Our Perfect Family Dog: Cute With a Lot of Patience

We are always talking about our kids, from their adventures to their milestones and how we’re able to take time for ourselves while juggling the little ones. But I haven’t taken time in awhile to talk about my crazy pug — my first baby! It’s Pet’s Week over on Fit Bottomed Girls this week, so I thought it would be the perfect time to show my pup some love while encouraging you to check out all of the fab fit pet content this week over on FBG!

I’m kind of obsessed with my little Marti, who is now 8 years old and getting a gray beard. I have like a million nicknames for her, she sleeps at my feet every night, and she is the sweetest, snuggliest dog possible. She shares my office chair when I’m working — she’s currently snoring behind me, warming my butt and lower back nicely.

Pug selfie.

People told me that Marti would take a back seat when kids came along, and I had a hard time believing it. After all, she was my first baby — my first experience caring for another living being that couldn’t fend for herself. I worried that she’d feel neglected when babies came and that she wouldn’t get enough attention. And while, yes, your priorities do shift, little did I know that she would end up getting more attention than she could ever want or need. She went from being our crazy puppy to a great family dog.

I mean, she gets to play dress-up. She gets check-ups — and even gets to wear the stethoscope. She gets endless cuddles and snuggles from the kids. Sometimes I think she’d be better off going to a quiet corner to snooze — and sometimes she does — but usually she wants to get in the middle of everything, even at the most inconvenient times. When I was breastfeeding, for example, she’d try to burrow under the Boppy — not to get attention, just because she likes to snuggle.

She’s also found a few perks to having kids around. She steals stuffed animals and adopts them as her own. She gets lots of yummy foods that get dropped or tossed on the floor (and she does her fair share of stealthy stealing from the toddler hands). She can drive me absolutely bonkers, like when I’m trying to leave the house with the kids and she won’t stop barking at me, but it’s just another quirk in our already quirky family!

Tomorrow I’ll share tips on how to juggle kids and pets — but until then, tell me: Does your pet love the extra kid attention or scurry into the other room for peace and quiet? —Erin