On my timehop today there was a funny video I posted 4 years ago of DH and I playing and cuddling with our dog. He was perfectly groomed and he was the center of our world.
Now he's way overdue for a bath (gets one tomorrow) and honestly he doesn't get played with much anymore! He's a very low energy dog so he's fine...but he's definitely gotten the stiff since T was born.
What about your pets?
wonderful grape / 20453 posts
Not really. Cats are kind of easy, though. They bug me for attention when they want it, i get them groomed, I feed them, etc.
honeydew / 7230 posts
Definitely on the back burner as far as priorities. Like he may have to wait a little bit to get his dish of food for dinner if I'm busy with something with the kids. On the other hand, I'm home with him 24-7, he gets lots of love from the babies, and we get more visitors! So in that sense he gets more attention. He's a herding dog so I'm pretty sure his dream is laying on the couch and watching his little flock play on the living room floor.
cantaloupe / 6171 posts
@twodoghouse: Our dogs are herders too and they seem to love their new job of herding lo 
I do think they get a lot less attention from me, but they sleep with us and still get a lot of cuddling time. Now that LO eats solids and has discovered the game of dropping food for the pups, they're loving her more and more!
Eta what I feel most badly about is that they've basically lost all their toys/playtime with us-- they get WAY too loud and overexcited about playing fetch/keep away, and that is not good at all with baby sleep. But, lo is getting to the stage when she can actively play with them so it'll get back to a good amount of play soon
GOLD / wonderful olive / 19030 posts
I will say grooming gets put off longer, but she still gets attention. LO loves her, so she plays with her, and now that she's older she prefers to cuddle up on the couch and rest. Which is great for this pregnant woman 
I will say she used to get a lot more IG/FB attention and that has since been replaced by LO! ha
cantaloupe / 6669 posts
By me, totally. I used to love my dog like a child and now, I'm sorry to say, he is a nuisance.
My DH on the other hand has become MORE obsessed with the dog. He feels sorry for him and I think he likes that the dog is easy to please and equally obsessed with him which is not always the case for me & LO, ha. I guess it works out - DH kind of loves him enough for both of us.
pineapple / 12793 posts
She doesn't get the super long walks anymore. 
but she does get a ton of love and when the weather is better we'll get back to our walks.
watermelon / 14467 posts
@daniellemybelle: Our husbands are exactly the same.
Bea (our dog) has totally gotten the shaft from me. She's always begging for attention (which she did before) and when she gets jealous she eats H's things. We can't leave any of H's toys out because she will destroy them. The cats don't bother me because they are easy and they don't beg.
My husband pays so much attention to the dog and to H that sometimes I feel like I'm getting the shaft from him. After Bea passes (a long time from now, I hope), I don't want another dog until the kids are grown and gone.
ETA: I'm working on getting better about this, and when it's just me, H, and Bea, I make sure she gets her walks in and we go on long walks on the weekends. It's just the logistics of getting a baby AND a dog ready to go out that make me not want another one.
papaya / 10343 posts
Eh... maybe a little bit. We haven't gotten our cat groomed since LO was born and the dog's nails could use a trim. And in the first 2-3 months I'm sure they got a bit ignored. But now I feel like things are mostly back to normal for them (except that they have a baby chasing them). We actually spend a lot of time petting them during the day because it makes LO laugh-- so they probably get more of that during the day than they ever have before! Also I play fetch with the dog pretty much every morning--again because it entrains the baby lol-- which used to be more of a weekend thing. And they all cuddle on us every night after baby bedtime-- like they always did. I think our dog THINKS he is getting the shaft because he gets less attention than the baby. But I used to WAH so honestly the animals got very little attention at all during the day before her because I was busy working all day. Now I"m just watching LO so they get more than before I think.
pomegranate / 3565 posts
Yes - to me the dogs are just mostly a bother now. Sad to say. When my husband makes a comment about it, I tell him I'm too busy taking care of my human children. I'm hoping this changes as the boys get older. My dogs are huge and the kids can't really play with them yet. I didn't think I'd be that person, but I am. Yet another change after having kids. DH still gives them attention but not nearly as much.
grapefruit / 4649 posts
My poor dog definitely got the short end of the stick. The first two months it was really hard to give him enough attention and now that I am back in the swing of things it's too cold for long walks. I think it was made worse be the fact that I stopped working early in my pregnancy so we spent the whole summer going for really long walks followed by naps together. Now there are far too many naps for his liking. Hopefully once the weather turns it will be better, lo will be more interactive and we can do long walks again.
kiwi / 545 posts
I make the effort in making sure that ours doesn't get totally ignored. Yes, DS's needs comes before anything but I make sure that our dog's needs are met as well though sometimes it does take a little longer to get his food or he can't get his walks or go to the dog park (weather attributes to this as well). But we made the choice to adopt him and he made us into a family when we didn't think we could have any kids and for that I'm grateful. He loves DS and sleeps with us so he still gets lots o' love from all of us. The weather has been mild lately so we're able to take him to the dog park and I can walk DS in his stroller on the pathway outside the perimeter while DH is inside the park and walks with us.
pomelo / 5791 posts
Yes and no.
When my DS was 6 months old, our pup got really sick and almost died. He was hospitalized for two weeks and cost us thousands of dollars. He got a LOT of attention then, and for awhile afterwards. He would only eat from my hands for months after.
For awhile after that, he was on the backburner again. Recently, he's been sick again. I swear sometimes that he does it for attention. He's an extremely nervous dog who does not like change.
I definitely love him just as much as before, but just dont have the time or energy to put into him like I used to.
nectarine / 2932 posts
In the beginning, yes. But I wasn't happy about it! My dog is a lap dog and I had just had a c-section...it was hard for both of us to not have her on my lap all the time! Now that I'm healed and my LO isn't a crazy, fussy, newborn she is getting much more attention again. She was my first baby!
hostess / wonderful watermelon / 39513 posts
Never for DH but I wasn't as attentive for a bit.
grapefruit / 4213 posts
No, our big pup still gets lots of attention. DH just spent an extra hour snowblowing a long path for our big dog to run in around the yard after the blizzard. We frequently buy her new toys so she gets a new one every 1-2 weeks. She's a chewer and we have yet to find a toy that can stand up to her. We give her individual attention throughout the day, which also shows DD1 how to treat the dog. We take her on walks with the kids when it's warmer. My brother has been taking her for a long walk each weekend. DH or I give her a bath about once a month, unless she needs it more frequently. I brush her often and wash her dog bed every month. Plus we taught DD1 to give the dog treats so now she gets extra little snacks. I'd say she's a happy pup!
cantaloupe / 6669 posts
@avivoca: At least H and Bea are on equal footing with your husband. For a while DH was greeting the dog before LO when he got home from work. Then he would play with LO for like 2 minutes, go upstairs to change out of his work clothes and I would find him up there wrestling with the dog when LO hadn't seen him all day. 
Thankfully when I said something he got better about it, but secretly I think he loves the dog the most.
pear / 1547 posts
Maybe a little bit, but I actually think their quality of life has improved. They used to be home alone whenever we were gone at work, but now someone is here to take care of LO so they are basically spoiled with very regular potty breaks and constant human presence. LO's first non-doc appt trip as a newborn was to the local dogpark, and we still go together a lot, as well as hikes/walks with the dogs while wearing LO. They have been lower on the totem pole in that if both they and LO are hungry, she gets to eat first! But overall I think it's been a win for them. I always find our cats to be a nuisance but DH loves them and I don't think they've gotten less cuddles from him. We want LO to grow up comfortable with the dogs (and vice versa) so we make sure they are involved together a lot. We call one of our dogs her "dogmother" actually!
GOLD / wonderful apricot / 22646 posts
Yep. They don't get nearly the same amount of attention from us. But they do get it from DS now. But, now that DS is here, and that my mom is here watching him on our office days sometimes. Their quality of life is a lot better! They're not crated for hours at a time (they used to be pre-ds and both of us worked at our offices!). They get to be outside more to play, etc.
As far as grooming and vet appts, We've always been on a schedule and keep it up. Grooming is probably tended to better nowadays since I don't do it at home like before and take them in to get groomed every few months.
eggplant / 11408 posts
At first, yes. But she loves, loves having her very own kid around. She's always been obsessed with kids, and G is the very first person she runs to when we all get home. I think it will get much better as she gets older. They already play keep away with the dog's frisbee. It's so fun to watch.
@oliviaoblivia: I actually think it is the combination of the cold and the baby that affects her schedule more than just the baby. I will still take her on really long walks, just not now, when it is too cold for the baby to be out. I'm actually thinking of taking her to doggy daycare once a week so she can run around as much as she wants. It's inside and better for everyone!
eggplant / 11408 posts
@twodoghouse: and your dog is now the happiest dog on the planet, because A and B are eating cheese. I can't wait until G can eat it. Our pup is going to go NUTS.
grapefruit / 4703 posts
@LovelyPlum: it was so nice of you to get your dog her very own kid! we need some more doggy pics on IG!
@twodoghouse: I love Helo! And your #dogsarefamilytoo hashtag 
pear / 1974 posts
In a sense yes, not intentionally - bc i love my dogs so very much still but a lot of my time is consumed by the baby inevitably which takes time away from them. They still get lots of snuggle time and they still sleep with me in my bed.
eggplant / 11408 posts
@Shutterbug: I know, right?! Although, sometimes she looks at us like, "guys, having your very own kid is tiring," especially now that G's favorite toy is the dog food bowl. But more often than not, she's elated to have a crazy little one to chase
And I will have to work on more pup pics!
grapefruit / 4923 posts
not as many walks, but they are low-energy dogs (pugs) so it's not too bad. otherwise they still get a ton of attention.
persimmon / 1361 posts
Oh yes! Like you, he was my baby, but now...I have two human babies so they win my affection these days. He's small and 11 yo so he doesn't require a lot of attention but he definitely moved down on the hierarchy. Poor guy!
pomegranate / 3414 posts
The cat is indifferent, the dog however has gotten the shaft. We used to take her for two walks every day but towards the end of my pregnancy I wasn't able to take her out anymore (due to weather conditions and fear of falling on ice). After DD was born she was barely getting 1 walk a day and then it became none. Luckily she is a very laid back dog (Newfie) and therefore doesn't require much exercise but I think she does miss the walks.
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