How Raising My Dogs Prepared Me for Motherhood

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the family dog. Or at least in our family it went more like: first comes love, then comes a dog, then marriage next was another dog and finally, a baby in the baby carriage (and then quickly a second baby and a third baby). 

I’ve been a “dog person” my entire life. In my early 20s, I knew as soon as I had my time and finances in order, I needed a canine companion.

My husband and I met in 2010. Through life’s circumstances, we quickly moved in together to a small apartment in Columbus, GA. Getting a dog together seemed like the next “step” in our relationship. After meeting my parent’s adorable and loving labradoodle Piper, we decided that a labradoodle was the breed we wanted. Most ‘doodle’ breeds are hypoallergenic and with several people allergic to dogs in the family, we didn’t want to risk triggering a relative’s allergies through shedding. 

Although neither of us had experience in training a puppy, we each grew up with a dog and felt like it was a great baby-step towards building a family together. Chase, our mini labradoodle, arrived in Columbus on a flight from Missouri in early 2011.

Our Beloved Labradoodle, Chase

To be quite honest, we had no idea what we were doing with Chase when he first arrived! The only thing we knew for sure was that he was so adorable. Crate training, leads, leashes, the chewing, the jumping, the barking, the whining in the crate all night – it was all incredibly confusing and exhausting. 

We quickly realized caring for a dog, a puppy, in particular, is a great first step in honing our future parenting skills. It took about 6 weeks before our dog was sleeping through the night in his crate and consistently using the bathroom outdoors. We spent many late nights trying to interpret dog whines and figure out why cords tasted so good. It seemed like the longest 6 weeks of my life. 

Fast forward a year – and we had moved to Texas and decided to add another puppy to our pack. We seemed to have magically forgotten about all of the frustrations and exhaustion caused by a puppy. We went through another few months of sleepless nights, countless chewed-to-bits pairs of shoes, and more potty messes than I can count. But…and it’s a big BUT…the unconditional love we got from our furry friends made the juice worth the squeeze! 

Our Second Fur-Child, Winnie

By 2014, we were getting ready to welcome our first human child, Taylor, into our family. Much like when we were anticipating Chase’s arrival, we were filled with nerves and excitement. We had no idea what to expect with a baby in the house. I had never even changed a diaper before Taylor was born! 

Taylor was a challenging baby, to say the least. She was gassy and colicky, and cried around the clock! Sleep became a thing of the past, and we spent time reminiscing about how we used to think we knew what tired felt like. We spent many late nights trying to interpret baby cries and figure out why rubber giraffes tasted so good. It was the longest few months of my life. 

But slowly, as weeks turned to months, the constant crying subsided. The nursing around the clock slowed down. Taylor began to sleep through the night consistently. My memories of my uncomfortable and swollen pregnancy faded to the back of my mind. And before we knew it, I was pregnant again – ready to add another member to our family. The only feeling that stuck with me long term from the pregnancy/newborn phase with Taylor was the absolute warm and fuzzy unconditional love you feel for and from your newborn baby. 

In retrospect, becoming a dog-mom was the “training wheels” version of parenthood for me. Each experience provided me an overwhelming amount of anticipation, exhaustion, nerves, self-doubt, but most of all – and most importantly, love.