Love your dogs like your children?

My mom has made many comments to me that I seem to have more pictures of my dogs than I do my children. And that she thinks I love them more. Not true in the least!

I do have to say though I love my dogs like they are part of my family. And that will never change. We have three dogs and three kids. All have their own personalities and ways of loving us. Just one big happy group.

Do you feel your dogs are like your family as well?

 

I feel like my dog is part of our family. I don't love him in the same way I would love child or close relative, but it doesn't take away from the fact that he is loved.

 

Homer is definitely a family member . And he knows it . My sister and I, we often joke he is our little brother. He often acts like a child and we all love him

 

They're definitely a part of the family. I wouldn't ever have someone question if I loved them more than the kids, but I can see how some families would. And especially when a family doesn't have any children, dogs can become even more like the kids.

 

Dogs are definitely members of the family. I wouldn't say that I would place love for my kids below love for my dog, but I definitely spoil my dog like she's one of my children! Dogs all have their own personalities and places in the family's hearts; there's no denying that they're as unique and irreplaceable as children are.

 

I think there's a difference between your dog being loved more and being a part of the family. One is merely connection, while the other is obsession.

I've seen my families treat their dogs as if its their children, or at least treating them as if they were human rather than an animal in their home. I know that when Roman was still with us, we hardly thought of him as a dog, but more as a member of our family. Even when we talk about him, we just say his name and the memory, not even mentioning that he's our dog because the bond we had with him was so human.This is simply a deep connection that most people obtain through years of bonding with their dog.

Although bonding is still key, some people are very obsessed with their dog only because of personal experiences and other reasons. A family friend of mine had two dogs and she treated them as if they were her children. She'd spoil them, pay for expensive vet visits and more. Her reason, however, was lack of her own children. I work in a grocery store down the road from where I live, and I've conversed with quite a bit of regular customers about random topics. The main conversation that peaks most peoples interest are their pets. One customer has three children and two dogs. Although I ask her hows her family, she mainly speaks about her dogs and what exciting moments they encountered the last couple days. Never has she ever mentioned anything special about her kids. Now that is a bit obsessive. Granted, she still loves her children (quite possibly), she's just obsessing over her dogs that it's blinding the moments that she should be sharing with her children.

Definitely a good observation and question to ask. Not a lot of people know how involved they are with their dog unless thought about. Granted, you want to be involved with your dog (they're family!), just not blindingly obsessed.

 

Definitely! Some of my family members give me the stinky face when I used to call my dog my daughter. When she was a baby, I used to walk around the park with her in the stroller. I got strange looks but I didn't let that change the way I loved my dog. I treated her like the princess that she was, and I truly miss her. I'm from a small town, and people aren't used to seeing things like that. When I would visit a city, I would always see dogs in strollers or in cute clothes all the time. It was completely normal to think of your dog like your family. I guess I need t move to the city to fit in.

 

I treat my dogs better then I have seen some people treat their kids. I dont actually have kids though, but if my behaviour towards my dogs is any indication, I am aware I will be absolutely sickening when I have kids.

 

I will be honest. I love my dogs but I am not going to throw my children aside for my dogs. My children are still at the top of the list. However, compared to many people I know, I would gladly take my dogs over them.

 

Our chow is definitely part of our family. We even joke that sometimes it feels like she does not know she is a dog because she acts like she's human. She loves sitting on the sofa in the living room and when my husband comes home and the kids line up to kiss his cheek our chow also lines up and asks for attention.

 

Yes, we treat our dog as part of our family.
I also treat them as my close friends and I do really enjoy their company.

 

Of course. My dog Peanut is my 7 (41) year old sister and my adopted sister Paloma is 1.5 (15) and quite rebellious! I often wonder sometimes, if my mother loves the dogs more than us, because sometimes we can make her very upset and the minute she talks to our dogs, she's kind and loving.

 

My 2 dogs are definitely like my kids. They sleep in bed with me, and love to wake me up in the mornings! I tell my 4 kids that the dogs are my quietest children, since I don't have to hear them bicker all the time! I will be very upset when it is time for them to go, but until then, we love them like family.

 

I absolutely treat my dogs like theyre part of the family. I like them more then most humans.I will love them differently then my own kids when I have them, but Ill love them pretty darn close to the same.

 

Oh, dear. Does that make you feel jealous of your dogs? However I am understand why some parents may seem to love their dogs more than their own children. Dogs, generally speaking, live to please their masters. Children, more often than not, thinks that it's their duty to upset their parents.

 

I don't feel jealous of my dogs. I mean, they're dogs. In the end, I know who my mother loves more. Her own children, naturally! But I guess it's because dogs give a comforting sense. They make it easy to forget all our problems, because they always want love and care. They're kind of naturally always happy, as well. So whenever I'm not feeling happy, it's rather hard to take it out on my dogs.

 

That would depend on the dog. If it's young, then it wants lots of love and attention. When it's older, it tends to pick up on the mood of its master. So if its master is happy, it's happy. If it's master is sad, it's sad, too.

 

My dog n cat my babies

 

It's quite embarrassing to say that I have no children. My husband and I were not lucky enough to be gifted with kids. Fortunately, I have learned to care for dogs and they are like children to me. Our first dog was born in 1996 and died after 10 years. I felt like my child had died and I was in mourning for more than a week. Now we have 3 dogs and 2 are sleeping in our bedroom while 1 was sleeping in the housemaid's quarters.

I treat all of them like family and we even bring along our dogs when we go out of town trips or on vacations.

 

My dogs are family members, it couldn't be otherwise, we love them so much. I don't have kids and I'm not planning to have them soon so I think it's natural to consider my dogs as my little babies. I'm not ashamed to say that they sleep with us, I've gotten so used to their little bodies snuggled against mine during the night that I can't imagine sleeping without them, and same goes for my other half. We spoil them a little but we keep clear in mind that they are not humans (they are better if you ask me) so we don't humanize them, every dog deserves to act as a dog.