My Sister Wants Us to Treat Her Dog as a Human Baby

One of our readers was on cloud nine, expecting their first child after years of longing for parenthood. However, life took a different turn when their sister revealed she was infertile, leaving the family heartbroken. The sister and her husband decided to become parents in a unique way by adopting a dog. Yet, the problem is that she wants everyone to treat their pet as a real baby.

One of our readers shared her problem with us.

Thanks for opening up about your situation and reaching out to us. We’ve got some tips that might be just what you need!

Have a hear-to-heart talk with your sister.

Your sister might be trying to cope with the heartbreaking news about her infertility. Lola is her emotional compensation, and your sister’s behavior is a coping mechanism. You might want to suggest that she should go to therapy, maybe even with you.

It’s okay to love your pets, but it’s not normal when it happens in such an extreme way. Have a heart-to-heart talk with your sister. She needs your support and attention.

Let her know that you don’t like the baby-dog comparison.

Don’t bottle up your feelings or stay silent as it usually results in outbursts of anger later. Politely let your sister know that you don’t like it when she compares her dog with your daughter. As much as people love dogs, these animals aren’t human babies after all.

Let her know that it hurts you when she thinks your daughter is equal to a dog. Don’t argue with her, just say calmly that you get offended.

Accept their decision but comment on their “parenting”.

You might want to ask your sister to “parent” her dog properly because Lola always steals food, barks and bites people. If they choose to treat their pet like a baby, they should also assume similar responsibilities.

Besides, mention that there are some places that aren’t pet friendly (or child friendly), so it’s no big deal to go out without their dog. They can hire a pet sitter if they’re so worried about leaving their dog alone for a while.

Lola might feel worse because of their behavior.

No doubt your sister loves their dog. However, Lola might actually feel bad because they treat her like a human. They might interpret her actions incorrectly because their conclusions are based on human, not dog behavior.

Dogs can also struggle with developing their natural canine instincts when treated like this. It’s probably the reason why their dog is so unruly — they give it too much freedom.

We have some more personal stories that you might find interesting. In this article, we help our reader who refused to let his wife to give their kid a weird name. Yes, sometimes, such a seemingly simple discussion can escalate into a heated argument that may even lead you to question your relationship.