I’m one of those people who has always considered my dogs to be my children. They were in every family photo, they were involved in as many activities as possible, and I love them fiercely. Some folks don’t like it when pet owners refer to their animals as “furbabies” and compare taking care of them to the hard work it takes to care for a child. But, look, I have both now and, while I agree that it’s definitely easier to take care of animals, I still contend that furbabies are a lot of work and are just as much a part of the family as human babies. I love both my two-legged and four-legged babies with all of my heart.

Nikki by example | www.nikkibyexample.com

Sebastian & MIa

That said, here are some hilarious ways I’ve found that make my furbaby and my human baby even more similar.

1. Every time I open the refrigerator, they both come running.

Mia, my dog, and Sebastian, my kid, both love food. So any time they think there’s a chance they’ll get some food, they come running. Every crinkle of a snack wrapper, every time I open the fridge door, and each beep of the microwave makes them think they’re getting a treat. And most of the time, they’re right!

2. I can bribe them both with treats.

Since they both love food so much, I can easily bribe them with treats. Want to see Mia do some tricks? Give her a treat. Want Sebastian to behave while we’re waiting for our dinner at a restaurant? Give him a treat. It’s a win-win most times.

Nikki by example | www.nikkibyexample.com

3. When going for walks, they’re easily distracted.

Mia likes to stop every few steps and sniff the grass or something else in the ground. If she sees the neighbors, she’ll pull to get close to them. If there’s another dog, she goes crazy. Now that Sebastian is walking, we let him walk down the sidewalk with us on our evening outings. His walking style is not much different from Mia’s; he likes to stop and touch/smell pretty flowers in neighbors’ yards and pick up rocks where the sidewalk ends. If he sees a neighbor, he likes to stop and wave. If there’s another dog, he gets really excited and starts barking. It’s truly adorable! But all these things make walking a chore that takes more time than it should.

4. They like playing with each other’s toys.

Mia is always trying to chew on Sebastian’s blocks and small plastic balls, and Sebastian is fascinated by Mia’s ropes and once-stuffed chew toys. They also both love playing with things that aren’t even toys like empty paper towel rolls and plastic bottles. Sebastian would sit in an empty plastic tub all day long.

Nikki by example | www.nikkibyexample.com

5. I walk them both on leashes.

I’m not ashamed about this one. I’ve always said that if I had a kid, I would put them on a leash when it came to walking in public/potentially crowded spaces. It makes so much sense. It gives them a little bit of the freedom that they crave when they first learn to walk but it also keeps them safe because they can’t run off or get snatched up. It also saves the adults’ backs because we don’t have to bend down to hold tiny hands all the time. Sorry not sorry.

Nikki by example | www.nikkibyexample.com

This is the actual leash we use. I’m not getting paid for this, I just really like it. photo source

Do you have furbabies and real babies? In what ways do you think they’re alike?

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