I'm glad to hear your coping. I'm on the opposite end. I don't do pets and I do have a child. At the end of the day it's whatever keeps you happy given the circumstances. Everybody is different.

Sorry in advance, unexpected brain dump inbound. Sadly, evolution doesn't factor in happiness or anything apart the ability to procreate and survival of a species. We are living in a time where we way outlive our need to be here. No wonder suicide rates are higher after "mid life" and crazy biological processes happen like menopause. Survival in later life is irrelevant from an evolutionary point of view. But here we are.

Child or no child. Dog or no dog. Let's all do what we can to be happy and support those who we can support on the way.