10 ways having a dog has prepared me for a baby

NOTHING will prepare you for having a....................teenager!

Having my yellow lab Trooper made me realize that perhaps children were not for my wife and me, thank you Trooper. I would have made a rotten parent. He made me a better human though. RIP

I also think it helps you understand non-verbal communications

I hate the families that give the dog up as soon as the baby arrives citing allergies or some other BOGUS excuse. My new apartment doesn't accept Pets....Guess what #$%$ Find a Place that will accept Pets and finish what you started.Pets are NOT Disposable Items.

I think it's the other way around. Got my first dog when my kids went to college. Dog proofing the house was a lot like kid proofing. Shots, toys, food etc. similar. BUT, they are always happy to see you, think you are awesome all the time, don't ask to borrow the car, don't leave every light on in the house and dirty towels/clothes on the floor and of course, the big one, if they have kids, you can sell them!!!!!

Love this article!

I love how so many of you took this artical to heart. Man can't we all just lighten up a little and read something without turning it into a battle?

The closest thing I will ever know about having a baby is when my husband and I adopted our Mr Winky. He had one eye and missing a few teeth. We wouldn't leave without him. It was love at first site. We took him home and things went fine first the first few months then he developed a benign tumor in his anel glands. We had it removed but then he developed back problems. We got that under control. We did good for about 5 years we were aware his sight was fading but we delt with it. But then he developed liver disease. That was when it really got hard. Special meals, medicine by this time he was almost all the way blind and we carried him alot of the time. He still enjoyed his walks everyday outside. The doctor said he was not suffering so we kept going. We had medicine to make his stool soft so he would go 2-3 times aday. There were many a night my husband or I would get up to take him out. But thru it all he had his little shitzu smile. Because of the anel surgery he would sometimes not be able to tell he had to go and when you picked him up he would squirt ya with poop. We endured it all. But we made sure he wasnt suffering and kept going. He finally developed lymphoma and as sad as it was I had to let him go to the rainbow bridge. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about him and realize how incredibly lucky we were to have him in our life. I now have 3 shitzus and one of them is special needs but we deal with it just like we would if it were my child.

All good points, but I as a mother of three and a life long dog owner I must say that kids require MUCH more attention/money/time/emotional involvement than pets!

True but it amazes me how so many people decide to dump their pet because a baby is on the way. If you can't make time for both that is sad #$%$ Those are the people that you just KNOW will make bad parents. Will they dump 1st child when a 2nd comes along? Or just ignore it?

Oh my gosh-that picture of him carrying your dog? I love it! My boyfriend does the same thing to my German Shephard. If he's getting too excited-we put him in to baby mode. I love to see someone else does this to their large dog!

I was walking my 75lb Golden Abby, when a terrible storm came blowing. I had to pick her up and carry her like a baby home, only to be hit in the face from a flood light from a police car. The officer asked what I was doing out in this weather and my only response was giving my dog a shower.

Dogs are a hundred times better than babies, because they wont grow up to treat you like crap when you dont get them what they want. They wont pester you for a car on their 16th birthday. You can get your dog fixed, and not have to worry about unwanted or unplanned puppies, or if its a boy about them siring puppies too early. A dog is 10 times cheaper to maintain than a baby; the cost of maintenance for a child just escalates as they age.

This article is too funny! I just recently got married and I brought along my 4year old mini French poodle to my new house. So, 3 days in my new house and . . . a pit bull attacks my baby. OH! it was the worst moment of my life when I saw my white poodle hanging in the mouth of a 70lbs pit bull. To top off my fear, my husband runs and jumps in to save our baby Binki. After the horrific scene was over, we learned that Binki had to have his skin removed from his mid back up to his right shoulder and neck. That first night was the worst. We stayed up all night just watching him trying to go to sleep and hurting with every move he made. The following nights were no different. As time went on and every day my husband changed Binki's bandages, the countless EXPENSIVE visits to the hospital, we had learned to take turns throughout the night to take care of him. My husband even took some time off work just to care for Binki's every need. Although it has been a long healing process, I feel that, unknowingly we have been preparing our lives to care for our own children someday. I feel truly blessed to have a man that is willing to be with me through the worst of times.

Dogs are totally awesome. They'll be your best friend and if they don't like you they will at least tell you as such.

Animals are beautiful.

Love this article, it's amazingly true. I have a small dog and he poses all the same challenges as my sister-in-law's toddlers!

We haven't even had to go as far as a dog to start realizing what a change it is to have someone else depending on you. We got a cat (which doesn't have to be let out, or bathed, or walked) and that's enough to make significant changes to our lives and schedules. We used to be able to just pick up and go for a long weekend without even telling anyone if we wanted (and we did, from time to time). Now we have to decide if wanting to go somewhere is worth the hassle of finding someone to check in on the cat plus worrying about her while we're gone (she's a people-needy animal!).
Pet ownership may not "prepare" you for parenthood but it might help talk you out of it. ;)

Dog barfs up bland dog food on floor....10 min cleanup with Resolve then go back to bed. Baby barfs up curdled milk on self, crib and floor. 10 min cleanup on floor with resolve.... rinse, wash, dry bedding 20-120 min, rebath baby 20 min...uh oh....fogot the crib liner..mattress takes another 30 min..then get ready to go to work. You folks are deluded.

Absolutely true article. Great piece on the love we have for our dogs and children!!
Made me laugh and my doggie got an extra treat too.