Katherine Schwarzenegger might not be pregnant yet, but she already thinks of herself as a mom. As a matter of fact, the young socialite – who is engaged to actor Chris Pratt – says that her dogs at home have been helping her prepare for motherhood.

Speaking to Us Weekly in a new interview, Schwarzenegger credits her pets for helping her prep for parenthood. She adopted her dog Maverick straight out of college and says that taking care of the little pup has been a great learning experience so far. Schwarzenegger admits that while she hasn’t had any first-hand experience taking care of a new baby, she thinks that taking care of a puppy helped her realize that she needed to prioritize her dog’s needs over her own. In other words, she realized that it’s not always about her.

The 29-year-old future Mrs. Chris Pratt said, “I always tell all my girlfriends … ‘You should get a dog before you decide to have children because it’s, like, a great buffer into what that might look like.’ Obviously, having kids is way more of a responsibility, but you really get that little bit of insight into changing the way that you go about your day, putting the needs of your animal first.”

Thankfully, Schwarzenegger is not raising her dog all on her own. She said that she gets plenty of help from her sister Christina Schwarzenegger, who sometimes likes to take Maverick over to her house for sleepovers. Katherine Schwarzenegger even said that she will continue to accept help from her family when she decides to have children of her own one day.

“It’s all about having a great support system and family and community,” she told Us. “It takes a village to raise kids, and it takes a village also to have a dog and have that responsibility in your life.”

Now as far as when Schwarzenegger plans to have any kids of her own, she didn’t make any comments. However, it’s safe to say that she definitely has babies on her mind, especially as her wedding to Chris Pratt inches closer and closer. She began dating the Guardians of the Galaxy star back in May of last year and even celebrated their wedding shower together, which was hosted by Katherine’s mother, Maria Shriver. Many Hollywood A-list stars attended the soiree including television personality and Shriver’s best friend, Oprah.

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Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger have not revealed their wedding date, however, some reports indicate that the couple will tie the knot later this summer.