Forget mommy guilt, what about pet guilt? Did your pet take a distant back seat to baby?

This is one of those posts that you’ll either totally resonate with, or you’re going to read and feel extremely sorry for my dog and think I’m a heartless dog mama. But either way, I just needed to get this off my chest –> My dog drives me CRAZY and sometimes I can’t stand him!

There, I said it. I know I sound like a horrible person, but it’s true. Obviously this needs some explanation…

I have a beautiful Viszla named Indy and he’s 4 ½ years old. When he came into our lives he was without a doubt our baby, our focus, our first little Life Changer (pre-human baby). Viszlas are good natured dogs that are often called “Velcro puppies” because they want to cling to their owners. They’re high strung and active, so they need A LOT of exercise to keep sane. If you don’t walk them daily you’re asking for a mental case when you walk in the door. I remember when he was a puppy I’d have anxiety coming home at night knowing how hyped up he’d be and how he’d be clawing at the door to get out. I’d look forward to going to work in the AM to get away from his rambunctiousness! But over time I learned how to handle Indy and he was my #1 – even before my husband. Ha! (Kidding, Jeff!!)

I remember talking to my girlfriend who had just had a baby and she told me her two dogs went from being her babies to just dogs. I remember thinking she was a wicked woman for saying that! She told me; “Just wait Courtney, when you have a baby, Indy will be just a dog, too.”  OMG, blasphemy!! Ya right, I’d never be that dog mama, I thought. But I hate to say it; she was right. If your dog is young and still requires a lot of attention, then you might be up shit creek when you bring home baby. I wish I could say that my heart just expanded and I had all the patience in the world for both my new daughter and my needy dog, but it didn’t. I have far less patience with Indy and I find myself yelling at him constantly, swatting him away, and wanting to rip his voice box out when he decides to bark during nap time. I know, SO MEAN. I hate writing this but it’s sort of therapeutic, so please forgive me.

I’m not saying this is going to be the case for all new mamas and their dogs. Not all dogs are created equal. But my dog is always doing things to send me over the edge. For one, he’s constantly licking Annabelle’s mouth. She’s an easy target, so he’s relentless. She’s hit her face on the wall or a door trying to quickly turn away from him while he bathes her little face. Queue the water works. You know the saying; it’s like taking candy from a baby? Well Indy is the WORST food snatcher. He’ll take a banana right out of her hand, lick her sippy if it’s sitting on the counter, and bury his nose in between her legs while she’s sitting in the high chair in hopes to catch her food droppings. It’s MADDENING!! I’m sure a lot of dogs do this, but I just wish I could reason with Indy. I’d love to tell him to stop and he’d listen. But no, he’s got a one track mind and he could give two shits what I say.

Sometimes I think it would be easier to have an older dog that is content with just sitting on the couch all day and barely notices a toddler running around. Or maybe a smaller dog would be easier because they can’t over power Annabelle. Don’t get me wrong, Indy LOVES Annie. He lets her crawl all over him and bounce on him and he doesn’t bite or growl. But he’s also jealous of her, so I sometimes think the constant licking and stuff is just to piss her off – and ME!! Yes, I actually think Indy is smart enough to think like that.

So anyway, long story short, my dog drives me cray cray on a daily basis and it’s only gotten worse since I’ve been staying home in the last couple weeks. I shudder to think what it will be like when we have a second baby and Indy takes a 3^rd or 4^th row seat to the human babies. I can’t imagine! I definitely have my moments of feeling sorry for Indy, where I know he must wonder what the hell happened to his life. He went from being the star in the family, to the red headed stepchild, and for that, I feel horribly guilty. But all I can do is be honest here and say what I’m sure a lot of dog mamas with babies are probably thinking, to varying degrees. At the end of the day, I love my dog regardless.  He’s well taken care of, gets walks every day, gets TLC, etc. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have my moments where I want to ring his neck!!

Hey mamas, anyone else share my pet guilt? I know I’m not the only one. Don’t leave me hangin’!