Opinion: ‘As a dog mum, I deserve the same rights as parents’

Should dog parents should have the same rights as parents of humans? Photo / Supplied

OPINION:

I am a dog mum, and I want the same flexibility and understanding as mothers of human children.

Do you need to pick your kids up from daycare? Same. My son goes to doggie daycare. It is also very unaffordable, AUD$65 a day (NZ$70) and it costs extra if I’m late! So, I must go.

Before you start hating on me, let me explain. I promise I’m not a Millennial monster who doesn’t understand how hardworking mothers are.

Getting a dog has made me realise how hard it is for working mothers. I’m on the verge of saying I can’t do it, and my dog sleeps through the night (sadly, my credit card bill reminds me every day I must keep doing it).

I got my dog, Frank, last year. I had grown up with dogs, but they were more like siblings. Frank would be my sole responsibility.

I feel guilty for leaving my dog at home all day. Photo / Supplied

I thought it would be a straightforward relationship. He’d be my unwavering cute companion, and I’d saunter off to work and arrive home to his wagging tail, and everything would be fabulous. I’d be like Carrie Bradshaw with a dog.

We’d be strutting around cocktail bars together, and I’d be draped in high fashion.

When I got Frank, everything changed. Instead of cocktail bars, we are dog park regulars, and I swapped out high fashion for clothes that can sustain the wear and tear of dogs jumping all over you.

However, I really wasn’t prepared for the mum guilt that hits you when you have a dog.

Yes, I can leave him all day, but I feel bloody bad doing it. Plus, if anyone’s coming to the house to do something, from fixing the dishwasher to a routine house inspection, I need to be home to ensure neither party gets upset.

Basically, it was more work than I anticipated and way more expensive.

Full disclosure, I am obsessed with my pooch. I am a high-flyer at my local vet purely because I’ve managed to push my hypochondria onto my furry sidekick.

I got Frank last year. Photo / Supplied

I once turned up at the vet in tears because I found a lump on his little body. I was channelling Shirley MacLaine from Terms Of Endearment and demanding he get medical attention immediately.

Turns out it was just a side effect from his annual vaccinations, and I looked a little overzealous.

Having a dog takes up so much of my time. For instance, I find myself rushing out of work either to pick him up from daycare or because I feel bad that I’ve left him all day.

Forget after-work drinks; I’m picking up pace trying to get home to my pooch.

I often turn down social outings if it isn’t in a dog-friendly setting because I can’t bear to abandon him further, and work doesn’t feel quite as important any more. My priorities have shifted, all thanks to a small man that still occasionally sh*ts in the house.

However, even though having a dog has created an entire extra workload in my life (yes, I do it with love but it is still work; anything that involves picking up poo is work), I can’t access any of the flexibility provided to mothers with human children.

I believe dog parents should have the same rights as parents of humans. Photo / Supplied

I watch as working mums can head off early, introduce flexible hours or work from home more often with absolute envy.

I realise my privilege here; I work in an industry that generally wants to help, support, and empower women. So, there are systems in place to help mums balance it all.

But I feel we need to push that same support towards mums with pets. I know they aren’t children; I know I’m not a mum, and I can never understand the full extent of the burden, but I do love my dog more than I imagined was possible.

I want to give him the most fabulous life, and I sincerely wish workplaces across Australia would start pushing forward initiatives to encourage fur parents to take the time they need.

We shouldn’t have to ask; it should be there for us to use.

Call me barking mad if you want, but not all of us will have kids, and I’m not ashamed to say that we also need space to dote on our dogs, cats and hell even pet lizards!