Why People Should NOT Have Pets Before Kids...

Many, many couples make the mistake of purchasing sweet little kitties or puppies before they have children. Some think of it as a practice run to see if they're responsible enough to keep these creatures alive and happy. Others look at these little furry bundles as objects upon which to shower their love and affection before they have children. And of course there are lots of other reasons we indulge ourselves with "fur babies" before we have the human variety.

But we need to think about what is going to happen to those "fur babies" after the human one(s) arrive on the scene. Now I know that some who read this may vehemently deny that the following will EVER happen to their beloved pets, but trust me, it will.

First, when that new baby comes home freshly minted from the hospital, the "fur babies" suffer from neglect. We are either constantly holding the baby, making our laps unavailable, or we are too tired to be bothered with playing with the pet, or too exhausted to offer anything more than the most basic needs of food, shelter and a walk (if necessary). The "fur baby" is typically demoted to the status of pet, which can be quite hard for them to handle.

Next, as our sweet little cuddle-umpkins gets older, we begin foisting him or her upon the pet in an effort to teach lessons of gentleness and kindness. The pet is so starved for affection, that s/he will typically submit (grudgingly) to the less than gentle attentions of our offspring.

Then sweetpea gets a bit older, and mobile, and begins hunting down the pet on his or her own to administer their special, groovy kind of love. They will pommel, I mean pat kitty or doggie with much intensity, and not much gentleness. They will pull on tails. They will generally poke, prod, chase (to the best of their ability) and annoy the pet as often as they can. And let's not forget that with mobility comes the discovery of the snack dish and splashing bowl. So now poor Fido or Kitty has to either share their food and drink contaminated water (assuming any water is left in the splashing bowl), or have their bowls moved to less accessible locales (like near the litter box--eww).

Oreo has recently discovered the next phase in this timeline. Along with being held, tightly, by Olivia any time she sees him (notice her leg hold in addition to her arms for added control).

















He now gets to be taken for rides. I wonder what's next? Perhaps he will get to be dressed up in doll clothes... if so, I'll be sure to post pictures!