Friday, February 3, 2017

Are You a Dog Mom or Dad?

Bentley Basset Hound and I love each other unconditionally
This post is sponsored by PawCulture™ and the BlogPaws® Pet Influencer Network™. I am being compensated to help share PawCulture but we only share information we feel is relevant to our readers. PawCulture is not responsible for the content of this article.
   The other day while perusing PawCulture™, my go-to website for all things pets, I came across an article written by Victoria Schade titled, Why I Rock the Label “Dog Mom.” I found myself nodding in agreement to her words because I am also a proud dog mom.
PawCulture logo

   Before anyone rolls their eyes and thinks I don’t understand what it means to be a mother, let me make something perfectly clear. I am the biological mother of two amazing children. Although they are now grown, they will always be my babies. We went through all of their life's stages from teething to graduation so I know what motherhood is all about. I love my children unconditionally and will for as long as I live.
Bentley Basset Hound, Pierre Westie and I are family
   I am also the mom to a nine-year-old Basset Hound and the grandmom to a five-year-old Westie that lives with us. Although they are not from my body, the love I feel for them is also unconditional and will last as long as there is breath in my body. This love will continue long after they are no longer here. It is a cruel reality but the chances are I will outlive them.
   Some people have a difficult time understanding how people consider themselves a dog mom or dad. I thought it’d be fun to look at the similarities of being the parent of human and a canine.
Pierre the Westie is my granddog
• Babies will cause you to lose sleep as they learn to settle into a routine. Puppies love to play in the middle of the night and you will be up to play with them. They make sure of it.
• Babies put everything in their mouths and babyproofing your home is a must. The same goes for puppies although they tend to put more expensive things in their mouths like shoes, eyeglasses, and furniture legs.
• Toddlers will challenge you and must be taught the rules of society so they can get along in the world. Rules and socialization are important for your dogs too. Nobody enjoys being around an uncontrollable child or pup.
• They both go through a biting stage and both can inflict pain with their baby teeth.
• If someone is mean to your child, they are put on your “I don’t really like you anymore” list. Anyone that is mean to your dog goes on that list too.
Pierre Westie, Bentley Basset Hound and I celebrate a birthday
• Children and dogs both enjoy celebrating their birthdays!
• We spend time cheering our children on in extra-curricular activities and beam with pride at their accomplishments. That same feeling follows us as we watch our pups in obedience class, agility training or confirmation showing. The time we spend with both helps to form a special relationship that lasts a lifetime.
• When your child gets sick, you rush them to the pediatrician. Then you worry until they are back playing and running around the house. If your dog becomes ill, you take a trip to the veterinarian. You fret over them until they are back on their feet with their tail wagging.
• With a child, you consult with the leading experts for information, inspiration, entertainment and helpful advice. Thankfully, you can depend on PawCulture for that same information along with pet DIY projects, rescue tales, travel tips, pet recipes and incredible pet lifestyle stories that celebrate the unbreakable bond between pets and their parents.
I love Basset Hound kisses. ♥
• Everyone has the cutest, smartest, and most amazing child that was ever born. Every pet parent has the cutest, smartest and most amazing dog that was ever whelped. None of them are mistaken.
   As a pet parent, I highly recommend PawCulture. You can join in celebrating the unbreakable bond we have with our pets. It is an excellent resource to help you become the very best parent to your pet. Be sure to follow their awesome posts on social media:
   Do you refer to yourself a pet parent? If so, has anyone ever given you a hard time about it?
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of PawCulture. The opinions and text are all mine.


35 comments :

  1. Oh I so agree with you!!! ... and yes...babies put everything in their mouth... sigh...

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  2. I'm a dog mom 100% and I think John is worse than me in the dog dad department.

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  3. My mom is, no surprise, 1000% dog mom. She says it is similar to a human mom, but the kids never get past nursery school stage, they don't get mean with their parents, and you can leave them home alone at any age for certain amounts of time. She loves being a dog mom.

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  4. My human children don't like for me to refer to myself as a dog mom.

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  5. Mommy is our doggy mommy 110%
    Lily & Edward

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  6. Melissa, beautifully said! Since I have not had the opportunity to be a human mom people often equate my love for my dogs as an attempt to use my dog as substitute. I'm continuously saying, "I'm pretty sure I would still feel the same way about my dog". Thank you for verifying that, I'm 100% a DOG MOM no matter what!

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  7. Aww me too! I have a human child and still say im a dog mom. My little one says my two boys are her fur-brothers. Dogs are family <3

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  8. 110% pure dog mom. And anyone who disagrees with me will find I can growl AND bite. LOL Love all the pics of your fur-kids on this post.

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  9. I agree with all the comments. I was a DOG MOM all the way

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  10. I'm a fur mom, pet parent, whatever all the way. (Human kids, not so much). No apologies. Of course I call myself that and if anyone objects, well, they don't twice.

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  11. I definitely am a pet parent! ~Island Cat Mom

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  12. I can SO relate to this! I too have two young adult children and I am a pawmom as well.
    I feel the same way about my pets as you do!

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  13. I am really glad I don't have to send my crew through college! :)

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  14. It's good to know that it's not just people that are human child-less that consider themselves pet parents. They live with us, we care for them, and we love each other. It's the same thing. Great post!
    Jan, Wag 'n Woof Pets

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  15. you bet we are dog mom & dad. We even tell people that we have get home to the kids!
    hugs
    Mr Bailey, Hazel & Mabel

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  16. Oh yeah! SO a doggie Ma! And, Ma doesn't likes to leave me alone eithers! okay...that might be cause she thinks I'll get into stuffs....
    Kisses,
    Ruby ♥

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  17. Great post! I am a proud Dog Mom - the FiveSibesMom! I refer to myself as a hu-mom, even though my daughter thinks that a silly name! No one (yet) has given me any grief and if they know me and how I love my pets, they won't! ;-) I refer to my Siberian Huskies as "the kids!" I do have a grown daughter and my first grandchild, and am crazy about them and my Huskies love the baby! Dogs and animals have always been in my family and as a child growing up. They are so part our family, they are my "furkids!"! <3 Love your pics!

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  18. Melissa, I agree with you 100%! I am a proud mom of two daughters and a very proud dog mom and I wouldn't have it any other way. :) Great post and your photos are beautiful as always!

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  19. We don't have a dog Mom or Dad now, but we used to when there were two sweet dogs living here. We sure enjoyed your post!

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  20. Great post! We did one like this last year, I refer to myself as a dog mom and they are my furbabies.
    Some people definitely role their eyes but as far as i'm concerned they are my kiddos. We take really good care of them and make sure to meet their different needs as best we can, and teach them how to be the best they can be! So people can roll their eyes all they want, I don't care. :-)

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  21. I am absolutely a dog mom - and a human mom. I have a nine year dog and an 11 year daughter. They are both my kids. And funny enough, my daughter calls Ruby her sister!

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  22. Great post! I totally consider myself a mom to my dogs and I am a mom to all my beloved pets who have passed away. Losing each of them was devastating. I will always love every single one of them, paw prints on my heart forever. No one's ever challenged me considering my pets to be my furbabies, and if they did it wouldn't be pretty - for them! Pets are family, and pet pets are my fur kids. I did not have any human kids, but even if I did I'd still consider my dogs my furbabies.
    Love & Biscuits,
    Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them

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  23. I don't think it's as common to refer to yourself as a pet parent in Australia as it is in the US. But I definitely share a close bond with my pets, present and past, cats and dogs and love them to the moon and back.

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  24. Love this post Melissa!! Especially the photos! YES, I am a Dog Mom! Used to be a Cat Mom too. Sadly, I had to bring my cats to Rescue when I was diagnosed with asthma.

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  25. We are definitely pet parents here! :)

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  26. Hands down a Dog Mom and Cat Mom. Anyone that has a pet should be, at least if they are caring for them properly. JMO

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  27. Proud huMom of Olivia, Q, GG, Dot & so many before them.
    I will love them forever.

    CEO Olivia's huMom

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  28. I'm a cat mom through and through! I don't have human children and don't know if I ever will have them, but regardless of that, I will always consider myself "mom" to my furries. It's a beautiful bond for sure <3

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  29. I'm not one to get hung up on labels. While I've always considered myself to be on an equal friends status with my dogs, I see the parallels of being a mom to a human and mom to pets. I have 5 human kids and three dogs. If my dogs could talk, I would expect them to call me Beth, but I wouldn't be surprised if they chose to call me Mom. I

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  30. My dogs are definitely my babies ❤ I do not want human children. I know if I did happen to have one that I would love that kid to death, but it is just something I would purposefully choose for myself. Dogs are my passion. I enjoy taking care of them and raising them. I enjoy making their meals and taking Echo to agility class and playing with them. However, I do realize that our relationship is that of a human-canine companionship and different from that of parents and children. Does that make it less significant or less meaningful? Definitely not. My dogs are my world and I wouldn't want it any other way! With that being said, I do call myself a dog mom. Lol.

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  31. Beautiful post! So true! I do consider myself a cat parent. My kitties are very important to me. They take care of me and I take care of them. I understand that there would be differences in having a human child, but I think that it is good to nurture animals too. Love is the most important flower you'll grow in your life's garden.
    -Purrs from your friends at www.PlayfulKitty.net

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  32. I puppy sat this past weekend and it is definitely akin to when I watch toddlers!

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