There is nothing more joyful than the feeling you get when you finally become the parent of a fur baby. There’s just something about being able to call that little ball of fur your baby that tends to fill your life with joy and excitement. It can pee on you, poop on you or even keep you up all night, but its okay because it is your fur baby. Your fur baby is just simply precious and perfect because he is all yours and it proves you’re a step closer to becoming a real adult. Here are some things all fur baby parents have experienced.

1. The cuteness overload.

You know you’re officially a fur baby parent when you find yourselves getting peed on and chewed on yet you find it extremely cute. Oh, no -- your shirt is soaked in pee! It’s OK. Your fur baby is still precious and cute. Your fur baby will forever be cute in your eyes. It’s your baby, therefore, nothing it does will ever be wrong.

2. Feeling like a real mom or dad.

OK, maybe your fur baby isn’t an actual human baby, but it's close enough. It pees, eats and poops. It keeps you up late at night and whines while you frantically try to figure out what it wants. You have to potty train it and whether or not it grows up to be a good dog is all determined by the way you raise it. You suddenly find yourself being responsible for this little life. It doesn’t matter what other people think because you know this fur baby is close enough to being your child.

3. Realizing this was a big financial responsibility.

Going back to the fur baby becoming your child, you are now financially responsible for supporting your fur baby. You now have vet bills to take care of and you often find yourself on pet isle wondering when pee pads and puppy food became so darn expensive. The struggle of being a young puppy parent is real, but you got to put in those hours to make sure your child eats.

4. Feeling proud as can be when training starts paying off.

You think you know what joy is but let’s be honest here; watching your fur baby actually listen to you and do as you say is one of the most joyful moments in puppy parenthood. You suddenly find yourself with the need to tell and show everyone how smart your fur baby is. Watching all those hours of constant training (and all the money that went towards treats) finally payoff is definitely satisfying and worthy of a sappy Facebook post.

5. Suddenly becoming an outdoor person.

Fur babies are full of energy and the best way to get all that energy out is through exercise. Walks become part of your routine and hiking suddenly isn’t too bad because you have a companion. This is when you realize adopting your fur baby is not only bringing joy to your life, but also helping you become healthier. Suddenly, spending time outside and getting a little sweaty doesn’t seem so bad.