To feel completely different towards dog since having DD

[Geekster]

We have a dog who we have always adored. But since we had DD last year, we feel different about her. We still really like her but not in the same way and sometimes she's a nuisance like trying to get DD's food. Don't get me wrong we would never hurt our dog or want anything bad to happen to her, and there is no way we would get rid of her. I always thought I would never feel like this, but do since we had DD. The dog has been good with DD though obviously we never leave them alone together. We will still be very upset when she dies but not distraught like we would have before DD. It doesn't make me a cold hearted bitch feeling like this, or does it?

[Sparklingbrook]

Or maybe we aren't moving on.

[ClippedPhoenix]

I will if you will sparkling.

[Sparklingbrook]

Deal.

[ClippedPhoenix]

cats are selfish little bastards anyway

[Bowlersarm]

That's the problem Clipped it's too callous an attitude. Gawd help all pets if their owners are like you. All too disposable

[ArielThePiraticalMermaid]

I guess it comes down to whether you're an animal lover or not. To me it would never be a case of "they're just cats". Ours is part of the family. We took her on knowing it was for her life.

[Bowlersarm]

Bedmonster they're not just cats-they're a responsibility

[ClippedPhoenix]

It's only a problem if you make it one Bowler, then I have to wonder why really.


People are also very allowed to decide that a pet isn't really for them and make more than adequate provisions for their welfare somewhere else.

[Ilovemydogandmydoglovesme]

I'm with BOF. I'm more likely to rehome my kids than my dog.

As my name suggests.

My dog is My Boy. He is my sanity. I treasure our walks. It's my time out, it gets me out of the house and away from the chaos. He doesn't ask things of me all the time, he doesn't fight or argue or scream or shout or demand or run amok or break things. He is always just there, when dh is at work all day. He follows me round the house sometimes, settling down in whichever room I do. My kids are lovely, don't get me wrong, but they're bloody hard work sometimes and my dog, isn't.

I'd be lost without him. I love my kids but I do look forward to them going to bed each night! My dog is currently curled up by my feet in from of the fire. Making no demands, just rolling over on his back and sticking all four feet in the air.

Bliss.

[DreamingOfTheMaldives]

This thread has made me cry like a baby sad because I am pregnant with our first baby and hormonal and the thought that I will stop loving my wonderful dog as much and will just begin to tolerate him and find him a nuisance is heartbreaking.

[Bowlersarm]

Gah Clipped your last post was quite eloquent and responsible. Your first post was irresponsible and glib. If you sensibly rehomed your pets in a responsible way then fine. But you said you 'just got rid of them' and that is just too callous for us dog/cat lovers

[Ilovemydogandmydoglovesme]

Then you probably won't stop loving him Dreaming if that's how you feel. Don't worry!

[ClippedPhoenix]

Thank you bowler, I love animals too much to want to care for one if you know what I mean, most of my posts are very short and to the point of saying you can if you want and it's ok to responsibly "get shot"

[stopgap]

Sad, but understandable.

My opinion of my terrier changed rapidly when she nipped my son a couple of times as he got more mobile. With perseverance, my toddler son and the dog are now the best of friends. Said dog is a ball nut, toddler loves throwing the ball, and she is no longer wary of his screeching/flailing/wobbly gait.

I bent over backwards to fix the animosity between dog and child, as I adore my pets. And toddler son is a lucky lad, to be growing up with two dogs.

[JohnBender88]

I still loved my dog to pieces when my daughter was born last year, he lived with my mum as he was the family dog.

He died this week and I'm devastated. I've never understood "It's just a dog/cat/etc".

[trixymalixy]

YANBU, I felt similar about our cats after Ds was born. I still loved them, but they just seemed so much more of a pain.

A friend of ours who was pregnant mentioned that she was thinking of getting a dog when she went off on maternity leave as she would have so much more time for it. Thankfully we managed to persuade her to leave it until after the baby was born. She never did get the dog and thanked us for stopping her!

[themaltesecat]

I loved my dog less fiercely when the baby came. Sad but true. It makes me scared of having another baby, tbh.

[akaemmafrost]

I felt like this about our lovely, gentle, undemanding dog straight after ds was born. I asked the midwife about it and she said it was totally natural to feel like that as it was a subconscious need to protect your baby, ie not to want to have animals around them etc. I think this explained it very well and a few years on, now that my dc are not so small.

I still have my lovely old boy and love the bones of him. Even more so because he waited so patiently for years for me to have time for him again. He's 11 now but not showing it too much as yet, he's my best friend, honestly he is, always with me, always watching me, I am a lone parent and he makes such a difference to my life. I don't have to be lonely because he's always there. So I think the love comes back after a while and you should wait it out. Also agree with the poster who said that everyone's life changes when a baby arrives including pets and they have to deal with that.

[cumfy]

But isn't the corollary to this that childless people are treating dogs and cats as surrogate children ?

I find that a bit unsettling!

[NopeStillNothing]

Urgh, adding a big grin to the end of a post makes them no less unpleasant.

[Theicingontop]

I loved my two cats before DS was born, and I know what you're talking about. I would never have given them away.

Sadly, a few months after DS was born, my girl got run over. It was horrible, but at the time I couldn't help but think I'd be more upset if she'd died before DS was born, and felt very guilty.

It will adjust! Now DS is nearly 3, and my cat adores him, DS adores the cat. Everything feels as it used to now.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

I had my rescue moggie for 4 years before I had DS (so she was about 6 yo).
I know for a fact she walked on the worktops (the faint pawprints were a giveaway)
I used antibacterial spray , steamer and frequent handwashing.
She got used to not nosing at me when I was doing anything for DS (just moving her out the way)
She was a bit with DS,he was a noisy little blighter.

When I had DD she was fine with DC (A bit judgey,I hadn't got rid of my first litter for goodness sake)

When my DD was a baby ,she slept in one of those big tracel cots with a catnet over it. One night I walked by the door to see DCat snoozing at the foot of her bed. I'd forgotten to put the net on, so I lifted cat out and did so.

I remember my mum beating our cat round the house with a rolled up calender for going in my DBrothers cot..
Not the cat's fault.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

When I say our cat it wasn't my cat in my house. It was the one in the house when I was a child.

[akaemmafrost]

Why shouldn't they cumfy? What's it got to do with you? My dsis cannot have kids, her two dogs are definitely child substitutes, why should that unsettle YOU?