In my very first post of my new Blog  I would like to share with you an article from a dear animal lover. I think, there are no better words which could describe the love for an animal. For me, this text not only applies to dogs.

My Dog Is Not My Child

My dog is not my child. I’m tired of hearing people say “As you don’t have children, your dog is your child” or „You treat your dog like a child, but it’s not…”

I know HE IS NOT MY CHILD, he is MY DOG. I am not a mother, I am not, but I am clear about that the feeling of a mother towards her child can’t be put on a par and I can’t image how it feels…

I have a dog, a dog who I adore, but it’s a dog. Unlike a child, my dog will never grow up mentally, will not leave home and will not take care of me when I am old. He will never be independent or self-sufficient: He will always need me to eat, to drink or just to do some exercise.

He will never be a teenager and I also will not hear the typical phrases of that age: “Whatever”, “You do not understand me”, “You get on my nerves”, “You have no idea”. But neither will I ever hear: “I love you”, “thank you”, “I need you”…

He will not judge me, he will not question my ideas and my decisions. He will not ask me for a Playstation, a toy or his dearest wish…

Unlike a child, I will never see a part of me in my dog: neither physically nor mentally, that is, I won’t see a heir/ess. I will see my dog growing up as well as getting old, and not him seeing me, as a child would. Not only will I be the one who will take care of him but also who will see him leave forever, the natural way and not because of a disgrace of life. Simply, this will be our destination.

My dog is an animal, not a person, and less my child.

In spite of it, yes, I am his mother.

Ironic? How can this be?

I think it is clear now what a son is, but… a mother?

What do you think is a mother?

For me, a mother is someone who sacrifices herself for her children, takes care about them, changes her life for the welfare of her family.

A mother pampers, educates and loves unconditionally, forever. For all this, my dog is not my child, but yes, I am his mother.

I am all he has, I am the leader of the herd.

I am not his possessor or owner. For him I am part of his family, what for a dog a family can be. I feel sorry for those people who fail to understand that, because they will never know what it means to feel love for such a little thing that does not speak, does not mature and does not express itself as a human does…

They can never have what I have, watching that look with which my dog tells me everything. My dog is not my child, but I am his mother, thanks to me, he has a full, healthy life and he is satisfied with so little and does not demand anything else. Compared to what is almost nothing for a person, for him you are his “everything”.

Mother-Child is a natural connection, which happens automatically and is certainly incomparable. However, the connection with an animal is not natural and not everyone can experience this wonderful feeling.

I only hope that the children of those who don’t understand what I feel and do not understand the importance of an animal for some people, that their children, may one day have an animal (may it be a dog, a cat, a horse…) and that they can get this connection that I have with my dog.

By Conchi Moreno; Translation by Lara
July, 2017