Anonymous wrote:I had a childless neighbor doggie parent type who posted a happy Fathers' Day message to our community listserv in honor of all fathers "both two-legged and four-legged." It was all I could do to ask if she actually meant this as an insult to parents, since she so clearly missed the point.

Anonymous wrote:Someone on my FB friends list takes the "dog mom" thing really far. One year on Mother's Day she posted multiple references to herself as a mom and it was not tongue in cheek. Other times she posts pretend dialogues between her and her dogs where they call her mom. The Mother's Day thing really irritated me at the time as I was home with a newborn getting no sleep. Even with a puppy you can step out and get a break and no one will arrest you. They don't sleep well when you first bring them home, like maybe for a week or two max, but that doesn't last for months like it does for a human. It's a hell of a lot easier to train most dogs to use the bathroom outside than it is to potty train a kid. You don't have to worry about your dog's education. Just so many things. I feel like pet owners calling themselves parents diminishes the hard work and sacrifice (especially on the part of moms in those early days) that is required to care for a human child.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If my dogs are my children:

I have owned approximately 7 children in my life.

I had to rehome two of them.

I had to have two of them put down.

The oldest lived to be 8 yrs old.

One was special needs, she lived to be 6 but was quite feisty despite having a seizure disorder and lame back legs, she was a great swimmer though!

All my kids are gone now. I live in a condo and don't want to subject any kids to that lifestyle. I prefer big kids and they need room to run. Also, so hard to take them on a long trip, can't leave them in the car but can't take them in the restaurant. Some people aren't too excited when you bring the kids along to their house either.

Bottom line: Dogs are dogs. I loved all of mine but they were not kids.

7 dogs and the oldest lived til only 8? What the heck are you doing?

Anonymous wrote:No I don’t consider my dog to be my child.

My dog does what I ask. My teenage children do not.

My dog happily jumps in his bed at night to sleep and happily gets up. My teenage children stay up to late, wake u late and are grumpy.

My dog happily eats whatever I give him. My teens are picky and complain about everything.

My dog is far superior to my children.

Anonymous wrote:I call my dog my favorite child only to my teenagers when they are being . . . teenagers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Someone on my FB friends list takes the "dog mom" thing really far. One year on Mother's Day she posted multiple references to herself as a mom and it was not tongue in cheek. Other times she posts pretend dialogues between her and her dogs where they call her mom. The Mother's Day thing really irritated me at the time as I was home with a newborn getting no sleep. Even with a puppy you can step out and get a break and no one will arrest you. They don't sleep well when you first bring them home, like maybe for a week or two max, but that doesn't last for months like it does for a human. It's a hell of a lot easier to train most dogs to use the bathroom outside than it is to potty train a kid. You don't have to worry about your dog's education. Just so many things. I feel like pet owners calling themselves parents diminishes the hard work and sacrifice (especially on the part of moms in those early days) that is required to care for a human child.

I guess you should have just gotten a dog then.

Anonymous wrote:Someone on my FB friends list takes the "dog mom" thing really far. One year on Mother's Day she posted multiple references to herself as a mom and it was not tongue in cheek. Other times she posts pretend dialogues between her and her dogs where they call her mom. The Mother's Day thing really irritated me at the time as I was home with a newborn getting no sleep. Even with a puppy you can step out and get a break and no one will arrest you. They don't sleep well when you first bring them home, like maybe for a week or two max, but that doesn't last for months like it does for a human. It's a hell of a lot easier to train most dogs to use the bathroom outside than it is to potty train a kid. You don't have to worry about your dog's education. Just so many things. I feel like pet owners calling themselves parents diminishes the hard work and sacrifice (especially on the part of moms in those early days) that is required to care for a human child.

Anonymous wrote:No I don’t consider my dog to be my child.

My dog does what I ask. My teenage children do not.

My dog happily jumps in his bed at night to sleep and happily gets up. My teenage children stay up to late, wake u late and are grumpy.

My dog happily eats whatever I give him. My teens are picky and complain about everything.

My dog is far superior to my children.

Anonymous wrote:Children? No. Family? Yes.

I don't call them my fur-babies or anything similar. They are my dogs.