They Say People Are Choosing Puppies Over Babies

Should your future offspring be concerned about their potential to NOT exist?

JULIA HUBBEL

sent me a link and said, “You should write about this. You’re uniquely qualified to talk about both.”

Indeed.

I’ve been a parent without a dog, a parent with a dog, and a dog parent who lost a child when it was too late to have another. How many more ways can I qualify?

Although I could never say I prefer one over the other, I can certainly compare apples to kibbles objectively without making my child feel bad.

In a study published in European Psychologist, a research team from Eötvös Loránd University suggests that declining global birth rates and increasing dog ownership are related. Although dogs cannot replace children, they can effectively offer people the chance to fulfill the parenting urge without the financial and social demands associated with human offspring.

“Among many factors, the relatively short lifespan of dogs might contribute to it, as most people expect to outlive their dog, but not their child,” said Laura Gillet, Ph.D. student at the Department of Ethology

- Discover Magazine

So far, I’ve outlived all my dogs and my child. The difference is that I can’t just get another child the way I can get another dog. I’m 52.

Let’s compare each stage of human parenting to dog-moming, shall we?

Getting a puppy versus giving birth to a child

Both require loads of preparation and long-term commitment. One gives you stretch marks and destroys your nethers, the other gives you scratch marks and might destroy a few shoes.

As parents to either one, you must provide food, a bed, a roof over their heads, and medical care. We should also be willing to teach them how to live appropriately in society, educate them, and give them appropriate physical outlets for their well-being.

Both cost an arm and a leg—one for at least eighteen years and the other, roughly fourteen-ish years if we’re blessed.

Everyday life with a dog versus a child

You can lock your puppy in a kennel and go to work. Try doing that with a child and they’ll release a true crime documentary about you faster than you can blink.

On the other hand, when you go on vacation, you can take the child with you, but rarely can you bring the dog. Airplanes allow children but not dogs, although, depending on who you talk to, some wish it were the other way around.

Both kids and dogs are sort of like Discover credit cards: nice to have but not widely accepted everywhere.

9.7 humans out of 10 would rather sit behind this on a plane than a screaming child

Feeding a dog is easier and cheaper, but cooking a good meal for your child and seeing them appreciate it is more rewarding. Dogs will eat anything; children will not. Dogs are never ungrateful; kids will complain and call you cheap if you shop at Walmart out of necessity.

Dogs don’t throw tantrums if they find mushrooms on the plate; they probably won’t even notice as they vacuum up the rest of the meal. Kids? Not so much.

If you’re a single parent who dates, your new partner will most certainly accept your dog before they accept your child. Sad but true. Just stay single.

Both kids and dogs will expose us to new social groups. These groups are essential in helping us feel less alone when we think we’re failing as guardians of living, breathing things.

You can rent a home almost anywhere with kids, but you’re excluded from most homes if you have a dog.

You can dress up your child, and you can dress up your dog.

People show off both their kids and their dogs on the internet.

People can give their kids and their dogs DNA tests, although only one of them gets extra money if the results are favorable.

Eventually, our kids grow up and leave home, whereas our dogs never willingly leave us. In fact, we often turn to them for comfort when children go off to live their lives. Empty nest syndrome is real, and dogs faithfully adapt to their new role.

End of life 😟

When we get a dog, we sign up for the whole deal. We understand the inevitability of saying goodbye and holding their paw as they cross the rainbow bridge.

When we have a child, the end of their life is the LAST thing we’re signing up for. It’s not even on our radar.

A child can attempt to console you when you say goodbye to a dog but let’s face it, it’s everyone’s loss when a pupper passes on. It’s not your child’s job to make you feel better about losing a dog.

But when your child goes before you? Your dog instinctively makes it her job to become your rock. She supports you, attempts to make you smile, and tries her best to drop tiny sprinkles of joy into your otherwise grey world. (SPOILER ALERT: She succeeds 💓)

Do I think people should choose puppies over babies?

My opinion is tainted because if I had known I’d be saying goodbye to my child in this lifetime, I might have chosen dogs instead. At least with dogs, you know what lies ahead and can prepare for it.

Having said that, I DO understand why people would choose to have dogs over children. Have you seen the world lately? I don’t envy anyone raising kids in this age of modern media versus mental health.

At least with dogs, your mental health has a fighting chance at a green checkmark ✅

Here’s the link to the full article: Choosing Puppies Over Babies: How Dog Ownership Could Contribute to Declining Birth Rates

What do you think about studies comparing human parenting to dog parenting? Does it surprise you or not at all?

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Let’s not forget about how midlifers are improving their lives by having dogs!