I never really understood why people suggest getting a dog as a means to prepare for actual childcare. I’m not a parent of a tiny human, but I am a parent of a dog, and on the basis of this experience alone, I can tell there are major differences between caring for the two. Here are just three.
- If you are parenting a tiny human and trying to teach proper elimination habits, you should not place the tiny human in a crate while you are away in an effort to take advantage of the tiny human’s natural desire to avoid soiling its sleeping spot. If you do and someone finds out, there is a strong chance the CPS will take your tiny human from you.
- It does not matter if you pick up the evidence immediately; if you encourage your tiny human to eliminate outdoors, people will again probably call the CPS. Also, they will jeer at you, because sewer systems have been in use for thousands of years and the in-house end should not be a foreign concept.*
- It is not considered appropriate to walk your no-longer-tiny human on a leash when he or she has reached adult age. By that time, the no-longer-tiny human is supposed to be independent of you and able to walk around the park by him- or herself. Missing this goal is pretty much the epic fail of parenting.
See? It is not safe to assume you will be a good parent of tiny humans simply because you’ve managed to keep your dog alive.
*I suppose camping situations may be an exception to eliminating outdoors, but seeing as sewers been around thousands of years and in that time have considerably cut down on disease, I never understood the appeal of pooping in the woods.