It gives of course much lower numbers of dogs than we have now and has the following statement: “It is increasingly recognized that pet ownership in urban society is not a right but a privilege. Unless Americans are willing to exert the responsibility that pet ownership requires, they will hasten the day when Americans are asked to vote on proposals to ban animals from urban areas.” I wonder why we never got to vote on much proposals and the problem became a thousand times worse in the last 50 years.

https://www.wellbeingintlstudiesrepository.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1012&context=sp_reps

Planning Christmas outings for my family and several tree farms have come up with their home made fudge, and Christmas shops. Now ordinarily I'd be so down with that. BUT they are dog friendly. Now what do dogs do around trees? They pee on them. So the Tree Farms are planning on selling peed on Christmas trees to people??? That sounds disgusting b/c we all know that the dog owners will take their dogs and oh it was just one tree....WTH would a tree farm want dogs near their trees? Like seriously if they are selling trees don't be dog friendly.

People always wonder why I dislike dogs, so l've compiled a list of reasons. Feel free to pull it out when someone judges your opinion. (Btw I don't hate dogs, l don't hate any animal. Dogs are way too present in day to day life though. I would feel the same way if everyone and their mother had a squirrel running around their house and insisting on letting it touch me.)

- they poop in the house and you have to clean it
- they pee in the house and you have to clean it
- they puke in the house and you have to clean it
- they eat their own
- they eat their own puke
- they make loud noises and you can't stop them because it's literally wired into their dna for them to do that
- they make your house stink
- they make your clothes stink
- their hair will be in your clothes
- their hair will be in your bed
- their hair will be in your food
- their hair will be in your lungs
- they will get ticks and other parasites
- you have to train them to be somewhat civilized or else they will be a nightmare to live with
- once you get one you have to take care of it for over 10 years
- it costs more to keep the thing alive for its entire lifespan than to buy a used honda civic from 2009
- there is a large chance the beast will have an aversion to people, other dogs, small children or all
- they shed and you will have fur in your house even after you no longer have the little shit
- they bark in the middle of the night
- they bark all day
- they bark at anything that even slightly moves outside
- you basically have a big perpetual toddler freeloading off of you for over a decade. you're better off having a baby every 2 years for a decade because at least they'll eventually grow out of it and become functioning members of society
- most of them arent cute enough to be acting the way they do
- they literally have no sense of anything, at least a cat has some sense, even some fish are smarter than the average dog
- a border collie is the most intelligent dog breed. my aunt has two of them and they have been to $5000 dollar training camps to stop them from destroying her house. they still do it.
- they can develop pica and eat things that arent food, as if them eating their own bodily fluids wasnt bad enough you now have to worry about them swallowing your personal belongs whole like an aspirin
- you better not have an emotional attachment to anything you own because they will destroy it regardless
- you have to take it to the vet
- you have to give it medications
- it can randomly have a grudge with someone you are close with. no more aunt brenda visiting on sundays, little toby wants to chew her limbs off like a cheese stick
- if you go anywhere for more than a few hours you need to hire someone to look after them
- you will never get rid of the dog smell
- you have to bathe them. they will still stink after this and you will also smell like wet dog afterwards
- you have to brush them and detangle their matted fur or else they will have big matts of fur that debris will get stuck in. a friend of mine found half of a daddy longlegs stuck in his dogs ear matts.
- you can't eat without its fat ass begging for your food
- you can't leave food unattended for more than two seconds because the fat thing will take it and eat it in one gulp
- they are perverted as hell. hope you like your genitals being sniffed and licked without your consent
- they can smell if you are on your period and you are getting touched by their face down there whether you like it or not
- they can kill other animals and also people
- they will bark at things on the tv
- you need to walk them routinely
- if you can't walk them routinely you need to hire someone to walk them routinely
- they will very likely get cancer and die. this will cost a fortune. hope you weren't too attached to your dandruff faced mutt or else the grief on top of skipping your rent that month to pay for cremation wont be fun
- they might bite you or otherwise cause you to go to the emergency room
- hope you like a ripped couch
- oh and ripped chairs too
- oh and hopefully your design choice is for your table and chair legs to be gnawed into pieces like a beaver because the mutt will happily do this for you for free as well
- their feet smell like stale fritos
- you will never eat fritos again because of this fact
- they might get seperation anxiety and you will have to deal with them whining if you arent in the same room as the thing 24/Z
- you might feel guilty and get another dog to calm the first one down
- this will almost for sure backfire
- they will drink out of the toilet
- they will eat used toilet paper and sanitary products
- they will eat diapers, pads, tampons, anything toilet related they will eat and make a huge mess while doing it and you will have to clean it
- they will start peeing everywhere when they get old
- hope you don't have wood floors because the pee will stain them black. also hope you don't have carpet either or the pee spot will be wet and gross forever
- they will try to run out the door at any chance they get. no more leaving the door open for more than 3 seconds
- they are gluttonous and will eat anything they can access. no more snack or fruit bowls, snack carts, etc.
- they attract bugs
- they slobber everywhere
- their slobber will stain any piece of fabric in your home because why wouldnt it
- if there is a window at face level to them it will also be stained with slobber and dog breath particles
- no more vacations unless you are willing to pay someone over $100 to take care of your rapscallion
- they will ruin everything because that is their full time hobby
- you will need to buy them toys constantly because they will destroy the previous toys within a day of getting them
- they will find a way to destroy non destroyable toys
- one knock on the door and suddenly your household wins a guiness world record for breaking the sound barrier
- need to leave the house in the middle of the night without waking the rest of your family? too bad, they will be screamed at by a fur goblin if you thought you had the privilege of freedom
- I can genuinely only see one pro of owning a dog and it would be if you're diagnosed with munchausen syndrome by proxy because the thing will constantly depend on you for everything or else it will die and your kids will stop hating you for telling them they have cancer and thats why they're bald (they lost all their hair from stress)
- you can randomly develop an allergy to the thing after you've already gotten it
- they will quite literally think you hate them if you don't pet them and cuddle them constantly. hope you like touching goopy gross dog funk or else your lil companion will be your lil roommate who never talks to you except to ask for food
- you need to clip those toenails. yes you will stink after and probably get scratched multiple times in the process
- they love ass. they love your ass. they love other animals asses. they love your new dates ass when they come over for dinner. hopefully your date happens to like spaghetti with a side of molestation
- they growl at everything
- they will let out the most ghastly fart fathomable at
3 am right in your face
- they lick your hands
- they lick your face
- they lick your mouth
- they lick your feet
- they lick you anywhere physically possible to lick
- their tongue is large and wet like a grown mans tongue. it will feel like being licked by your uncle tom but you can't do anything about it because this is just something they do
- they will provide you with absolutely nothing in return
- your fur devil can develop depression, anxiety, ptsd and other mental illnesses. no there is nothing you can do about it. yes you will have to try anyway
- you will be in constant debt
- work life balance with a fuzz demon is like fox news trying to defend the united states current political climate. pretty much impossible
- they need to be fed and watered constantly
- you need to control your feelings around them because they can feel our emotions and if you are stressed out they will also become stressed out
- oldest dog lived to be almost 40. there have been countless dogs alive in their 20s and 30s. there is a chance you will be in charge of the thing for a quarter of your lifespan
- you need to play with it. don't have time or energy to play fetch for an hour every day? too bad you really thought you had a say in this lol
- they are prone to mood swings during their young adulthood just like people
- you have to spay and neuter them which is expensive, or have to potentially deal with puppies which is infinitely more expensive
- they will try to hump you
- they want to have babies with everything
- they will try to hump anyone they are near
- unexpected medical diagnoses
- no spontaneous plans. your friend is in the area and invites you to dinner? too bad buddy
- they will roll in rotting things. mushrooms. fish. even dead foxes. this happens more than you think. hope you like the smell of corpse because it will never leave your carpet once the mutt touches it
- it's more common your dog will NOT get along with other dogs. have fun having your arm almost pulled off during a walk
- food aggression. enjoy being barked at every time you enter the room while they feed their big back fatass selves
- your sleep schedule will no longer be yours. don't wanna wake up at 4 am to stand outside and watch a mongrel ass ruffian take a dump? womp womp
- hair everywhere
- they will eat out of the trash
- they will leave the trash remnants all over the place
- they will wipe their ass on your carpet and leave poop streaks that will stink even after you wash it
- they will track dirt all over the place
- have fun walking outside in the pouring rain and snow
- hope you love it outside regardless of weather conditions because you will be outside a lot
- bags of poop
- you cannot leave them unattended for over a minute for the first year of their life because something will go wrong
- no more free time for you
- if its scared of storms you have the choice to either let it cuddle up into you and drool and pant or keep it in the crate and listen to it cry all night
- you don't get alone time. the crusty thing will be lodged 30 inches up your ass at all times
- its 100 degrees out? guess who has to shit
- its -7 degrees out? guess who has to shit
- hurricane? shit time
- blizzard? also shit time
- your ex husband is outside your house with a gun? you guess it, also shit time
- have a favorite pair of shoes? not anymore!
- no remote is safe
- no plastic object is safe honestly
- hope you love the sound of something barking because lucky for you the mutt hates cars, bikes, kids, adults, old people, ups trucks, mail trucks, other dogs, squirrels, rabbits, birds, bugs, neighbors, or the shadow that vaguely resembles a human.
- other people can smell your dog on you while you are in public. doesnt matter how much you shower or wash your clothes. they can smell it. they know
- dog food smells like shit
- kibble everywhere
- ants. you will get ants
- do you have 30+ hours a week to train a puppy? me neither, but unfortunately you don't have a choice if you already got the thing
- if you dont train it right you're in for over a decade of aggression, destruction, and complete chaos
- routine grooming appointments
- picking up a nice warm log in the rain
- no sleeping in
- no going to bed early
- better have a lint roller handy at all times because there will be fur on you wherever you go
- they need you too much
- you have to plan around the dog - you will constantly worry something is wrong with it
- dogs have different personalities. there is a good chance you get one with an intolerable one
- there is a chance you will need to give your dog antidepressants
- if you lose a dog and have another surviving one they will grieve the other dog and start acting out and destroying things
- dogs will literally get angry if they are ignored
- some dog breeds snore. very loudly
- they will destroy your lawn
- they dig holes
- your grass will never be the same again
- water everywhere
- they poop while making eye contact with you
- average person doesn't have the time to properly care for the thing
- it will cost anywhere between $15k-$100k to keep it alive for a decade
- they will escape and not listen to you when you call for them
- they will try to chase cars
- they will try to chase children
- they will try to chase other animals
- friends and family who are allergic to dogs can no longer come to your house
- they spread diseases
- their toenails can scratch your floors
- they will constantly be right by your feet. this makes it super easy to trip on it and break your ankle
- dog owner regret
- no more privacy
- they will take huge whiffs of your underpants and possibly taste them too if they deem fitting
- its extremely hard to get rid of fleas
- you will get bit by fleas if the dog has them - they have the survival instincts of a fart
- they will try to run out the front door at any chance
they get
- hope you like having to constantly replace the screens on your window
- it costs $0 to not have one
- honestly just get a fur real friends walkable plush dog like me in 2010 when my parents wouldn't get me a real dog

I'm so sick and tired of being expected to ask a dog's pronouns, call it a "he" or a "she," and watch people create Instagram accounts for their dogs with pronouns in the bio.

Dogs do not have a sense of gender identity.

Why? Because they're brainless, stupid animals.

A dog couldn't tell its gender from a hole in the ground and gives absolutely zero shits about the conundrum that is human gender expression and identity.

There is NO reason to refer to dogs with gendered pronouns other than to be performative (once again, it does nothing for the dog) and take part in the worship of dogs and elevating them to human status.

We don't call the chicken patty, hot dog, or steak on our plates a "he" or a "she;" dogs are on that same level of intelligence and we shouldn't give them pronouns either.

Was at a NYC coffee shop this morning. There’s a clear “No Pets Allowed” sign right on the door, impossible to miss. A group of three walks in anyway with a huge dog.

I told them dogs aren’t allowed. The owner reply with “but I always bring my dog in.” After a minute, they actually left without ordering anything. No yelling, no “he’s friendly,” no “he’s a service dog” BS.

Honestly, this is the first time in NYC that’s ever happened to me. Usually the owners either get aggressive or just ignore you like you’re the problem.

So I just want to encourage people: speak up. Politely point out the rules. It doesn’t always work, but sometimes it does, and every time someone gets called out, it’s a little less normal to just bring a dog wherever they want.

Absolute disgrace. I had a lot of respect for this hospital before this. Also, no idea why it's called "pet friends" because they only talk about dogs. Pets don't belong in hospitals, full stop.

> Most Pet Friends visits last 10 minutes. Many occur at the bedside, with kids getting to pet, hug, and spend time with the dogs.

The equipment, beds, everything will be contaminated with dander. The don't exactly scrub those clean. Disrespectful towards those with allergies and asthma.

> For example, if a child needs to work on walking in physical therapy, they can “walk” a dog using a special leash (with the dog’s owner controlling the other end). Or, they can push one of the smaller dogs in a stroller.

Teaching kids to anthropomorphise dogs by putting them in fucking strollers.

> Angie had trading cards created for each dog in the program. The dogs’ owners pass them out when conducting visits. "The trading cards have really added to the celebrity status of the Pet Friends participants," Angie says. "Some of our staff even collect the cards. I joke that they’re trading them like they’re baseball cards or Pokémon cards."

This is a level of derangement I haven't seen in a long time.

> All dogs involved with Pet Friends are certified therapy dogs.

And what is a "certified" therapy dog, exactly? Actually, I don't want to know.

And the best one of all:
> “We conduct more staff visits than we do patient visits at this point, just because our staff really need that support as well,” Angie says. “I often send extra dogs to our pediatric intensive care unit, or to our cardiac intensive care when it’s been rough. And they spend some time and just kind of decompress as well with the dogs.”

Yep, dogs in the ICU. Nowhere is sacred anymore. Since they conduct more staff visits anyway, might as well have one in the operating room to give dog therapy to the surgeon.

This isn't even some entitled idiot bringing their dog into the hospital. This is the hospital choosing to send dogs into the ICU. I have no more hope.

Can't remember the last time me and the kids went for a walk and didn't return home with dog sh\*t on at least one of our shoes.

Parks, woods, wherever.

Has anyone ever actually been fined for not picking it up, cause I highly doubt its ever really enforced.

My downstairs neighbor has one of those small useless dogs that literally owns no other purpose in this earth than to eat, shit on the grass next to out building and BARK ALL GOD DAMN DAY inside her apartment when it's left alone because it has separation anxiety.

Ofc thinking i'm in the right I went ahead and asked the neighbor that lives under her apartment about the situation. Absolutely unbothered. "All dogs bark, it's normal". Yeah well this one barks at 7 in the morning right under my bedroom, moron.

There is no use to talk to the owner either because there is something wrong with her head and won't understand that 4 hours of barking in the morning isn't normal.

Police barley gives a damn about the whole situation because she has signatures from all our neighbors that the dog doesn't bother them.

Right now I got a Tapo surveillance cam in my apartment to record all the barking I have to endure and I will sue her when I have enough evidence.

I went with my husband to a craft event this afternoon. It an enjoyable place where I usually relax.

Except for this time.

A grandma with her 10 year old granddaughter brought their dog in and sat down right next to me.

I immediately smelled dog sh++. She let her dog ramble about under the craft table. The mutt kept putting it's wet nose on my legs.

It startled me. I said, "the dog scared me."

It got nasty white dog hair all over my pants. Neither the instructor or person would get it away from me.

It smelled so horrible, I even checked my shoe before I left. All I could smell was dog shtt. The instructor started talking to the woman about her dog.

The more I think about it this evening, the more angry I get. I didn't want to cause a scene. I've been through hell with the neighbors dogs and I just wanted to relax in a dog free environment.

After the event, the old hag kept muttering within earshot of me saying, "It's just a dog, get over it.".

I basically acted like I didn't hear her.

The dognutters think they are justified in doing this. W TF!!!??

I feel like this is the only place I can vent about this without people trying to convince me I’m overreacting.

I’ve never preferred dogs. I’ve had different pets throughout my life and currently have 3 pets, but I just personally never saw the appeal of a dog. I’ll smile at a dog on the street, pet one if it’s nice enough, and have interacted with friends’ dogs, but I absolutely would never own one as I know I can’t handle one on the daily.

I have a 1 year old who is crawling but can’t walk yet. I’ve been taking her on walks around the neighborhood so she’s not cooped up. There have been so many instances of unleashed dogs around the neighborhood. Big and small. Chihuahuas and pit bulls. Alone or with their owner nearby. Yesterday, I had to cut our walk short because there were 2 big unleashed dogs and we even had a kind man in a car stop next to us. He rolled down the window and said, “Be careful with those dogs up there.”

I have to walk to the other side of the road or turn around if there’s a dog, unleashed or not, because they always try to get close to us or bark at us. The owners even usually tug at the dog’s leash and tell them not to get close whenever I have my baby with me. There’s even a dog that barks at us through the window.

I’m scared to go out of the house because there have been at least two times where there were 3 unleashed pit bulls in our driveway/lawn. One time was at 4am and the other was around 10am and my fiancé had to run away from one because it started charging at him. We couldn’t even call animal control because they left too quick and we didn’t know where they went or if anyone even owns them.

We just got home from a walk and my poor baby was so relaxed when we saw a dog. It was a small dog behind a gate + she loves seeing dog pictures in her animal books so we walked past it since I knew she’d be safe. The dog was fine for a few seconds but then just started barking at us so loud it scared her SO bad. I felt terrible.

I truly blame most dog owners for not training their dogs properly. I can honestly tolerate dogs as long as they’re leashed and trained, I don’t absolutely hate them, but I’ve developed a fear of them throughout my life and it’s gotten worse since having a child. If there weren’t so many untrained dogs I’d be okay. I’d feel safe. Now I’m scared of going on a walk or letting my child play outside in the future.

I think I’ve found a new hobby in hockey but I cannot tell you how much THIS annoyed me. “Howl o ween”. Bring your mutt and sit in seats that barely fit the humans in comfortably. And let me tell you just how much grass is available around this coliseum. Almost none. So there’s going to be dog shit on the concourse, etc. There will be barking. Fleas. Probably a couple dog fights. Probably a couple dog bites. Why does EVERYTHING have to be infected by this culture? Needless to say, I will NOT be attending this particular game. Sigh. I’m tired. 😞

I got ran at by a neighbors dog. Was walking on the sidewalk past their house, could hear his large dog (think it was a lab? Or maybe retriever?) growling at another behind a fence, it saw me and growled and started running at me fast. I just instinctively screamed and that at least stopped it. Neighbor finally comes out from in their garage that faces away from the area looking pissed and pulls their ear buds out and calls the dog over. When i say that it ran at me the guy scoffed and says no he didn't. I say yes he did and guy repeats he didn't and I repeat he did. Says in a condescending tone ok bye and waves and goes in his garage. Never met that neighbor and hope i never do again. I dont understand how he couldn't just ask if i was ok? His dog was running around unsupervised in an unfenced yard.

I tried posting this in a different sub but got treated like I was being crazy. I dont think its unreasonable to be scared a random dog is running up at me fast after growling and being aggressive to another dog. I didnt yell at the owner, I was still out of breath and trying to calm my heart, and he was so condescending and belittling. I dont understand people. I dont understand why im the unreasonable one?

Me and my parents have been invited round to my brother and his gf’s place lots of times. We have never made it over there due to busy schedules, but tonight my parents are going over there for dinner. I made an excuse not to go saying I already had plans. The truth is they have a very large excitable dog. A border collie mix I think, but last time I saw the dog he jumped up at me putting his paws on my shoulders. I get he’s being friendly and is excited, but I’m a 5’1 human so a big dog jumping up at me is a bit scary I don’t like it. I don’t want to ever go to their place so it’s just awkward because I don’t want to upset them I just don’t like their dog. If the dog had a calm nature I would go. I know I can’t keep making excuses and eventually I’ll have to be honest.

If you’re a mom we all know. Sometimes babies will fight you when it comes to sleeping in their own bed. It’s funny how people will let their dogs sleep in their beds, under their blankets, and right next to their faces, but thenjudge parents for wanting to sleep close to their own babies. Dogs are animals, yet people treat them like family and wantthat closeness because it brings them comfort and security. But when it comes to a baby needing that same closeness, suddenlyeveryone has an opinion. I’m not saying we should ignore safe sleep recommendations, because infant safety matters,but it’s strange how society accepts one kind of bed-sharing without question while criticizing another. If we can understand why people want their pets close at night, we should at least understand why a parent would want their baby close, too.

People will let dogs sleep in their beds, all up in their pillows and under their blankets, knowing they can carry fleas, worms, dirt, and who knows what else… but let a mother want her OWN baby close to her, who is clean and suddenly everybody has an opinion.

Dog owners will treat your pets like royalty, buy them their own blankets, let them sleep right next to your face, and swear they are their children… but when an actual mother wants her baby close, suddenly it’s “unhealthy,” “spoiling the baby,” or “creating bad habits.” people honestly need to stop treating dogs like human. Or their children. A dog doesn’t belong on a bed, it belongs on the floor or outside if best.

This was many years ago at this point. Only went on one date, and then when he told me that I noped out. He had a photo of his dog and I was like “oh cute. Where is it?” And he responded by saying it’s not his week. So bizarre to remain in contact with an ex partner because of a dog.

Last week I was with my baby and a friend in a park were some people free their dogs (though they’re not allowed) and a pair of dogs came into our picnic blanket out of nowhere and my baby was there practicing his crawling. The owners didn’t try to persuade their pets to leave, they didn’t apologize, they just stare and laugh as if they found it lovely. It really seems cities are for dogs now.
So after I immediately left, and I’m washing the blanket now.

I was scrolling and saw a video about someone's twin pregnancy and there was a dog. SKIN PUPPIES? I'M SORRY? YOU MEANT YOUR MOTHERFUCKING CHILDREN?

comments were like "aww he's making sure his skin puppies siblings are baking properly" or like "he's gonna be the best brother to these skin puppies".

I'm young and not planning to have kids for a while, but I swear IF SOMEONE IS GONNA CALL MY KIDS (or any kid, actually) SKIN PUPPIES I'M GONNA BURN THE WORLD DOWN.

repulsive is the only word that comes to my mind for this

Then this is all the warning signs

Past Bite Attempts. Even if it’s just nipping

The Blank Expression, its usually chilling look of a predator locked onto a target.

Wagging tail fast and sniff aka the fast sniff tail wag This is massive adrenaline and emotional arousal. It’s the dog deciding if it should act on an impulse. Dogs brain is pumping out adrenaline. it’s is staring at the baby, hearing the baby's noises, or looking at the restricted room, and his internal engine is revving at maximum speed.

The Stealth Sneaking when a dog knows it’s NOT allowed in the nursery but still tries sneaking in there, or in a room where the baby’s located.

Jumping on you when you have the baby or The "Freeze" Next to the Baby He is claiming ownership and refusing to yield space to you. Or when the dog is “stalking“ or hyper fixated on the baby. Btw a dog having his tongue out isn’t a damn “smile”. No clue what crazy dog lover made that up! And a tail wag isn’t a good thing half of the time.

I even seen someone say “Awh my dog dropped his ball in between my feet when I was holding the baby he wants to, play with the baby.

When in reailty it’s not innocent or cute. The dog knows that the baby is currently the center of attention and that the baby is the reason gates are up and doors are closed. By dropping the ball right at the feet of the person holding the baby, he is using a calculated tactic to force himself into the interaction. He is actively trying to get the baby pushed away. The dog is jealous. know he’s not the center of attention. He knows he isn’t “the baby“

Your baby doesn’t need a 4 legged playmate who most likely gonna compete with the baby for food or steal baby's toys. I wish dog nutters would understand that, instead of pushing the dog towards the baby or forcing interaction. When the baby is clearly uncomfortable of scared of the mutt.

I just can't even. I'm well into adulthood now and I've never gotten used to it. Sometimes, I enjoy trolling around with my cousin's golden retriever when I visit, and oddly enough, that creature didn't flare up my allergies (I even sat down and combed him on a few occasions), but having that thing in my house on a daily basis?? Well, the golden retriever is about the only dog that I miiiight consider, cuz it really was nice and friendly and goofy and generally is a sweet thing (the shedding was really bad), but I digress...

Everyone my entire life has said, "If my dog doesn't like you, then there's something wrong with you..." Or, "If you're not a dog person, something is wrong with you..." But like - what about just enjoying my space? What about the fact that I'm allergic? What about the fact that I don't like a big hairy creature staring at me from around the corner, and casually feeling like it can jump on me, and slobber over everything and have me pick up its poop and leave its hair everywhere, and like... bring ticks in the home and all sorts of other things?? OMG

Lots of dogs bark at me and sometimes I have negative interactions with them. And their owners - I don't know if they're gaslighting me or what when they say, "He's usually not like this", or whatever, but I'm starting to feel like I'm evil -

Help - I've been dealing with this guilt/ self-doubt/ internal dilemma for years...

Thnx.

What is at the root of the psychology of people who are insistent on sleeping with a dog to the point of breaking up partnerships over it, saying their dog is the love of their life and kissing it, choosing and loving a dog over their partner or spouse, choosing and loving a dog over their newborn child, choosing and loving a dog over their own family? And how come it affects such a huge percentage of the population?

I'm surprised we survived this long as a species. A dog can maul a newborn baby and the couple will love it and keep it. Husbands walking out on their newborn child and wife because they choose the dog over their CHILD. Men and women choosing to not have a sex life for years on end just so they can keep the dog in bed because their partner doesn't want to have sex in front of a dog. The amount of stories of people fervently insisting the dog stays in bed/the room while they're having sex!!!! People spooning their dog in bed instead of their partner right next to them. What the fuck is going on

I was thinking about this the other day, and I realized that the entire "man's best friend" marketing/propaganda might be a recent thing… I know the term has been around for ages, but it is also noteworthy to me how almost every ancient and early/high medieval culture agreed that dogs are a source of malice, disease, aggression, and uncanniness.

A lot of malicious or malevolent demonic entities are either dogs (for example: the Cerberus, hellhounds), or dog-like. We don't have hellcattle or hellswine, for example, but we do have hellhounds, and the almost universal Black Dog being associated with the Devil, demonic rituals, and being the opposite of an angel.

I am not superstitious, but I am religious. My religion does not encourage hate or violence towards any animal, but dogs are specifically ritually impure and impermissible to keep indoors as a household pet precisely because they repel angels for an unstated reason. Medieval accounts are probably best to not take as objective evidence, obviously, but I just find it funny how so many medieval people just agreed that the Devil would show up in the form of a dog and try to deceive them. Probably because we as humans are wired to be repulsed by, and afraid of, unnatural uncanny amalgamations that are dogs.

Judaism and Christianity are especially harsh in their descriptions of dogs. Yet, so many Christians in the West worship dogs like they are some sort of saints, even referring to them as "angels" (pure blasphemy), when the Bible does not permit to waste resources on dogs and actually says that they will not enter heaven.

Really makes you think what could have gone wrong for humans to go from avoiding dogs for being dangerous rabies spreaders to worshipping them, kissing them on the mouth, and allowing them inside their bedrooms and kitchens.

Last night I was scrolling on Instagram reels, minding my own business, when I saw probably the worst dog advertisement I’ve EVER seen. I’ve seen some pretty bad ones, and some pretty annoying ones, but this takes the cake, and when I saw it, I knew I had to share it here.

The ad starts off as some low effort AI voiceover slop, basically acting as the dog’s voice. It goes on to pretty much show and advertise this company that can find flights on airlines that will let you take your flea taxi IN THE CAB of the airplane, and not in the cargo area. Pretty much the whole ad was just glorifying dogs and how “if you care about your dog you’ll do this next time you travel” type of shit. I couldn’t even get through half of it.

First of all, why are you traveling with your dog? Or really any animal for that matter? The only time it would ever make sense in my head to travel with any animal is if you’re moving across the country, and even then, just travel by car. It’s not that hard, people don’t travel by plane to have a dog run around the cab or bark or make any noise, babies and toddlers do that enough.

I just figured I’d share this here because this subreddit was the first place I thought of when I saw that ad. Before anyone asks, I don’t remember the name of the company, but I bet you that you could find it pretty easily with a little bit of searching if you wanted.

Dogs are the only animal that have to be making extremely loud noises 24/7. All other animals can be quiet. Dogs bark day and night. They don't care if they are annoying. They shit everywhere with no sense of respect for their surroundings. Humans idolize dogs but they are the most self centered obnoxious animals. Im sure all other animals are thinking the same thing while they try to sleep.... SHUUUTTT UPPPP!!!!!!