A mother of three has gone viral after sharing her humorous take on why raising a puppy is actually harder than having a baby. Destinie Freeman, a qualified dog trainer from Omaha, Nebraska, posted a tongue-in-cheek list on Instagram comparing her experiences with her labrador Popcorn and her three children.
Seven Reasons a Puppy Is Harder
Freeman's post listed seven reasons, starting with the difficulty of getting a puppy to sleep. 'You can burrito a baby to get them to sleep. If I tried to burrito my puppy, he'd eat the blanket, yell at me, and then hump whatever remained of the blanket,' she wrote, referring to the common practice of swaddling infants.
Other points included the fact that babies do not usually bite ankles, and the challenge of toilet training a puppy. 'You never appreciate the sheer brilliance of diapers until you're outside at 2am in the rain whispering 'go potty' with circle patches under your eyes,' she said.
Freeman also noted that puppies require extensive socialisation to avoid fear of everyday objects, while babies can simply be laid down without complex training. She pointed out that it is socially acceptable to put a baby in a crib for safety, whereas a puppy in a crate may be viewed differently.
Community Reactions
Commenters joined in the debate, with one noting that an eight-week-old puppy can cause more damage than an eight-week-old baby. Another countered that puppies do not suffer from colic or require help with digestion, and can be left alone at home. Freeman responded to one commenter by saying she sometimes hides in the bathroom with her lab to escape her two-year-old.
Freeman concluded her post with advice for potential puppy owners: 'Just make sure your coffee is strong, your floors are moppable, and your expectations are real low.'
