https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 14 May 2026 01:23:52 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-dogs-like-babies-when-it-comes-to-unconditional-love#post-879828 Mon, 24 Jun 2013 12:34:02 +0000 heffalump 879828@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks for your responses everyone! I think what worries me is that DH's parents had two dogs, not at the same time. They're always talking about the one dog, so much that I feel like I know him. But the other rarely gets mentioned. They didn't have her as long and the kids were in college when they got her, so that could be the reason. </p> <p>@Lozza: DH also raised our dog from when he was a puppy, we met, I officially (in my mind) adopted him when we got married, and he was our baby. And then we had a human baby. But our dog wouldn't really let us give him any less attention. He had separation anxiety so leaving him home very often wasn't an option unless we wanted our house to be torn apart. Plus we live in a very dog friendly town so if we went out to eat and it wasn't raining, he'd be with us. I'm glad that we got into that routine because now even if our next dog isn't crazy when we leave it, we'll probably bring him with us because we're used to having a dog everywhere we go. Even with LO. </p> <p>@chanzi: My dog was plenty naughty. But it never made me love him any less :) He was only bad when we left him alone though, and he was just acting out because he missed us so much. Who could get mad at that?</p> <p>@yoursilverlining: This is how DH found our pup. He wasn't looking for a dog. He just happened to walk by a store that had a rescue group out front, saw Teddy and had to have him. Luckily he was single with no kids at the time because Teddy was a crazy, crazy puppy. He had already been brought back twice because he was so hard to handle. But DH kept him (even though he thought about returning him.....) and worked with him and he grew up to be so sweet. But now we have a toddler and a baby on the way so we're going to have to be a lot more careful about picking a pet! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-dogs-like-babies-when-it-comes-to-unconditional-love#post-879810 Mon, 24 Jun 2013 12:27:02 +0000 Mrs. Train 879810@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm so sorry for your loss. It has been so hard on us but I really think another dog helps with the healing. DH and I are absolutely dog people. We both had dogs growing up but the dog we recently lost was one we got together as a couple and it was hard. I don't think I love any of our pets more or less but their personalities are different so our interactions are different. I am so happy with the dog we just adopted but we still talk about bailey and what a good dog he was. My kids even started asking me about my dogs as a kid so I talk with them about each of the dogs I had growing up. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-dogs-like-babies-when-it-comes-to-unconditional-love#post-879718 Mon, 24 Jun 2013 12:04:25 +0000 Lozza 879718@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We lost our "first" dog when LO was a baby (DH and I both had dogs growing up, but this was the dog that DH got his first year of grad school and raised from puppyhood, and was the dog DH had when we met, and was the center of our lives for years before LO came), and we got our current dog a few months later. I have to say, we definitely love our current dog less, but I think that's not so much a function of the dog, but of the fact that we got him after we had a kid. For most of our first dog's life, he was it. We weren't totally "those crazy dog people" but we were close- we took him everywhere, he slept with us half the time, we planned trips that he could go on, etc. DH was also in grad school for most of his life, and DH took the dog to school with him every day. He was just very central to our lives in a way that our current dog isn't- both because we now have regular 9-5 jobs and he stays home by himself during the day, and because we already have another "center" of our lives- LO. We still love our dog, but we don't have the time or energy to devote to loving him the way we did with our first dog. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-dogs-like-babies-when-it-comes-to-unconditional-love#post-879703 Mon, 24 Jun 2013 12:01:46 +0000 MSBartlett 879703@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I am really sorry to hear about your dog. DH and I lost our first dog almost a year ago. We also had a cat when we had our dog. When our dog passed away I truly appreciated and I think loved our cat more for helping us get through the tough time. We found though that our cat was getting depressed and needed company since he was alone all day. As a result, we decided to get another cat since we were not ready to commit to another dog and we needed a second animal in the house. We have had our second cat for about 8 months now and even though I still love her, I love her very differently from our first cat, which can sometimes feel that I love our first cat more since we have had him more and been through more things together. I honestly don't believe though that we love our second cat any less. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-dogs-like-babies-when-it-comes-to-unconditional-love#post-879575 Mon, 24 Jun 2013 11:38:39 +0000 lioneyes 879575@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We lost our 2nd dog a year and a half ago. i love them both the same, even though they had SUCH different personalities (heled that they were different breeds). the loss of our 1st dog was much harder on our family, but we were able to heal more quickly because we got our 2nd dog less than a year after her death. Now, we haven't gotten a new dog yet and I still feel the loss a lot. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-dogs-like-babies-when-it-comes-to-unconditional-love#post-879415 Mon, 24 Jun 2013 10:48:14 +0000 MrsBrewer 879415@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your dog :-(</p> <p>I don't have any advice yet, we just got our cats and dog within the last 2 years, so I'm not sure. We had our cats first though, and then we got our dog, and I love them all to pieces! I can only imagine that you will love your next dog just as much. Teddy will always hold a special place in your heart, but I'm sure you have so much more love to give out to a new dog as well! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-dogs-like-babies-when-it-comes-to-unconditional-love#post-879392 Mon, 24 Jun 2013 10:40:38 +0000 jhd 879392@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>:( so sorry for your loss. Losing pets is so hard. In my experience you will love another one just as much, but maybe in a different way.</p> <p>ETA I adopted my dog 6 years ago from a shelter. I just knew he was the one. He has been the most loyal little friend! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-dogs-like-babies-when-it-comes-to-unconditional-love#post-879278 Mon, 24 Jun 2013 10:07:00 +0000 chanzi 879278@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It sounds like I'm the only one, but I do have a favorite pet... DH and I have two cats. One we picked out from a shelter and another we inherited from a friend of ours who moved to Australia. I suspect that I love the second one less mostly because she doesn't feel as much like my cat--our friend might return in a year and I think she'd like to have her cat back if she did. However, this second cat is also more naughty than our first so I'm worried that also makes me love her less! My unequal affection makes me feel like a bad cat mom, but at least they are cats... I'm not worried about this happening with actual children. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-dogs-like-babies-when-it-comes-to-unconditional-love#post-878856 Mon, 24 Jun 2013 07:48:38 +0000 yoursilverlining 878856@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm so sorry to hear about your pup passing :( </p> <p>I've had several pets (dogs and cats), and while I never forget how much I loved each one, I do absolutely love each one completely. Every dog is different, each has their own little quirky personality and games they will play, so its easy to love them all because they are all so different.</p> <p>I've found that often you don't pick a pet, but a pet picks you. I, and lots of people I've known have been "picked" by our pets. We went to the shelter several times, talked with multiple rescue groups, etc. and one day we went to the shelter and the perfect companion was right there waiting for us! :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-dogs-like-babies-when-it-comes-to-unconditional-love#post-878827 Mon, 24 Jun 2013 07:37:28 +0000 loveisstrange 878827@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Im so sorry. :( Losing a pet is really hard.</p> <p>We put my first dog down when I was 14 and I was heartbroken. My parents presented me with a beagle puppy 3 months later. I love that mongrel as much as I did our lab. I left my 2 dogs at home with my parents when we moved overseas and we adopted 2 kittens and I love their little cat faces too. I dont think I love any one of the animals more than the other. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-dogs-like-babies-when-it-comes-to-unconditional-love#post-878825 Mon, 24 Jun 2013 07:37:04 +0000 ladybee 878825@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm sorry you've lost your pup. I've never had more than one dog at a time so I can tell you my experience. For me, I never forget the previous dog. And years later you can catch me talking to them or still shedding tears. However, I think I love the next dog differently but almost MORE because I don't want to waste one second of that time together. I also feel that my dogs at the bridge send me the dog that'll heal my heart. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-dogs-like-babies-when-it-comes-to-unconditional-love#post-878822 Mon, 24 Jun 2013 07:35:16 +0000 blackbird 878822@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I love my second cat as much as my first! He's different and quirkier but I still love him to bits </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-dogs-like-babies-when-it-comes-to-unconditional-love#post-878811 Mon, 24 Jun 2013 07:31:47 +0000 Mrs. Garland 878811@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm so sorry you lost your dog - that's so difficult!</p> <p>We have three dogs (with at least a year between getting each of them) and we love them all equally. Our youngest dog we got less than a year ago and I can easily say we both love her just as much as the one we've had for four years! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-dogs-like-babies-when-it-comes-to-unconditional-love#post-878743 Mon, 24 Jun 2013 07:06:06 +0000 Dandelion 878743@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm so sorry you lost your dog. I know that's hard.</p> <p>I have 2 cats and 2 dogs. I love them all. They all have their different personalities, so they all have something different to offer me. My cat, Jewel, is the oldest, so she gets the award for loyalty, while Zeus is still little and playful, so he keeps me entertained with his antics. Cooper, my lab, is smart and dependable, while Riley, my golden is a real cuddle pup and loves DS. It's just like kids. More animals is more work, just like more kids are more work, but I find it rewarding. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-dogs-like-babies-when-it-comes-to-unconditional-love#post-878733 Mon, 24 Jun 2013 07:01:22 +0000 Foodnerd81 878733@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm sorry about your dog. I still have my first dog- I got him at a year old and still have the little guy 9+ years later. I know how you feel though- I can't picture loving our next dog more. But our next one we will get when our Los are old enough to be aware of the dog and I think that will be something really special about that one. </p> <p>I think you will love your next dog more than enough even if its not the same way as the first. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-dogs-like-babies-when-it-comes-to-unconditional-love#post-878711 Mon, 24 Jun 2013 06:49:18 +0000 edelweiss 878711@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>i'm really sorry about your loss, that must have been very difficult.</p> <p>we have 2 dogs--we added the second a few years after getting the first. the first will always have a special place because she is my first dog, but i can't say that i love the second any less. while she isn't my "first", i love her in other ways that make it so i can't distinguish who i love more--it's just slightly different, not unequal. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/are-dogs-like-babies-when-it-comes-to-unconditional-love#post-878687 Mon, 24 Jun 2013 06:40:43 +0000 heffalump 878687@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My pup recently passed away so I've been thinking a lot about adopting a new dog. He was my first and only, and DH had him before we met so I don't have much experience picking out pets or having a dog in general, other then my Teddy. </p> <p>I hear a lot about mom's who are worried they won't love their 2nd baby as much as they love their first. I don't have that problem, but I do worry that I won't love my 2nd dog as much. </p> <p>Those who have had multiple pets, do you love them all equally or did you have favorites? </p>