A woman has outlined what she believes are the key differences between being a dog owner and a dog parent.
It is not unusual for a pet owner to feel a special connection to their animal. A 2022 survey of 2,000 cat and dog owners conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Pet Honesty found around one in four consider their pet their “child.” The same survey found that around one in three respondents think of themselves as their pet’s “mom” or “dad” with a similar proportion preferring the term “owner” instead.
Shelby Susnick, from Atlanta, Georgia, says there is a clear distinction between being a dog parent and being a dog owner, though. “I believe the key difference between dog owners and dog parents is how you view your dog,” Susnick told Newsweek.
“Are they part of your family or just an animal you own? Dog parents’ schedules sometimes even revolve around their dog: for example, having a curfew when you go out because you don’t want your dog to be home alone for too long.”
Susnick certainly considers her dog Russell to be more than just a pet. ” I believe that my love for Russell goes beyond ownership,” she said. “He is my son.”
Given everything they have gone through together, it’s likely that Russell feels the same way. After all, he might not be here today were it not for the love and support Susnick gave him at a difficult time in his young life.
“Russell was a rehomed dog that, through our love and care, survived parvovirus,” she said. “I call him a miracle baby.”
A full-time content creator who posts to TikTok under the handle @booplethesnoot, Susnick’s videos offer a glimpse of the happy life Russell leads with days out, cuddles and lots of time spent playing his favorite activity: tug of war with his toys.
However, one recent video saw Susnick addressing the topic of what defines a dog parent compared to an owner. She said she was prompted to make the video because “many times when I call myself a ‘dog mom’ someone tries to correct me in the comments and call me a ‘dog owner.’”
The clip offers a series of scenarios showing how a dog parent behaves compared to a dog owner. A parent might greet their canine in a more animated manner upon return home, taking time to pet and focus on their animal.
A dog parent would interrupt an important work meeting on Zoom if they were worried about their pup who is just off-camera. The sight of them being sick isn’t a source of frustration to a dog parent but rather one of concern that needs immediate attention rather than criticism.
“It comes down to empathy for a pet,” Susnick said. “Spending more time with them and really seeing them as part of your family is important. As many dog parents have said, dogs are part of your life, but to them, you are their whole life.”
At the time of writing, the video has garnered over 1.3 million views. Susnick has been heartened by the response to the clip and says there are more dog parents out there than owners and many more working on getting there.
“I’m happy about the conversations in my comments, especially where people say they are a little bit of both,” Susnick said. “As dog parents, like human parents, we can fall short sometimes. I think everyone has the opportunity to grow into the parent your dog deserves.”
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
The post Woman Explains Key Differences Between Being a Dog Parent Vs. Owner appeared first on Newsweek.