20 Things Only Dog Moms Understand

You definitely didn’t give birth to your dog—and its ten squishy siblings—but your pup probably inspires some pretty maternal feelings. You celebrate every milestone (he peed outside!), think about them constantly when you are apart (I wonder if she’s missing me too?), and physically ache whenever they are hurting. This is what we like to affectionately term being a "dog mom," and you know you’re one for sure when…

1. You edit your phone’s at-capacity photo gallery by deleting pictures of people in order to save the ones of your dog. Bonus points if 98% of the photos are of your dog doing cute things in their sleep.

2. You mistrust people who don’t like dogs. (Seriously, something’s up with them.) You know there are a lot of reasons why some people might not be able to have a dog, but if they don’t like them… forget about it.

3. You know the difference between a playful head shake and an ear infection head shake, and when it’s time to call the vet.

4. You own more than one coffee mug with a dog reference on it. Because it’s true that "Mornings can be RUFF" and also "I don’t care who dies in the movie as long as the dog lives".

5. You know when that dog park bark means ‘I-like-how-your-butt-smells-and-I-want-to-play’ and when it means ‘I-don’t-like-how-your-butt-smells-and-I-might-bite-you!’

6. You and your dog find the same pups (and people) annoying. You might even tell your pup all about that run in with Karen at work if they weren’t allowed to come to the office with you.

7. You’re guilty of sharing more than three dog videos with friends in any given week. Ten if they’re just TikToks or Instagram posts. You feel like you personally know celebrity pups like hi.this.is.tatum and Ella Bean.

8. You have hung your dog’s obedience school certificates on the fridge or framed their STAR Puppy medals. You have those cute little photos of your pup in a graduation cap and you’ll show them to everyone – whether they care or not.

9. You have the groomer on speed dial and only make appointments when Trisha is in, because Trisha really gets your dog.

10. You’re PDA-phobic, but have no problem with your dog licking all your makeup or face mask off. You know your dog licks themselves and still don’t really care. They’re just showing you how much they love you.

11. If you work remotely, your dog has joined you on more than one Zoom call and introduced themselves to all of your coworkers. You’ve probably had to step out of your meeting to get your pup a drink, a snack or give them a belly pat.

12. You know exactly which toy your dog wants at any given time, because isn’t it obvious? He always does that when he wants to play tug-of-war with the purple rope lizard.

13. You know your dog’s languages of love: namely, peanut butter,squeaky balls and scratches behind the ears. You also know their favorite words are W-A-L-K and let’s go to grandmas.

14. You plan your grocery list around the (people) foods your dog likes. Strawberry yogurt, string cheese, and that snack mix your pup likes to share with you are almost always on the list. You also pick your proteins for meal prepping so you can share with your dog (grilled chicken and salmon for the win). Bonus points for thinking of fun things to serve with your pups Ollie meals. You might add fresh bluberries on top of their Chicken Recipe or shredded or steamed carrot on top of the Beef Recipe.

15. You buy matching outfits for you and your dog or at least match your jacket and face mask to your dog’s leash and collar.

16. You have 500 nicknames for your dog and rarely call them by their real name. Unless they’re in "big trouble" then its the full name (also you know big trouble is probably the emptiest threat on the planet).

17. You’ve rearranged the furniture to better accommodate your dog’s likes and dislikes.

18. You’ve cancelled plans because you couldn’t bring your dog.

19. You cried when leaving the dog with the sitter before a vacation (even if the sitter is their grandparents).

20. You’ve delayed a potty break when watching TV on the couch because your dog is asleep on your lap.

Whether you identify with all 20 of these or just a few, wear your dog mom badge proudly. The relationship between you and your dog is special and unique and no matter how many pups you’re lucky enough to love, no two relationsips will be identical.

The Ollie blog is devoted to helping pet parents lead healthier lives with their pups. If you want to learn more about our fresh, human-grade food, check out MyOllie.com.