What Is A Dog Dad?
It’s mostly just carrying plastic bags of shit.
A dog dad is a man with a dog
The term is literal. I have a dog. I am a man. That is the extent of the definition. It isn’t a personality trait, though people try to make it one. It is a set of chores that never ends.
The label is a trap
People use the phrase to suggest a specific kind of lifestyle. They imagine weekend hikes and matching outfits. The reality is standing in a cold garden at 3:00 AM waiting for a creature to decide if it needs to go.
My social life is dictated by a bladder.
My car smells like wet wool and old biscuits.
I spend my Saturday mornings picking up things I’d rather not touch.
It is not a substitute for parenting
I am not a “pet parent.” I do not have a “fur baby.” I have a carnivorous animal that lives in my house and relies on me for survival. I don’t give it a moral education. I don’t worry about its university prospects. I just make sure it doesn’t eat the sofa or get hit by a bus.
The routine is the relationship
There is no “journey” or “growth.” There is just the same walk every morning and the same bowl of food every evening. I do it because I have to. She waits for me because she has to. We have reached an understanding based on habit and the fact that I am the one with the kibble bag.