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It's no secret that people with pets think of them as their very own babies, but one 'dog mum' has argued that she should be allowed the same flexibility as a working mother.
Mary Rose Madigan, 28, from Sydney, believes that dog mums don't get enough respect and said she's jealous of working mums who get more flexibility than her.
Writing personally for news.au, Mary, who became a dog mum to chihuahua Frank last year, admitted she didn't realise how much of a big responsibility having a dog would be.
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She explained that she has a lot of 'mum guilt' when she leaves Frank home alone and it's led to her shelling out $65 (£36) every day for a doggy daycare.
The proud dog mum said that she needs additional flexibility from her employer even with the daycare because it has late fees for anyone who picks up their pet late.
Now, she wants employers of any pet owners to give them the 'same flexibility and and understanding as mothers of human children.'
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"I watch as working mums can head off early, introduce flexible hours or work from home more often with absolute envy," she admitted, adding that having Frank stops her from attending social events outside of work as she doesn't want to 'abandon him further'.
However, Mary made a point of stressing that she knows that her dog isn't an actual human child.
"I realise my privilege here; I work in an industry that generally wants to help, support, and empower women. So, there are systems in place to help mums balance it all," she said.
"But I feel we need to push that same support towards mums with pets. I know they aren’t children; I know I’m not a mum, and I can never understand the full extent of the burden, but I do love my dog more than I imagined was possible."
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Mary said that the experience of owning Frank has given her a whole new understanding of the battles working mums face, and admitted there's been times she's wanted to quit her job because of the stress of being a dog mum.
"I'm on the verge of saying I can't do it, and my dog sleeps through the night (sadly, my credit card bill reminds me every day I must keep doing it)," she wrote.
The proud dog mum ultimately said that if she was given more flexibility at work, it would help her to give Frank the best possible life.
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"Call me barking mad if you want, but not all of us will have kids," she concluded.
"And I'm not ashamed to say that we also need space to dote on our dogs, cats and hell even pet lizards!"
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Emma Guinness