I loved having a doula. London King of Push Love was amazing and calming and opened my eyes to so much. It was also a great experience for my husband, who felt empowered and supported. And if I had a dog, I bet London would have talked to the pup all about the baby on the way, too. But did you know you could hire a doula just for your fur baby? I didn't either. Until now.
Yes, if you are pregnant and you have a baby on the way, you may need a Doggy Doula. At first I thought it was ridiculous. Excessive. But I can see how this could be seriously helpful.
You know how many pets get kicked out of their home after baby comes along? It happens. Sadly. Sometimes things just don't work out. Hopefully they get placed into a loving new home. But maybe, just maybe, co-habitation could be possible with a doggie doula. If you have a dog or a cat who is used to being the center of attention and you're pregnant, once baby arrives, that's going to be quite a shock for your furry one. Lap time decreases. Those high pitch cutie noises are made for the baby instead of Fido. Heck, all the Facebook photos you once posted of your dog gets replaced by the baby. It can be quite an ego hit for your pup.
How do you even break the news to the little barker that you have his human replacement on the way? There isn't a What to Expect When Your Human Mom Is Expecting for dogs.
Colleen Safford is a “Doggy Doula” based in NYC who helps train dogs whose human parents are expecting or have toddlers. She helps reduce the stress, jealousy, and anxiety many dogs feel when a real baby enters their lives.
“Everyone thinks supervision is enough, but it’s about the relationship and understanding your dog’s body language,” she told NY Daily News. Safford is a mom of three human kids and many furry ones. She's also a certified dog trainer and behaviorist. A doggy doula session will run you about $150 per session and she works by Skype or by phone consultation if you aren't in the NYC area.
One of her clients said that Safford's doggie doula service helped make her new baby and her fur baby become little buddies.
What do you think? Too excessive? Or would you get a doggie doula if you needed help to live in harmony?
Image courtesy of Kimberly Land
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Comments 14
I have to agree that its kind of a wast of money since there is alternative, cheaper ways of training the dog to respect the baby. I know for a fact that if you get a baby doll and start carrying it around like a baby and giving it tons of attention to get your dog used to the change, it works just as well and it only costs around $5-10 at big lots. With the doll, you can see how your dog would react to the baby and the attention its being given. That way, you can see what areas you need to work on and the dog can get used to the baby before it gets here. Also, you can determine if it would be safer to find your pooch a new home.
I did volunteer work at an animal shelter several years ago, and I was so saddened to see cats and dogs surrendered because the animals were either not dealing well with the new baby's arrival or the pet owners were listening to old wives tales about pets and babies. I would never advocate a parent keeping a pet who was outwardly aggressive and a danger to a baby. However, in most of these cases the pets were simply hiding, distressed, having "accidents" around the house because the owners had not properly prepared the pets for the new baby. We received a great gift at out baby shower called Pregnant Paws. It is a kit that contains a bunch of information and items to help parents prepare pets for newborns. Check it out at http://www.pregnantpaws.com/