. Now they are out on there own with families. I did a great job of raising them as well as 8 other children that are my step children. My house was always full of chaos but lots of love. We always and I do mean alway had dogs, pigs, chickens, cows, and horses my children all of them learned how to love, respect and take care of them. I feel that if you teach a child how to handle the responsibility of taking care of animals they will be able to take care of their own children when they are adults. Now that all my human children are grown and out of the home my cats and dogs are all I have with me. They are my kids now and I am so greatfull to have these furry babies . If you don't like it I don't care. Be offened. You are a selfish cold hearted person to think animals don't have feelings.
    Well people do have feelings just like all animals do. Someday when you are all alone and your children won't speak to you or visit you, you will wish you had compassion in your cold heart. We should all realize than God put these animals on this earth to test us. You failed.

  74. August 29, 2015 / 11:03 pm

    I have two human children and two fur children. I have literally had my cat, Ninja, from the day she was born. My sisters cat is my niece and my brothers dog is my nephew. How, in any way, does that take away from the love I have for my human kids? If she thinks that the animal kid will only chew up and ruin stuff whereas a lil human will accidentally poison themselves, she's clearly never had her animal get into the bathroom cupboards or the cleaning cupboards and ingest some of those chemicals, all by accident. I have a lock on my cupboards so that my fur babies can't get into the cupboards and cause accidental harm to themselves. Yes, my cats can't say they love me but you know what? I know they do when I get home from a hard day at work and sit down, and boom! There they are! In my lap, nuzzling and loving me, just trying to make me feel better. My kids meanwhile are fighting with one another and so I am forced to get up and stop the fighting, all the while feeling guilty that I had to evict my fur babies from my lap

  75. September 10, 2015 / 11:16 pm
  76. September 21, 2015 / 11:14 pm

    Thank you for validating the rant I put up earlier today!

    It's fairly well known that I don't adore animals. I don't find people's little dogs irresistible, and I won't be bullied into picking up and/or petting someone's pets. That's exactly why I like cats…they leave me alone. (Mostly. LOL)

    Still, a pet owner calling his or her pets a baby, furbaby, furkid, etc. has absolutely ZERO to do with me. It doesn't hurt me, doesn't offend me, and doesn't take away from my quality of life.

    We need to do away with the false notion that women are incomplete beings unless they produce human offspring.

    Becoming a mother to human children is a great and wonderful thing, but it is a privilege denied to many or inappropriate/unwanted by others.

    If I want to buy a wooden spoon and call it my baby, it's my choice. Every pet owner has the same right.

    End rant.

  77. October 23, 2015 / 11:22 pm
  78. October 28, 2015 / 8:30 pm
  79. December 11, 2015 / 3:05 pm

    Amen I know alot of women like myself who cant have children and the article she post made my blood boil. My babies all 3 are BABIES

  80. December 12, 2015 / 1:55 pm

    I absolutely love this article. I was so appalled whenever I read her post and how she talked about her dogs compared to her children. I'm sure children are great, and I can only hope someday I'll be lucky enough to have my own. However for now I have a loving 95 lbs pitbull fur BABY who I love more than anything. I couldn't imagine ignoring him, because he would never ignore me. He's as much loved by myself and my parents and family as my 7 year old niece is. My parents call him their grandbaby and my niece loves him as much as she would if not more than a cousin. As for "dropping them off at a kennel guilt-free" it couldn't be farther from the truth. I've never dreamed of dropping him off somewhere and paying them to hopefully care for him the way he deserves. Any time we won't be home for a certain period of time, I take him to my parents to watch him and give him love just as I would if I had a child and I drop him off with his "diaper bag" that has all his toys, his leash, and food for when he needs to eat. So no, I don't care how offended she or others are about calling my dog my baby.

  81. December 14, 2015 / 11:39 am

    Absolutely correct!!!! My kids are my life and I have probably more picturesearch and videos than u do of them. There is a picture of them everywhere I turn. I love them just as must as other parents love their human children.

  82. December 14, 2015 / 11:39 am

    Absolutely correct!!!! My kids are my life and I have probably more picturesearch and videos than u do of them. There is a picture of them everywhere I turn. I love them just as must as other parents love their human children.

  83. December 22, 2015 / 4:06 pm

    Thumbs up! Love it!

  84. December 23, 2015 / 11:24 am

    I LOVE THIS. LOVE LOVE LOVE! Thank you for so eloquently putting into words what all the dog mommies were thinking. I plan on having kids one day but for right now, and for always actually, my pup will be my child :). Probably will wind up being my most well behaved one too. Ha! The best part about dogs is that they will never say "I hate you!!," get moody and shut you out like we have all done to our parents growing up. They are always happy to see you, they are truly pure joy in fur form 🙂

    P.s. My father still calls me peanut and I'm highly allergic, to the point of death. I wonder if I should be offended? lol

  85. January 15, 2016 / 10:44 pm

    You, my good woman, Rock! That is all.

  86. January 15, 2016 / 11:03 pm

    Tay, I have never personally met you but, thank you from one 4 legged child lover to another! Love your response!
    Love and hugs from Daisy and her Momma!

  87. January 15, 2016 / 11:05 pm

    Love the response but thing is the original writer of the article has way too much time on their hands. Get a hobby, you call your pets what you want and I call my fur babies that don't like put cotton in your ear and try to cure something.

  88. January 15, 2016 / 11:53 pm

    Love it!!! This chic needed to be shut down. She has pets…we have fur babies…I wouldn't break bread with this creep.

  89. January 15, 2016 / 11:54 pm

    Love it!!! This chic needed to be shut down. She has pets…we have fur babies…I wouldn't break bread with this creep.

  90. January 16, 2016 / 12:05 am

    I love it. Couldn't have said it better myself! My dogs mean the world to me and I'll call them whatever I want! 🙂

  91. January 16, 2016 / 1:20 am

    Okay, so maybe this is really about what makes a person a true parent.

    If taking a bruised, battered, bleeding, starved living being that you have no ties to out of an abusive situation at any hour of the day or night because pain, fear and terror have no schedules, if paying literally thousands of dollars that you know you really don't have on emergency vet visits, x-rays, treatments, surgeries and meds while simultaneously knowing that whatever plans you had for that money is in no way as important as the life you're dealing with, if dealing with a broken spirit with dedication and shedding tears over the tragedies, set backs and glimmers of hope as days, months and years go by, if holding a body in your arms as it breathes it's last breath as you whisper words of love in an ear and you knowing that your voice will be the last sound that ear will ever hear, if you have ever sat alone, drained, wondering what more might have been done, weeping and feeling as if your soul has been ripped from your body until the next time, and you know you have no choice but to get up and go because there's a life that needs you, if these are the qualities of a parent then my pets most assuredly deserve to be called my children.

  92. January 16, 2016 / 1:22 am

    Okay, so maybe this is really about what makes a person a true parent.

    If taking a bruised, battered, bleeding, starved living being that you have no ties to out of an abusive situation at any hour of the day or night because pain, fear and terror have no schedules, if paying literally thousands of dollars that you know you really don't have on emergency vet visits, x-rays, treatments, surgeries and meds while simultaneously knowing that whatever plans you had for that money is in no way as important as the life you're dealing with, if dealing with a broken spirit with dedication and shedding tears over the tragedies, set backs and glimmers of hope as days, months and years go by, if holding a body in your arms as it breathes it's last breath as you whisper words of love in an ear and you knowing that your voice will be the last sound that ear will ever hear, if you have ever sat alone, drained, wondering what more might have been done, weeping and feeling as if your soul has been ripped from your body until the next time, and you know you have no choice but to get up and go because there's a life that needs you, if these are the qualities of a parent then my pets most assuredly deserve to be called my children.

  93. January 16, 2016 / 1:34 am

    You nailed. When she could slap down her credit card a fly off to places unknown without a second thought about her dog, my stomach knotted and I think my nose may have flared. I have friends or relatives stay at my house with my babies…yes, I said it..BABIES. I cry as we pull away from the house. I worry constantly although I know they are with someone who loves them. I stopped traveling over the summer for a few years because one of my babies was getting old and needed extra care and I didn't think anyone could care for him like me. That's what you do for your babies. My friends who have children and grandchildren call their little ones "babies" as well. As far as I know, the children they birthed don't feel offended…. Guess that the difference between a "pet owner" and a dog momma!

  94. January 16, 2016 / 1:43 am

    BRAVO! WELL SAID! To the moron who said we shouldn't call our dogs our children, get off the internet. You already made an ass out of yourself and clearly have NO idea what you're talking about. Sounds to me like you abuse and neglect the dogs "YOU CAN JUST IGNORE" I believe that's a felony now? We can always come over and take them off your hands and give them a PROPER home where they won't just be ignored.

  95. January 16, 2016 / 6:06 am

    Great job. My baby has gotten me through a very rough year and i really dont know what i would have done without him. Yes a am a crazy dog lady. Oh and i love wolves too

  96. January 16, 2016 / 6:06 am

    Great job. My baby has gotten me through a very rough year and i really dont know what i would have done without him. Yes a am a crazy dog lady. Oh and i love wolves too

  97. January 16, 2016 / 7:55 am

    Awesome!!! You rocked this!!! Thank you for saying what we were all thinking..Im a mom to my fur
    babies plus 3 kids.I would not have it any other way. What's next with this woman,telling us we shouldn't grieve the loss of our 4 legged friends. SMH

  98. January 16, 2016 / 7:56 am

    Awesome!!! You rocked this!!! Thank you for saying what we were all thinking..Im a mom to my fur
    babies plus 3 kids.I would not have it any other way. What's next with this woman,telling us we shouldn't grieve the loss of our 4 legged friends. SMH

  99. January 16, 2016 / 9:53 am

    Just seeing this after seeing 'the other article'on a Facebook post. I'm so glad you wrote a response to her so inappropriate article. I'm blessed to be a mom of 3 beautiful children but over the last 21 years I've also been blessed to have 3 sweet labs that most definitely were my sweet babies as well. Like children our dogs need attention and love and someone to ensure that nothing happens to them. Unlike children dogs give 'UNCONDITIONAL' all the time. As my kids have grown from baby to toddler to tween to teen and for one adulthood their need of me had changed. Do I question if they love me? No. But they don't need me as much or to do most things for them anymore. They are mature and able to do things on their own and they aren't always there. But my sweet pups, no matter where I've been or what I've been doing when they see me it's always like it's for the very first time. I'm proud of you for standing up to someone who can only see it one way, hers. And honestly that's a household I wouldn't want to be in!

  100. January 16, 2016 / 11:06 am

    Your response was right on point!! I love it!! Maybe she should rethink ignoring her dogs and give them to someone who can show them love and attention.

    • January 16, 2016 / 12:40 pm

      And maybe she should focus her love and attention on her kids instead of wasting time writing offensive (and crazy) blog posts about other people's animals?

  101. January 16, 2016 / 11:48 am

    I see, so as I am not the biological mother of one of my sons – having not "carried him around in my womb for nine months" – I did not have the right to call him my "baby"? When I was raising my three boys, I didn't have the time to write a blog about imagined slights and take offense at the ridiculous. My kids are all grown now; we have dog and yes, we refer to him as our "baby" and as the crowned prince of the household. We do not "ignore" him as we are responsible pet owners. He is a part of our family. I am a mother and I don't take offense at something as ludicrous as this…truly, isn't there something of more importance on which she could blog? Homelessness? Foster parenting?

  102. January 16, 2016 / 12:39 pm

    I'm worried about "Beth", she doesn't seem very happy. She also seems to be obsessing about things that shouldn't really take up so much mind space. She has kids, and I am sure she is a very busy mom, but I think her focus needs to be with her family and not on what I call my sweet animals. I wonder what it's like to live in her house. My guess is it isn't a very happy place.

  103. January 16, 2016 / 12:50 pm

    yes !!! i call my dog my kid,my fur baby, my 4 legged son!!!!! because he ids my son !! wow what an unhappy this woman is she doesnt deserve any animals!!!

  104. January 16, 2016 / 1:55 pm

    I don't like when people tell me That my pets aren't babies, my child or family it pisses me off when they say that. It's like who are you to tell me who I can or can't call family or my child? You're not the lord!

  105. January 16, 2016 / 7:23 pm

    You are awesome. I call my dogs and kitty fur babies all the time. I love them and my husband more than anything else in the world.

  106. January 16, 2016 / 9:08 pm

    It is a good thing she wrote the book on love and is well versed enough to school us all on it. Seriously, some people sure are narcissistic. I sincerely hope that one of her nonfurbabies (like that ha!) doesn't decide to love someone or something in a way that she is unfamiliar with, and therefore, unaccepting of because mama seems to know best here.

  107. January 16, 2016 / 9:18 pm

    I guess all that mothering to her human kids really has made her bitter enough to write this pathetic article. Love my pug-son! Thank you for writing this response!! You said everything I was thinking!

  108. January 16, 2016 / 11:33 pm

    You know, I am not only a mom to 5 kids, 4 of them being some of the most selfish human beings on the face of this planet. Do I love them? Absolutely! Do I like them? Not so much. Then I have 7 furkids… 4 dogs and 3 cats. The majority of them came from not very good homes. Are they my babies? Absolutely! I think Beth need to take a chill pill and go sit, let that baby latch on and relax. Who the hell cares someone calls the animal? And in all reality, it's no one's business what I call my fur babies. Did you read that BETH? It's none if your business what I call my babies. Yup, babies… if all she has are toddlers, she hasn't even begun. Wait til she gets a house full of school age kids with strep throat or head lice. Wait til she has to go through their teenage years. You're going to wish they were back to latching on. Honey, you have been a mom a whole minute compared to the 40.5 years I have. You have no clue. And until you do, shut your mouth and quit judging those of us who adore our fur babies. Because Honeys I have been on both sides of the coin and the side that barks and meows is a lot easier than a bunch of kids with over active hormones.i love my kids and I adore my grandkids, but my fur children are just that, my children, my babies and my loves. And life is a whole lot easier raising 7 fur babies (opps, I said it again) then dealing with 5 growing kids. I always used to tease people and say, if I'd had any brains, I would have stuck with dogs. Now it's not so much of a tease but fact! Beth you have entirely way too much time on your hands if you have the time to sit down and write a blog judging people for calling their dogs babies. Sounds to me like you need a couple more kids. One things for sure, you sure don't need or deserve anymore dogs. But on a side note… if you have any extra money on that credit card, 2 of my babies need to go to the groomer!

  109. January 16, 2016 / 11:36 pm

    You know, I am not only a mom to 5 kids, 4 of them being some of the most selfish human beings on the face of this planet. Do I love them? Absolutely! Do I like them? Not so much. Then I have 7 furkids… 4 dogs and 3 cats. The majority of them came from not very good homes. Are they my babies? Absolutely! I think Beth need to take a chill pill and go sit, let that baby latch on and relax. Who the hell cares someone calls the animal? And in all reality, it's no one's business what I call my fur babies. Did you read that BETH? It's none if your business what I call my babies. Yup, babies… if all she has are toddlers, she hasn't even begun. Wait til she gets a house full of school age kids with strep throat or head lice. Wait til she has to go through their teenage years. You're going to wish they were back to latching on. Honey, you have been a mom a whole minute compared to the 40.5 years I have. You have no clue. And until you do, shut your mouth and quit judging those of us who adore our fur babies. Because Honeys I have been on both sides of the coin and the side that barks and meows is a lot easier than a bunch of kids with over active hormones.i love my kids and I adore my grandkids, but my fur children are just that, my children, my babies and my loves. And life is a whole lot easier raising 7 fur babies (opps, I said it again) then dealing with 5 growing kids. I always used to tease people and say, if I'd had any brains, I would have stuck with dogs. Now it's not so much of a tease but fact! Beth you have entirely way too much time on your hands if you have the time to sit down and write a blog judging people for calling their dogs babies. Sounds to me like you need a couple more kids. One things for sure, you sure don't need or deserve anymore dogs. But on a side note… if you have any extra money on that credit card, 2 of my babies need to go to the groomer!

  110. January 17, 2016 / 6:54 am

    Great response to this pathetic woman! <3

  111. January 17, 2016 / 8:10 am

    My dog is my baby, when my mother passed away I was severely depressed. My family wasn't there. Louie was the best thing that happened to me. Slowly I began come out of my depression. He was the reason for me to get up. My baby brought me joy, laughter happiness.I will never leave his side.

  112. January 17, 2016 / 8:11 am

    My dog is my baby, when my mother passed away I was severely depressed. My family wasn't there. Louie was the best thing that happened to me. Slowly I began come out of my depression. He was the reason for me to get up. My baby brought me joy, laughter happiness.I will never leave his side.

  113. January 18, 2016 / 9:38 am

    I think this person is an a$$hole and I am sorry to the mom's out there who really may be oddly offended.
    You call out that some of us may not 'want' children? Is that what you think about couples and / or people who don't have children?
    As a woman who has been absolutely heart-broken for the past 15 years trying to have childen and basically liquidating our 401ks only to have 2 failed IVF cycles and an embryo transplant, unsuccessful adoptions and a shoddy foster care system; my 4 cats and Keeva are my everything and are my babies (note: I hate saying furbaby….hows that?!?!).
    Every day they rely on me to feed and walk them, to change their litter and pick up their pop, to play with them and show them love, kindness and compassion, to give them medication and make sure they are safe and kept out of harms way.
    Most nights I cry myself to sleep because I will never be a 'real' mom and never have children to love and take care of and for them to love and take care of me when I grow old. The sadness has been absolutely paralyzing sometimes.
    But you know what helps??? My five pets who if I didnt have them as part of my family I honestly don't know what I would do or how I could get through any or every day.
    And you gotta love that 'you can mostly ignore your dog'. I beg to differ as ALL my attention is on Keeva (and the kitties) all the time. As she follows me while cleaning, cooking and sits next to me when I am working, lays down with me while I am sick and runs with me twice a day.
    I didnt even go into my rant about going away and Keeva (and the kitties) when she was getting over being sick. And how I agonized about canceling our trip bc I didnt want to leave her alone in day care/doggie hotel. Until my neighbor offered house and pet sit smile emoticon So she could have constant care and visits. And get brushed and walked and be in her home with her cat friends smile emoticon

    Think about THAT next time your so busy focusing on others. It may just be all they have.

  114. January 18, 2016 / 12:43 pm

    Thank you for writing this. My children are my babies…and so are my dogs. I have four kids. Period.

  115. January 19, 2016 / 2:02 am

    Speaking as a mother of seven human children, and four "replacement children" Heelers, I can attest that the relationship we have with our two categories of children are different, but no less poignant. With a human child, the intimacy can be very intense, especially when they are infants, but as soon as your child becomes mobile, they are headed for independence and separation from you. And that is sometimes a very rocky process fraught with lots of difficult moments. There are really great moments as you watch your child become the person that they are meant to be, but there is always this widening gulf between you and them. From the moment of their first toddler rebellions, to them living their life perhaps half way around the world from you, your job is to raise them up and let them go. You start out as if they are a part of you and then eventually they are gone off to their own adventures. And that is absolutely the way it should be. But, with furry children the directionality of the relationship is the opposite. You start off as strangers, and become more and more attuned to each other as you interact and hang out together and learn about each other. One of my older daughters teases me that my dogs are my "replacement children", and there is a lot of truth to that. After 31 years of parenting, I only have a year and half before my youngest two human children will have graduated from high school and gone off to their own adventures. My house would sure be awfully empty without my dogs to keep things interesting. But they actually will be more "children" to me than my human ones, since they will always remain childlike. They will always need me to feed them and play with them and love on them. They are not going to ever "graduate" and leave me behind. So the intimacy I have with my pups is way more personal than the intimacy I have with my kids. My pups can get into mischief, as easy as a human child, but I can rest assured that it is alright for me to rein that in and keep drawing them closer and closer to me. Dogs have evolved to want to velcro themselves to their humans. There is no such thing as "smothering" your dog, The more love and attention and time spent together is always better. You really can't do that with a human child. You have maybe ten blissful months of that when they are infants, and then you got to start letting them go no matter how many bumps and bruises their independence gets them along the way! With dogs you are always training for more closeness and intimacy and dependence. So, the two categories of relationships are both very special and give a person two different kinds of experiences of love and intimacy. Neither is better than the other, but both can enhance one's life as a person.

  116. January 19, 2016 / 3:24 pm

    My dog, cat and snake are my kids. I love them very much and will still help anyone else's pets that I possibly can. Heck, it is even what I do for work and I know my clients love their pets so much. Some have children and some do not. They still would never ignore the needs of their pets. This is why I love my work. I also donate my time and money to help strays and shelter animals regularly.
    Even my parents and my husband's parents treat our pets like their grandchildren.

  117. January 19, 2016 / 3:56 pm

    THANK YOU!!! My dog is absolutely my baby. If other people don't like that, too bad.

  118. January 29, 2016 / 1:57 pm

    Yes we call them our babies, even though they are not, because we don't have a better word to use. Baby is about as close as we can get to describe the wonderfulness that is my dog. It's too bad that in this society saying "my dog" doesn't mean what it means to us crazy dog moms. Thank you for putting my thoughts into words.

  119. May 9, 2016 / 2:08 pm

    100% This!!!! I am one of those women out there who can't have children – no say in it. So I surround myself with pets and they are my children! True not the same as human children, but they are a wonderful substitute.

    Thank you for this response.

  120. June 2, 2016 / 11:58 pm

    Oh my goodness I love you! This is the truest article!!! You rock!!! Those last two paragraphs – I couldn't have said it better if I tried! Thanks for taking the time to do this response – I have no doubt she won't care and will probably feel even more disdain for us but you said it, and boy, did you say it well!

  121. July 19, 2016 / 11:30 pm

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