Be aware of dogs....

As an owner of two crazy, amazing dogs, Stella and my blind sidekick Oliver ( lovingly called Smols), I would classify myself, an animal lover. They truly are man's best friend. I've grown up with a dog in the house all my life. When I was younger though, dogs were "dogs." They weren't purse accessories, or considered members of the family necessarily. We loved them, but they had their place. My grandpa loved his dog, Scotty, probably more than most people, but Scotty was never licking his butt on grandpa'side of the bed. Welp, those days are over and dogs are really considered an extension of our family bloodline. We shop for them like they aren't wild animals. Their food costs more than ours damned near. We pamper, bathe, trim, manicure, cook for...we are actually picking up poop. 

I realize another line had been crossed...When we moved to our new complex, we met a couple who had a beautiful new little girl. They were glowing parents but you could tell they had been in the "dungeon of new baby" and wanted to connect with the outside world. Megan and I were that connection. They had us over for a great dinner and told stories of parenthood. Since we weren't parents yet, we countered with stories of our dogs. They told stories of baby cries. We told stories of puppy barking. They told stories of baby feeding. We told stories of figuring out what food was best for a puppy. They told stories of changing diapers. We told stories of having to steam clean carpet and crate training. They told stories of birth. We told stories of going to the animal shelter. They hadn't been out in months so the comparison of their beautiful child to our scruffy dog didn't seem to bother them. As we left, I felt like an asshole.  It seemed insensitive to me but...that's all we had. 

Well, it happened to me. My little prince, the future of my bloodline, the shining glimmer of my Family Jewels, was compared to a tail chasing, butt sniffing, rabbit-poop eating, ball licking, dog and I couldn't even get mad because I was guilty of the comparison. Pet owners, Be aware of dogs.