Why do I resent my dog after having a baby?
The competing demands of caring for young children and pets create an overwhelming and limiting dynamic that leaves parents at their wits' end. This sudden burden, compounded by terrifying behavioral changes in animals around newborns, makes even basic daily routines and trips feel impossible to manage.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- The most recent one is from October 2026.
- This comes up 13.7× more often in r/Parenting than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Walking the dog multiple times a dayDid this help you?
- 2Relying on family to watch the dog for tripsDid this help you?
- 3Adjusting walking routines to reduce inconvenienceDid this help you?
- 4Waiting until children are older or in their teensDid this help you?
- 5Hiring a regular dog walkerDid this help you?
- 6Hiring a professional dog trainerDid this help you?
- 7Rehoming the petDid this help you?
- 8Adopting an older, calmer cat that is at least 2 years old instead of a kittenDid this help you?
- 9waiting until children are older (2 to 3 years or 3 to 5 years) before getting a dogDid this help you?
- 10adopting an older puppy (6+ months) or younger adult dog instead of a baby puppy so they have time to mature before a baby arrivesDid this help you?
- 11relying on partners or family members to take over dog care dutiesDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Two children (2yo and 4mo old) later, and I'm ashamed to say I regret that decision.”source ↗
“I also hate how limiting a dog is in terms of trips.”source ↗
“My husband and I are at our wits end with dog care.”source ↗
“This is something I'm genuinely scared of. My dog is my everything, animals are one of my biggest interests and I can't imagine suddenly feeling differently about her just because I have a baby.”source ↗
“I understand that having a newborn is exhausting and that your priorities and routines change, but the thought of my dog feeling pushed aside or me not loving her the same way breaks my heart.”source ↗
“Even my full grown dog felt really overwhelming in those beginning months.”source ↗
“My dogs became incredibly aggressive over my baby when I had her, it was terrifying even leaving for a minute because they’d fight over her”source ↗
“For me, finding the balance was difficult and has only recently returned to a stable state 2 years later.”source ↗
“Plus I get scared of my toddler wanting to pinch the cat or pull their tail. Not necessarily because she wants to be mean, she still can't fully understand what bothers someone physically.”source ↗
“the first half of my pregnancy was so brutal that there was absolutely no way I could possibly taken care of a puppy while pregnant. It was hard even with an adult dog.”source ↗
“got a beagle mix from shelter when my wife was 4 months pregnant, big mistake lol.”source ↗
“training a dog while dealing with newborn sleep deprivation is hell, i was basically zombie for months”source ↗
“My puppy was maybe 9 months when I found out I was pregnant. He’s an angel dog but I felt so bad that couldn’t take him on walks and give him what he needed!”source ↗