Some people think you should be grateful that you didn't make the "mistake" of having kids and that it's not worth it. It's the biggest taboo in our society but a lot of parents regret it. For some reason you decided not to have one in the first place and that same reason is probably still true. It feels like you've fallen into "the grass is always greener" trap and only sees the upsides because you think it's too late, completely forgetting why you didn't want a kid to begin with.
As a relatively freshly baked parent, I am willing to agree with your thought process. Parent poster may be focused on kids, but the regret may just be a symptom and about something else altogether. In either case, I am going to join the HN chorus "continue therapy".
FWIW, our decision was not easy ( and, frankly, from my perspective unnecessarily risky, but I am willing to accommodate my partner where it makes sense ). The only real benefit of doing it when you are old is that you go into it with your eyes wide open typically knowing full well the amount of sacrifice needed for it. I don't think having kids was a mistake, but life would have been a lot easier w/o them. Ditto with the dog.
That said.. should the dog die, odds are we will be getting another one shortly thereafter.
