What’s better than having two kids? When one of them has four legs, a snout, and lots of energy. Having a dog as your child can be one of the greatest blessings for you. It is only rivaled by the grace of having your own child. Dogs and babies go along quite well if you go by the videos on the Internet. But then, you also have well-wishers who advise you to take a different route, one you would never consider.
There are so many things that you have to go through when you try to raise a child and a dog together. How many of these can you relate to?
Let’s face it; babies are difficult. Dogs don’t require constant attention, at least not of the level your baby demands. Dealing with two different kinds of children at the same time gets quite exhausting too. While your dog has no problem sleeping for 18 hours a day, your baby might refuse to sleep at all. You don’t have to take your dog everywhere with you, and he doesn’t throw tantrums when you don’t buy him ice-creams.
While you keep them well-fed, your baby and your dog never get enough. They have a hard time trying to avoid taking random objects into their mouth. Most of the time, they exchange those things. Your baby’s pacifier, your dog’s toys, nothing belongs to just one of them anymore. As much as you try to keep their mouths clear, a point comes when you just accept it. But don’t give up on cleaning those things every night.
When a couple with a dog announce that they are going to have a baby, the first question people ask them is, “What about the dog?” No matter how hard you try to make them understand, some people are incapable of understanding the bond you have with your fur-baby. “What if it attacks the baby?” “What if the baby is allergic to it?” You are simply tired of explaining and probably just turn a deaf ear to such advises after some time.
Your social media accounts tell a different story. Your family would tell a different one. The cute moments are there, but they are overshadowed by the anarchy you handle. Your baby tugs your dog by her tail, the dog barks without any reason and wakes up the baby who starts crying, and so on. You crave for the “me-time” that has disappeared from your clock. But when you see your dog and baby finally bonding, you realize that it was worth it.
Yes, it’s okay, you did not do it intentionally. Maybe your baby was proving to be quite a handful that day. With all your focus converged here, you probably forgot to feed your dog. Don’t beat yourself over it. When you brought your dog his meal, apologizing for being late, he forgave you with a wag of his tail. That’s when you feel blessed, in these small moments, when your dog understands that you are not just their parent anymore.
Dogs are simple creatures. Unfortunately, your kid is not. You teach your kids to walk the dog, fill her food and water bowls, and play with her gently. But as they grow and find other things to do, they could lose interest in these dog-centered activities. If you keep pestering them to do these things anyway, they could even start hating the dog. The responsibility comes back to you once again. However, as your children grow and mature, there is a significant chance that they realize what they should do.
Initially, your dog might have been nervous around your baby, especially when it cried. Your baby could have pulled and yanked the dog in ways that irritated it. They slowly get to know each other better. It just takes one moment of understanding from either of them, and then they become inseparable. You know you’ve succeeded as a parent when you see both your babies cuddling together in sleep.
Just one baby can make parents do the grossest things ever imagined, and here you have two. You don’t cringe anymore when you say, hear or smell “poop.” The baby relieves itself at odd hours while the dog does it in a hidden corner if it’s too young to get potty training. Before you just came home to a mess, now you watch it happen helplessly. And the clean-up process is not describable in words. You have got so used to it now that you fear nothing filthy anymore.
It is relatively easier to make one small kid stand or sit at attention for a family photograph. Bring in two energetic and curious kids into the frame, and you can bid your family picture adieu. If, by God’s grace, they manage to stay still for a moment, don’t be surprised to find that they were not looking at the camera at all. Yes, that’s how it is now.
Babysitters are easy to find. Dog sitters are a bit difficult to come by, but they are available too. But finding a sitter that can do both? Prepare yourself for lies and deceits! You might find people who agree to take care of the dog and the baby for the higher price you’re paying. Later, they “suddenly” realize that they are allergic to dogs. The struggle is real when you want to find a suitable nanny, but you don’t give up hope.
It’s everything that your dog ever hoped for. All table manners and “no begging” rules are forgotten once your baby understands that the dog loves food. Now they eat together. Not from the same plate though. So what if the little guy does not want to eat anymore? Your dog is always up to clean up after your baby. It does ease your job, and the food is not wasted too.
The biggest and saddest irony of a dog’s life is its shortness. Such pure souls ought to live forever. But your dog would die someday. Your kid would not understand what happened to her buddy and his matey. It falls on you to explain death to them before they are old enough to understand it. Let your kid see you cry. Don’t worry if they don’t cry like you. They are probably still processing what happened. Just be there to talk about it and answer your child’s questions as truthfully as possible for his/her age.
Nothing and no one can teach your child about love, kindness, and joy like a dog can. Your kid learns the importance of giving love without expecting it in return. He/she learns that one should find happiness in the smallest things. That loyalty is the greatest virtue. And that love never fails. Your kid can never have a better friend than that wagging ball of fur. Just know that you have given your child the best life experience you can.
Don’t forget to share your stories and adventures of raising a doggo and kiddo together!
