Our friends at Animal Planet are running a contest: Puppies vs. Babies. Voting begins Oct. 22 and in the end, the top puppy and baby will go head-to-head in a battle of the cutest. Submit a photo of your canine or human cutie and you could win $5,000!

While my 11-year-old Pit Bull is no longer a puppy and my 23-month-old daughter is now more toddler than baby, the contest got me thinking back to how being a pet parent was in some ways good practice for having a newborn.

So if you're a pet parent considering having kids, take heart: You're more prepared than you think. Here's why:

You're already responsible for another life. For petless folks, having a baby represents a big loss of freedom -- no more spontaneous weekends in Paris (well, okay, my life was never like that, but it's nice to think someone's is!). But if you have a pet, you're used to thinking about someone else when you make plans.

You understand non-verbal communication. A newborn is a bundle of needs -- for food, sleep, comfort and going to the bathroom -- with no language to express them. Sound familiar? Pet parents have already learned the subtle art of reading body language, a skill that persists regardless of whether that body is furry and four-legged or otherwise.