The Final Dlog - Furbabies

Furbabies! Some people treat them like real children and claim the challenges of raising and looking after them are the same. Probably a little exaggerated but in my journey as a guardian of two giant furbabies I have found some funny similarities - here are my top 5:

1.  You don't get to sleep in anymore - Chloe took it upon herself to become our alarm clock without being asked! She uses the sun to decide when it is wake up time which isn't so bad in winter but in summer can be as early as 4.30.  I'm considering installing blackout curtains or blindfolding her in summer so she doesn't know when the sun is up!
2. You have to get up in the night to deal with accidents - Yes, on many occasions I have been woken by a wet nose telling me that one of them has been sick/wet the bed.  I'm not sure why it can't wait until morning but Gemma feels the need to wake me up to deal with the mess so we can all go back to sleep - and sometimes it is several times in one night
3. You don't get any alone time - I call Gemma my shadow, I can't go anywhere without being followed - including the bathroom (where she gets the door shut firmly in her face!)
4. You don't get any peace to work/study from home - If I am at home then obviously I am there to tend to their every need.  If I try to sit at the desk to work or study I'm treated to very loud whining from the other room demanding I come back because apparently we should all be in the same place all day or they join my in the study trying to find various ways to fit under or onto the desk in order to 'help' me concentrate
5. They will bleed your money dry - From the indestructible dog toys that cost a fortune and are destroyed in minutes to the endless vet trips for ear infections, eye problems, skin cancers, mammary cancer, back problems, skin problems and diets (and that is just one dog!)

 I'm sure once we embark on the journey of having real children I will laugh at myself for thinking that I was getting good practice in with the dogs but for now I find my life suitably disrupted by the above and endless more challenges of owning furbabies.