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Why Everyone Needs a Dog Before a Baby

Pomsky dog

Benefits of a dog

Casual outfit

Pomsky dog

Jean jacket

casual outfit

Dress: TopShop | Jacket: Express (old), similar here | Hat: Vineyard Vines | Shoes: Converse | Sunglasses: Ray-Ban (old), similar here | Earrings: Nordstrom | Watch: Shinola | Lips: YSL #7

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It’s no surprise here that I don’t have ‘real’ children, but I do treat my fur babies like real kids all the time!  Kurt and I actually decided that we needed to get a dog before we had kids because they teach you so much responsibility.  We even preach this onto our friends- EVERYONE needs to have a dog before they have a baby!  Here is the run down of the benefits of a dog and why you need one before kids:

It teaches you to communicate better as a couple

There is so much planning that goes into having a puppy that you don’t even realize until you are in the thick of things.  A puppy needs to be kept on a strict schedule, which means you and your significant other need to over communicate.  I remember when Addie was just a little puppy and I would come home from work and ask Kurt, ‘Did you feed Addie?”  Sounds like a simple question, right?  But what he would hear was ‘Did YOU feed Addie?” like I was giving him some attitude and accusing him of not taking care of our pet.  Having a dog brings up issues and problems that you have to learn how to work out in a civil manner.  And on top of that you are exhausted- which leads me to my next point.

You learn how to deal with being exhausted

Puppy life is really hard!  I always had dogs growing up, but when you have your mom and dad taking on the majority of the care, you don’t realize how much work it is.  Potty training is no joke and takes up a lot of time and energy.   And to not mention that they have to go all the time.  Then there are the night time potty breaks.  When Addie was really small, Kurt and I would sleep in shifts- I kid you not! I don’t know where we went wrong in the training department with Addie, but she never slept!

You take more pictures

A puppy is the cutest thing in the world and you defiantly want to document it, just like you would when you have a baby.  My entire phone is filled with pictures of the first 6 months of Addie’s life (who am I kidding, it still is!).  And it really teaches you to enjoy those puppy or baby moments because you will never get them back.  We look back all the time at those pictures of when she was tiny and cherish them.

A dog teaches you patience

Your little puppy doesn’t understand why she can’t just go to the bathroom on your new rug.  But when they look up at with those big eyes, your heart just melts.  I learned to let things go after raising Addie.  My house always seemed to be a mess from her dragging her toys out or getting into something, but that’s just the way life goes sometimes!  There are bigger fish to fry.

You learn to be less selfish

When Addie was a puppy my evenings were spent walking her, trying to tire her out and reinforcing potty training.  By the time it was time for bed, I was exhausted.  There was no ‘me’ time anymore.  You quickly learn to adjust and realize your pup is more important!

We also love to plan fun activities with her on the weekends.  Her favorites are the the dog park, dog beach (read more about that here) and other events in our neighborhood.  We have learned to be less selfish in our needs.  She is cooped up all week in her crate and the apartment, so she just wants to run and have fun!

You are more friendly

Dogs just make you a better person.  Addie instantly puts me in a better mood and that begins to rub off when I see other people.  Having Addie, people are always coming up us giving compliments, asking her age, breed, sex, name etc.  You learn to be friendly and more outgoing.  And we have even made friends with more of our neighbors because our dogs are friends! #parenthood

We have learned so much after raising Addie and we feel so much more prepared for parenthood.  It should be easier the second time around right?  #wishfulthinking

What are your thoughts on getting a dog before you have children?

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xoxox Amanda

Comments

  2. Morgan says

    Pinning this to reference later! My husband and I are currently in a downtown apartment that doesn’t allow pets, so even though we want a dog we aren’t at a place we can actually have one. Maybe next year….

  4. Grace says

    This was so interesting for me to read because I have been dying to get a puppy. I definitely know that it’s hard work and I’m scared to commit to getting one but my husband and I are definitely going to get a puppy before we even think about having a child!

  6. Sim @ Simslife.co.uk says

    Puppy life really is so hard – you don’t realise that a puppy needs you constantly! My dog is 10 years old now and an old lady, but I have not forgotten the puppy years! A gorgeous dog you have xx Sim

  7. Jen says

    Love this. I have a Husky too and although he’s a handful, I wouldn’t have it any other way!

    PS: What plugin do you use to display your clothing at the bottom like that for your “shop the look” section?

  8. Rachel R Ritlop says

    Aweee your pup is so cute! I totally agree with you on everything! Accept I think I am less friendly haha! I live next to a bar and a lot of drunkards approached our pup when he was really small in a way to overwhelming way so I don’t let a lot of people say hi to him now because he gets really anxious.

  13. Ruthie Ridley says

    I couldnt agree more!! 3 kids in and then we got charlie!! I would have been way better prepared had we gotten him first!!

  16. Kurt says

    Addiecakes and i both LOVE this post! She really has made us much better humans in every possible way. I have preached about adopting a puppy before having kids for had we not i most likely would have stayed out of shape, lazy, unmotivated to do anything, now all i want to do is something adventurous w addiecakes and furmomma!! Every day is a new adventure

  18. Bella B (xoxoBella) says

    So cute! I have a 9 month old pup and it is definitely good practice in getting up in the middle of the night and not being able to take your eyes off them for a minute. Pets are the best!

  19. Maggie says

    haha I needed this about a year ago! My husband wants a dog now that we have a 6 month old, and I am not on board! We have two cats, so I think we are good. But having a pet does teach so many valuable lessons!

  20. Lauren says

    This is SO true! A dog is a way to test it out before kids. I want a dog soon but no boyfriend for me so it’ll just be a dog for now!
    xx
    Lauren

  27. Kelsey says

    This post is right up my alley and I love it! I completely agree with everything! I got my dog in college and it was the best decision I ever made! Definitely helps teach you responsibility! xo

  28. Paige says

    Yes, yes, yes and YES! I love that we both posted about dogs on the same day. Yes to ALL of this! My boyfriend and I had been together for three years when we got Theo but we learned so much about our relationship and ourselves, and now we actually have puppy friends in our neighborhood – there’s a group chat and everything! Having Theo has fundamentally changed our lives. Still not ready for a baby though 😉 But, as I said in my post, there are some things about babies that will be an absolute breeze compared to raising puppy Theo!

    xoxo, Paige

    • Amanda Faber says

      haha yes we did both post about dogs today- we must be thinking alike! I agree that some things might be easier for a baby like potty training. At least a baby has a diaper to go in haha

  31. Amy says

    Awh, your pup is adorable! I have always wanted a dog of my own and def agree there are many benefits of having a dog before kids.

  36. Laura says

    While you definitely didn’t to convince me (I got puppy fever all up in here), I love all these points. Dogs really do make people better people!

  38. Lindsay says

    I love this post! It totally made me laugh because I completely agree! We got a dog about 2 years before having a baby and it worked out!

  42. Steph says

    Honestly I completely agree because dogs are kind of like babies, haha! I have always wanted a husky, but sadly my husband is allergic to cats and dogs. We probably won’t ever have one. Such cute photos though!

    xo,
    Steph
    @trendyinindy || trendyinindy.com

  44. Lisette says

    I agree with all of your points! My Chip and Daisy have taught me so much about myself, and they have (lovingly) shown me that I need to work on my patience.

  48. Ashley DTKAustin says

    YES!! I 100% agree with this post! We still don’t have kids because my dog is so damn high maintenance!!

  50. Sandy a la Mode says

    Aww your dog is adorable! It makes total sense as to why it would help to prepare you – I totally agree!

  52. Alicia says

    Thanks for sharing your gorgeous dog and great tips. We really want to get a husky or at least a dog before we start having kids so this was great to read.

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