There's one question Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton have been asked in pretty much every interview they've done since May 14, 2011: When are you going to have kids? The married songwriting partners certainly want to be parents someday ... just not someday soon. So Blake's bride has come up with a clever way of answering that question that so many inquiring minds are asking.

"I don't plan on having [children] for a while," Miranda tells PEOPLE Country. "To me, my dogs are my children."

The singer explains that while having six rescue dogs is a handful, it's something she loves, and it's helping to fill the void for a baby... for now. "There's just something in me about dogs and animals," she told the magazine. "The unconditional love you get from an animal, especially a dog, is better than anything else. They're so grateful and the love they give you back is like nothing else. I can give the biggest show of my life, and my dogs don't give a damn. They just care about their mom."

On their first wedding anniversary this past May 14, the couple joked how their animals were helping to prepare them for children. Blake also shared earlier this year that having a baby "is a couple of years away!"

Whenever Mr. and Mrs. Shelton decide to expand their human family, you can bet it will be one talented, gorgeous kid!

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