The Struggles Of Being A Fur Parent

What is a fur parent?

Fur parents are those who have dogs but instead of treating them as a pet, they treated them as their babies.

What's the difference between a fur parent or a dog owner?

As I've said, a fur parent doesn't treat them just like a dog but more likely as their baby (or fur baby). Unlike dog owners, fur parents spoil their furry ones more. Fur parents give more attention, spend more on their essentials and even the not so important ones, pamper them from time to time, and a whole lot more, while dog owners simply provide the basics like food, water, and shelter to live.

So, yes, for me these two are quite different. Fur parents don't mind spending a lot while dog owners are quite skeptical when it comes to providing their pack with other extras, so which one are you? Are you a dog owner, or a fur parent?

Anyway, being a fur parent is an opportunity for the singles, including myself, who want to be a parent without getting pregnant or give birth to a real baby. Although having a real baby is something most of us would dream of, some can't for many reasons.

They may be far from being a baby, but the furry little ones are so-so adorable, and they give so much joy that some of us have treated them more. The happiness they give us is also incredible that it makes us want to treat them as our own, and that's how we become fur parents.

But just like real parents to their kids, we, fur parents, have struggles too. And that is what I am going to share with you all. Here are a few of the struggles only a fur parent would understand:

Furs everywhere

If you have a fur baby, which stays inside the house and sleeps in your bed, expect to see strands of fur everywhere, especially if you have a furry one. LOL.

In my case, I have a Shih Tzu x Maltese baby. Yes, she's a mixed breed. She gets fluffy if I let her fur grow, but I chose not to because it's super high-maintenance. You need to comb it every day to prevent it from getting matted, bathing would take extra time because of the fluffy coat, and of course, the strands are going to be everywhere if you don't trim them off.

Them barking in the middle of the night

Having a fur baby that is a bit well-trained is quite loud at night. They will bark non-stop and won't even stop until you let them out to do their thing.

They want your attention

They are quite demanding and want your attention almost all the time. For example, my baby, Kiah, whenever I'm laying on the bed, and she wants to hop in, even if she could simply jump, she wouldn't and would just bark non-stop for me to get her and put her on the bed.

Another example is whenever I'm working and everyone in the house was watching TV in the living room. She would go to my room and again, bark as hard as she could coz she wants me to go outside with them. At first, I thought she wanted to pee, so I took her out, but instead, she would stay inside. That's a sign that she just wanted me to watch TV with them.

Bath time can sometimes be a struggle

Whenever my fur babies would realize that they are about to take a bath, they start hiding under the couch. So what I do is act like nothing is about to happen and call them with the leashes in my hand to show them that we would go out for a walk. Sometimes that works, other times don't.

Grooming them is never easy

At first, Kiah would be so cooperative, and the next thing you know, she doesn't want it anymore. She would start whining and growling. Grooming Kiah would take hours to finish, and I can't finish everything in one day. I have to redo it the following day.

They can be picky

This is the reason why I started giving them rice instead of just dog food. I give them rice and cook food just for them. Sometimes veggies, sometimes meat, but now that I ordered wet dog food for them, I don't have to worry about their food anymore. I just have to pick different variants for every meal, and they seem to love it.

Walking is another struggle too

Have you seen a dog who refused to move when they sense that they are about to go home after a fun walking session? Well, that was my everyday routine back then when Kiah was still a puppy. Whenever she sense that it was time to go back inside, she would either play dead or freeze. HAHAHA. As usual, I had to carry her home.

I know there are more to mention, but these are just a few of the common struggles for fur parents. Even though they can be a real bossy sometimes, I love them all like my own, and they are the reason why I want to do better in life.

**All photos are free images from Pixabay.