le dog mom.....

It's day four here of being the new dog mom, and my non parent friends keep grilling me on which is easier..... dog or baby? Well that's like comparing apples to oranges but there are a few things that are different so far that point out to me that dogs.... are a bit easier.

The one thing that would be easier about babies is that babies have diapers and it doesn't involve heading out into 18 degrees but feels like minus 3 weather to do their business. Mental note: don't get a puppy in the winter unless you enjoy freezing your ass off.

Here are the things I have noticed so far:

1. CRATES rule. Crate training the dog is the important thing we have been told. Can't Crate train a baby. Every so often you say to the dog "Crate time" and in they go, throw them a bone and she takes a nap.

2. CRATES are cheaper than the combination of crib + swing + rocker + all the other paraphernalia you get as a new parent only to learn that babies love boxes more than anything else.

3. Feeding: feeding a dog is much easier than feeding a baby. Here you go Fido! Throw it in a bowl and you are the instant best friend.

4. Maybe it is just me but no dog in the world barks or whines louder than my son did, and he did it for 6 weeks straight.

5. There are obedience classes for dogs.

6. I can leave the dog home a lone for a little while. No sitters involved.

And I am sure there will be more. So far: Dog easier than baby.

But then....... Cocoa will never have first words, first smiles, hang with me over hot cocoa..... (get it?) so comparing children to dogs is actually..... beyond wrong. :-)

However there is nothing quite like a boy and his dog. On day four Luc's interest continues to grow and grow. This is his dog and he will be the one who feeds it and takes it outside every two hours (except for the middle of the night I might want to add..... I am not sure why he has gotten out of that.... some crap about being 8 years old...). Watching a boy and his dog play makes me laugh so hard my abs hurt. Smile so big my mouth hurts. And wait in anticipation as this relationship grows.

This morning was our first actual Mom / Dog walk. She's still just 7 weeks old and she's freezing her little ass off too. There's something about the slow lane that I am finding appealing. People keep asking me if I will run with this dog. I have run alone my entire life, why would we start that now?

But walking.... now that's what I look forward to!