Dogs...or should I say children

Before I got my chocolate lab Milo, people always said having dogs is like having another child.  I always blew it off thinking, "No, it can't be that bad since you just leave them outside to hang out."  Well...I should have listened! 

Now I not only have 2 chocolate labs, but a six month old baby as well.  I LOVE my doggies, but MAN...Tucker is really my third child, not my first! 

This is why I think dogs are like children...if not harder!

1.  Going on most vacations is impossible!  At least with children you have more people willing to babysit.  Finding dog sitters is ridiculous!
2. Yes you can leave them alone for long periods of time, but you never know what destruction is going to be there when you get home!
3. You have to 'register' your dog every year with the county...REALLY??!!
4. You can't just go out and enjoy the sunshine, you have to leash them up!
5. If they get out or lost, they can't tell someone what their phone number is.  Instead, you have to have faith that a very nice person will find your dog, and if it's nighttime, hold the dog until the next morning until animal control can come and get them. 
6. You have to clean up pee, poop and barf out of the carpet just like a child.
7. Cutting their nails is harder than cutting your own childs.
8. They cause our grass to look like it has a disease.
9. At least Tucker will be able to communicate in the future what is wrong with him.  Milo and Mack it's a constant guessing game!
10.  And my biggest annoyance with having dogs is the HAIR!  It is EVERYWHERE!  No matter how many times I vacuum and clean, there is no getting rid of it!!

So you are probably thinking I hate my dogs now.  I really don't!!!  I love them so much and already know it's going to be rough when they pass.  This is just a heads up for all of you out there who are thinking about getting a dog.  It is just like having a child, if not harder!  So just know that a lot of work goes into it...but on the flip side, there is nothing better than being able to cuddle up with them and have them love you no matter what your day was like or what you have done.  I cherish this time with my doggies and wouldn't change having them for anything...except maybe a little less hair all over the place=)