This weekend, my mother was on a much needed vacation in Florida, keeping company to a long time friend. However, she doesn't do this often because of the three children at her house... well, furry children. With dad working most of the day, and rather far from home, my mother wouldn't think of going to the warm sunny shores and leaving three dogs trapped inside near the back of the house; or even worse, outside in the winter cold all day.

To give my mother a more relaxing (and more means of) time away, I was happy to return home to watch the dogs. As I'm writing this, it's only been about two days of taking the real title of Dog Mom, because even if you live with them, you aren't truly a Dog Mom until you are living alone with them for most of the day. So here are 10 things, with GIF's, I've discovered about being a maternal canine caregiver:

1. Early mornings on weekends.

2. Slippers are necessary to keep from feet being tromped on.

3. Hold coffee cups high up

4. Wear robes to keep warm...

5. Because you're constantly letting dogs in and out of the house.

6. Dirt, all over the house (but you actually notice it and it's bothersome)

7. Near impossibility of NOT getting jumped on.

8. Dirty hands, because dogs constantly want to be pet.

9. They'll follow you: everywhere.

10. Dog Mom's have it ruff (ba dum tsch!)

11. But I love being a dog mom.

12. Oh, and some throw up, because dog children do miss their main mom.