Nearly half of “dog moms” decided to get a dog before adding a child to the family, according to a survey of 500 female dog owners conducted by Rover.com in advance of Dog Mom’s Day, which falls on the second Saturday in May, right before Mother’s Day.

The online dog walker and sitter company found that 46% of the women opted first for a dog.

About 42% said their pet parent experiences prepared them with valuable parenting skills that they use with their human children. Another 23% said they plan to do so.

In the ongoing pandemic, 54% said they will be celebrating Dog Mom’s Day for the first time, while 57% welcomed a new dog into the family in the past year.

Quarantining and stay-at-home orders have also fostered stronger relationships between the women and their dogs, with 70% saying they now feel more attached and connected with their dog than in pre-pandemic times and 71% saying their family groups, with their dogs at the center, are even closer.

On the downside, 48% reported that the pandemic raised their level of parental concerns about the health and well-being of their dog.

About 78% consider themselves to be dog moms, not just dog owners, while more than 75% affectionately refer to their dogs as their fur baby, son or daughter, kid, child, baby or other term of endearment.

Asked who they’d rather spend time with over Mother’s Day weekend, 40% said they’d like to be with their dog more than anyone else.

Nearly a third of dog moms say they have received gifts from their dogs for Dog Mom’s Day or Mother’s Day, and 40% said they haven’t but would love to receive gifts from their dogs.