Hellobee Boards

Many pet owners I know are constantly referring to their pets as babies and always comparing their pet issues with real baby issues. I personally dont get it. pets are pets and children are children. Yes there are some similarities in caring for a pet vs caring for a baby but too many people take the whole "my pet is my baby" thing a little too far

though i don't necessarily compare the two--because i realize there's a pretty substantial difference--i do think it's funny that my husband plays with my nephew in a way that's similar to how he plays with our dog. ha

I still do that. We've fostered a lot of tiny puppies and while LO is different there's definitely similarities that me and my hubby often bring up.

@artbee: Thanks

I have two dogs and they are our babies but we completely understand they are not like human babies. There are just too many differences. For now, I'll love my dogs like they are our babies but when that baby comes? Oops, sorry puppies. You get downgraded one slot!! I don't think I've ever heard of someone comparing their dog to a baby until now!

I have heard of people comparing their pets to babies. I think its because in their mind, their pets are babies. And yes, they are very different (animal vs human) but they do similar things! I also think that when people don't have kids, just pets, they want to feel included and be able to compare, so that is how they do it.

I consciously try not to compare other people's kids to pets since it can be a sensitive topic. If I slip, I never mean any harm by it, my husband and I are both in the veterinary field, so animals are our lives.

Our boy and my pregnancy are constantly being compared to animal stuff, its just normal for us.

That's crazy.LOL But some ppl put their pets in the category of a human from what I see sometimes.

No one has done that to me though, I'd probably laugh at them.

@artbee: that's cute! DH is like that with our cats. My mother has even said, "are you sure he's going to let us hold the baby?" because he's so protective of our pets. When we go away for a weekend he does worry about getting home to our little guys.

Part of the dog argument with the co-worker is that - I live in the city, a small townhouse, no yard. And, for me, I could never have a dog here. We work, I don't want to pick up/bag poop, I wouldn't have time to walk/groom/etc. a dog. But, and in IMO, I love the city for our child because there are parks and playgroups and museums, so much indoor and outdoor activity.
I do however realize I'll have to deal with poop when LO arrives, haha

Argh, I totally do this. I never have tried to one-up anybody with my dog (weird) but I have totally countered, when a friend is telling me about what their baby does, how they react to the baby, with stories of us and our dog. I catch myself often and say, "Sorry, I know that's weird. Your baby is not a dog, why do I keep comparing them!?" lol... but still. I agree it's annoying, and also I do it

@rachiecakes: I feel for your parents! I don't mind dogs, but I am allergic to them! I mean, it's one thing if they ask me upfront "Hey, is it okay if we bring our dog?" because of course, I'll say "Sure!" but people just showing up with the dog and not giving me any advance warning... that's just rude! The last thing I need is dog dander all over my house.

@artbee: I completely understand people not wanting (or able) to leave their dogs at home. My FIL's dog is getting quite old and I think they are afraid to leave him alone too long for fear he might drop dead on them. As much as I dislike dogs and am allergic to them, I would allow them to bring their dog to my house. My issue is they didn't even ASK. They just assumed it would be fine because they consider their dog like a real child. I'm sure your family appreciates that you ask them first before bringing your dog with you.

I never do it to the parents, but DH and I will sometimes draw comparisons to try and liken it to our current lives.... but mostly, it's just for us, and we both realise that there are monumental differences between dogs and babies! lol!

@photojane: my husband does that too! Too funny!

DH and I actually sort of do this with our own baby and dogs, but not other people's babies. It took us until about 3 weeks after DD was born to stop accidentally calling her "puppy" occasionally.

I've had conversations with my friends who have infants on the similarities between having a puppy/dog and having a baby; they all joke that my house is better baby proofed than theirs is because of my dogs and I don't have a baby yet, lol. Outside of those conversations (which are specifically about the similarities) it's never been brought up, but as an avid dog lover I can understand why it would!

It seems weird that she's trying to take attention away from the baby though, I don't think that's normal...