Nobody Warned Me the Dog Would Be My Third Child
Looking at you, Nugget 🐶
When we got Nugget, I thought we were getting:
a sweet family dog
a cuddly little companion
something adorable for the girls to grow up with
What we actually got was another tiny dependent with emotional needs and absolutely no personal boundaries.
Y’all, nobody prepared me for this.
🐶 Nugget Fully Joined the Family Hierarchy Immediately
Not “pet” status.
Oh no.
This dog has somehow worked his way directly into third child territory.
And honestly? He knows it.
He has opinions.
Preferences.
A bedtime routine.
And if we disrupt any of it? This little shaggy man acts personally betrayed.
🚪 Personal Space? Never Heard of It
I haven’t gone to the bathroom alone in years.
And somehow the dog made it worse.
If I get up:
Nugget follows me
Jessica follows Nugget
Jenna follows everybody
and now we’re all standing in the kitchen together for no reason
I call it: The Parade of Dependence.
🛏️ The Sleeping Situation Has Escalated
Remember when we said: “The dog will sleep in his own bed.”
HAHAHAHA.
That lasted approximately 11 minutes.
Now Nugget sleeps:
beside the bed
on the bed
across somebody’s legs
or directly in the most inconvenient location possible
And somehow I’m the one hanging halfway off the mattress.
🚗 He’s Basically One of the Kids in the Car
The girls: “Can Nugget come?”
Nugget: already in the vehicle somehow.
And now I’m driving around with:
two kids
one dog
three water bottles
Goldfish crackers everywhere
and somebody crying because Nugget looked out their window
💛 The Emotional Support Role Nobody Talks About
But here’s the thing.
This dog knows.
He knows when:
somebody’s sad
somebody’s overwhelmed
somebody’s sick
somebody had a hard school day
And somehow this shaggy little creature quietly appears beside them like: “I got this.”
I’ve watched him curl up beside one of the girls during hard moments more times than I can count.
And honestly? That’s when I remember why we got him in the first place.
🧸 Nugget Is Equal Parts Chaos and Comfort
Yes, he:
steals socks
tracks dirt inside
barks at suspicious leaves
and acts like the neighborhood security manager
But he’s also become part of the heartbeat of this house.
The girls adore him. I adore him - Even when he’s staring at me while I eat a sandwich like I owe him child support.
🫶 Final Thoughts From This Dog Mom Who Didn’t Mean to Become a Dog Mom
At 3 months old, he had not had a long term family. Despite this, he walked confidently into this house, jumped on the sofa, and took a nap.
I can’t imagine our chaos without him now. He became family - Even if he does still eat random things off the floor like a tiny furry raccoon.
Love you, Nugget! 💛
Tags:
#DogMom #Goldendoodle #FamilyDog #MomLife #FunnyMom #SouthernMom #DogHumor #RealMotherhood #AtlantaMoms #GeorgiaLife #NuggetTheDog #PlanItMom #PlanItMomUS