A woman who describes herself as a "dog mum" has said she believes pet owners should be offered the same sort of flexibility around working hours as parents are.
Mary Rose Madigan, 28, claimed that her experience as "mum" to pet pooch Frank isn't so different to other parents, and admitted that she feels jealous whenever she sees a mum at her workplace finish her shift early so that she can pick her children up from school.
The woman said she often takes Frank to doggy daycare and also has to pick him up on time, so insisted that she too should be allowed to be flexible with her working hours in order to accommodate the pooch.
Mary, from Sydney, Australia, also explained that she feels "mum guilt" whenever she has to leave her dog at home, and has sacrificed most of her social life in order to take care of her pet - which she also believes makes her just like other mums.
Writing for News.com.au, she said: "I am a dog mum, and I want the same flexibility and understanding as mothers of human children. Getting a dog has made me realise how hard it is for working mothers. I'm on the verge of saying I can't do it, and my dog sleeps through the night.
"I really wasn't prepared for the mum guilt that hits you when you have a dog. Yes, I can leave him all day, but I feel bloody bad doing it. Plus, if anyone's coming to the house to do something, from fixing the dishwasher to a routine house inspection, I need to be home to ensure neither party gets upset."
The woman said caring for Frank has taken up so much of her time that she now rushes home from work to pick him up from daycare or to make sure he's still okay after spending the day at home by himself.
And because she leaves him alone so often during working hours, she often finds herself turning down social events that aren't dog-friendly, because she doesn't want to have to "abandon" him any further.
So Mary can't help but feel jealous when she sees working mums head off early and take on flexible hours because she believes she should have the same support - even though she isn't technically a mum.
She added: "Even though having a dog has created an entire extra workload in my life, I can't access any of the flexibility provided to mothers with human children. I watch as working mums can head off early, introduce flexible hours or work from home more often with absolute envy."
Mary now wants other people to join her in her quest for support for "mums with pets", as she said that while she knows she's "not a mum", she still believes she - and other pet owners - should be able to be flexible with their working hours to accommodate the needs of their animal friends.
"Call me barking mad if you want," she concluded, "but not all of us will have kids, 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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