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One couple's perfect response to people asking when they're going to have kids.

Choosing to have kids or not have kids is no one else's decision but yours.

Photo via Carrie Jensen/Imgur, used with permission.

She’s giving birth to a puppy.


"When are you guys going to start having kids?"

Like many couples, Carrie Jansen and her husband Nic had heard this question a million different ways, a million different times.

The pressure really started to mount when the pair, who've been together for eight years, got married three years ago. While Carrie loves kids (she's an elementary school teacher, after all), she and Nic simply aren't interested in having kids of their own. Now or ever.

"It's not what I was meant for," explains Carrie in a Facebook message. "It's like, I love flowers, and everyone loves flowers. But that doesn't mean I want to grow my own. I'm perfectly happy admiring other people's gardens."

Carrie wanted to tell her family that they don't plan on having kids but knew if she did, they'd say something like, "Oh you'll change your mind one day!" and that pesky question would keep rearing its ugly head.

marriage, adults, children, social pressure, pregnancy

Dressed to the nines on their wedding day.

Photo via Carrie Jansen, used with permission.

Rather than continue to deflect the question over and over, Carrie decided to do something a little bit different.

Since the couple was adding another mouth to feed to the family, they decided to announce it with a series of maternity-style photos, revealing the twist: The new addition was a puppy named Leelu, not a baby.

pets, viral, moms, dads, maternity, babies

Look at my newborn baby... puppy.

Photo via Carrie Jensen/Imgur, used with permission.

"My husband and I have been married 3 years and everyone is bugging us about having a baby. Close enough right?" she captioned the photos.

Her pictures went insanely viral, with many of the commenters giving her props for hilariously addressing the dreaded "kids " question.

kids, choices, population, survey

The adorable pup.

Photo via Carrie Jansen, used with permission.

"If you don't want kids, don't have kids. Seriously. Have fun with each other. I had three kids early and it's all about them now," wrote one user. "I wish people would just mind their business raising a kid ain't easy and cheap," wrote another.

"I got my husband a vasectomy for his birthday this year. Best gift ever," chimed in a third.

Carrie was overwhelmed and inspired by the viral response. "Having children is definitely a hot topic, and one that is evolving in this generation like so many other social issues," she says. "It's exciting to find others that feel the same way I do.”

Carrie is hardly alone in not wanting to have kids — in fact, a record number of women are choosing not to have kids today.

In 2014, the U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey found 47.6% of women between age 15 and 44 had never had children, which is the highest percentage on record. Despite the numbers, however, because we still live in a patriarchally-driven society, women regularly face the expectation that they should be mothers, and they often are judged if they decide not to be.

Whether you want to have one kid, five kids, no kids, or a puppy, the choice should be yours and no one else's.

holidays, gifts, woman\u2019s rights, gender equality,

The holiday photo in front of the Christmas tree.

Photo via Carrie Jansen, used with permission.

No one else has the right to put pressure on you to change your body and life in a drastic way. Thankfully, because of women like Carrie — and partners like Nic — who aren't afraid to bring the subject out in the open, the expectations are slowly but surely changing.


This article originally appeared on 12.19.16


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A rescue dog was finally reunited with her puppies after she refused to leave the corner of a room

Happy tails all around.

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Surrendered mama dog reunited with puppies after she refused to leave the corner.

People surrender animals to Humane Societies for all kinds of reasons, but many do it because they don't feel like they can properly care for their animals anymore. It could be that they have to move to a home that doesn't allow pets or they lost a job, making caring for an animal difficult.

Two small dogs were surrendered to Marin Humane Society in Novato, California and the female had recently given birth to puppies. It's not clear if the previous owners felt like they couldn't care for both the older dogs and the puppies so they just kept the puppies, or if something else prompted the drop-off.

Either way, this mama dog was in distress after being left at the shelter without her babies. She refused to leave the corner of the large kennel and just looked so sad. The employees felt for the sweet mama dog and decided to do some detective work to see if they could figure out where the puppies were located.

After some careful sleuthing, Marin Humane Society workers located the puppies and convinced the owner to surrender them. According to the animal shelter's YouTube caption, the puppies were not yet old enough to be separated from their mother and were not in a safe situation. There are no details about the condition of the home or reasons the dogs were surrendered in the first place, but boy are those chubby little babies cute.

With mama still hiding in her corner, one of the shelter employees started taking puppies out of a crate and showing them to the sad dog. It took her a minute, but once she realized that these just may be her babies, she perked up and came to have a sniff. Within seconds her tail started spinning like a helicopter propeller and shortly after her puppies' tails started wagging right along with hers.

Even though the video is from 2016, it's so sweet that it's making the rounds again. Watch the heartwarming reunion below:

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Watch Jim Parsons tell white lies to help puppies find forever homes.

Jim Parsons of "The Big Bang Theory" joined "Late Show" host Stephen Colbert to help some delightful doggos find homes.

An estimated 3.3 million dogs enter U.S. animal shelters each year, so Parsons and Colbert were not above a few funny falsehoods to help some puppies from New York's North Shore Animal League find loving families during a hilarious segment on Colbert's show.

There's Max, the retriever mix who thought up the idea for Uber before anyone else.

He probably could've pulled it off if the Series A funding round went better.

Little Penny is a dachshund/miniature pinscher mix — and a fashion maven.

She insists cargo pants are making a comeback. (Don't hold it against her.)

The life story of border collie mix Jack Reacher was recently adapted for the big screen.

Sadly, test audiences didn't care for a dog shooting humans, so the lead role went to Tom Cruise. Hollywood, amirite?

And sweet Lola is a shepherd mix who is great with kids — though be warned, she's a moon-landing denier.

Please go easy on the Neil Armstrong stanning in her presence. She's not buying it.

The rest of the segment was filled with armloads of  truly amazing doggos.

All of the puppies in the segment are adoptable, so if you're in the New York tri-state area and looking for a new furry family member with a beautiful and mysterious past, check out North Shore for more information.

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This gang of Chihuahuas is why older dogs deserve all the love in the world.

Age is really just a number. Even if you're a dog.

When Julie Docherty first laid eyes on Sir MoMo, her first senior Chihuahua, she fell madly in love.

And honestly, how could you not?

The newspaper clipping where Docherty first saw MoMo (she later shortened his name). She held onto it for years.

Even though she had only just moved to Los Angeles, she was so taken with this little face, she simply had to have him. So she headed over to Tiny Loving Canines Rescue (TLC), and with their support, she brought MoMo home.

MoMo had been neglected by his previous owner and thus needed some extra care. Docherty was more than up to the task, and as a result, their bond grew exponentially.

According to Docherty, MoMo's super calm but also a people-pleaser, aka the perfect dog.

"I realized how ideal having a more mature pup was and how bringing him along to work with me was easier than I had imagined," Docherty wrote in an email.

Since her first foray into senior Chihuahua motherhood went so well, she decided to adopt another one. And then another one. And then another one.

Now she has a proper Chihuahua posse.

From left to right in the top photo, meet Choli, Paloma, Benito (also known as RL or "Really Literally"), and MoMo. Docherty rescued Choli and Paloma from TLC, the same organization where she found MoMo, and Benito/TL from Animal Synergy.

Now that they're together, they're pretty much an unstoppable force of hilarity and cuteness.

COUCHella 2016 #ChiLaxing #chihuahuas #superseniorsunday #rescuedogsofinstagram #coachella

A photo posted by @jemandthemisfits on

And their owner couldn't be happier with her "mature" charge.

Docherty with her four pups and a friend. Photo by Julie Docherty.

They love greeting the mailman.

And of course, taking naps. Well, some of them anyway.

Choli's the bossy class clown.

He's a genius photo bomber. Photo by Julie Docherty.

"When he gets to know you, he becomes a fearless rag doll who will throw himself onto you," Docherty said.

And Benito squeaks like a cat when he's excited.

Meanwhile, Paloma's the unassailable diva.

"This is my most recent portrait. Don't I look FABULOUS?"

And finally, Sir MoMo, the original senior Chihuahua, is the lover.

"He's gentle and sweet and loves meeting people, which is pretty special for Chihuahuas who can be a bit overprotective," wrote Docherty.

Sure, it's not the easiest taking care of elderly dogs, but Docherty says the rewards far outweigh the costs.

None of the pups have teeth anymore, and they all take meds for arthritis, but that doesn't stop them from being playful and loving with their human mom and each other.

Senior Chi style back massage😴 RL & Choli ⭐️ #chiatsu #chihuahualife #chilaxing

A photo posted by @jemandthemisfits on

So if you're thinking about adopting a dog, don't overlook the older ones. They might not be as spry as puppies, but they possess all the cuteness, silliness, and warmth you could want in a dog with maybe just a bit more of a yen for naps.

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