To think that people who don’t like pets shouldn’t be judged as “cold”?

But I bet, you are fine with service dogs smell. They don't bother you.
A guide dog for a blind person is still going to stink up their house. But you would dare not tell them that, because they are the right type of dog person.

Animal smell. And humans are animals. They go out without washing or using deodorant. They also crack off farts in public places that would get Greta Thunberg running to have a word. Ask any Londoner about the underground and them smells there. Humans are disgusting.

Costa allow dogs now, and I saw one in a branch recently. I can't recall the air turning green with dog stench. I only noticed the dog because I ended up sitting next to it, and it was a puppy... and I asked to say hello. Very well behaved, and no smell.

Dogs smell. Dog people don't notice it - this allows them to tolerate the stench in their own homes, and inure them to how badly dogs make other areas smell - some worse than others. Dogs make places smell. And I don't want to have to smell dog breath, dog fur oils, dog farts and general dogness when I am eating.

It is perfectly reasonable to point out that many of us don't appreciate dogs in cafes due to how much they smell.

ALL dogs smell. Some worse than others. But smell, they do.

I have a teen boy. He showers morning and evening, and has great hygiene. He smells of Lush soap.

And ignore all the strike-outs. They plague all my posts.

Oh, all right, XenoBitch 😁I admit I was stirring the pot a bit. Of course I don't really think pet owners are slave owners I just want to remind you all that there is another way of looking at the question. And I do prefer people who argue back at me (like you lot!) rather than just thank me for taking them for a walk. So I'm not a big pet owner but I definitely do see how nice it is for dog owners, say, that they bond with one another while walking their dogs, etc etc. I just think this isn't really a moral issue, it's simply a matter of personal preference

This is such a narrow-minded post. Not wanting pets doesn't necessarily mean that you have no feeling for other living creatures. There are so many other potential reasons why people might not want pets... don't want the responsibility, don't like the mess, can't afford it, have allergies, have ethical objections to keeping animals domesticated etc.

Teenage boys have a very distinct smell 🤣

Because the thread was about dogs in cafes. People who dislike dogs using dog smells as some sort of gotcha. Not all dogs smell. And dog smell is just a dog smell... it is not nasty.

If you have a baby, your house will smell of milk puke and nappies. If you are nursing someone who is very ill, your house is going to smell too.... anything from catarrh to infection and death. If you have teen boys, it will smell of BO and feet.

I find it really interesting that people jump straight from ‘I don’t want a pet’ to ‘I hate animals’. Plenty of people who love animals don’t wish to own a pet. Or they don’t live a lifestyle that is conducive to owning one.

My DH wasn’t really keen on having pets although we now have two cats and he loves them as much as the rest of us do. A friend of mine who is obsessed with dogs warned me that he wouldn’t be a good father if he didn’t want a dog 🙄which has turned out to be patently false.

Some people translate someone saying they dont like animals enough to want to own one, or don't like them enough to want to choose to the expense and responsibility for owning one to mean you hate animals, you don't want them to exist or don't if they're abused or that you don't give a fuck if they go extinct.

Calm down 🤣 I’m talking about people that I know, not people in general.

The people I know who don’t have animals are often more concerned about the state of their house, or they’re very practical and unemotional people. I like them but there’s no getting away from the fact that they’re different from those who do have pets.

In fact my parents have always been pretty cold and functional people, they got some cats a couple of years ago and the way they’ve changed is hilarious. My siblings and I laugh about it, they’re much more emotional and overtly caring than they ever were before. It’s very sweet to see.

I feel this. I enjoy interacting with other people's pets, I love wildlife documentaries and animals in nature. But I very much do not want pets. We've had a few over the years for the DC and they were a chore, and the guilt I had from them being a chore and not a joy was immense. I have dog walked/pet sat for friends and family when asked, and that always reinforced it for me, they are a lot of work, and my car and clothes stink, and picking up dog shit makes me gag. I have so much going on looking after my children that the idea of adding in a vulnerable thing I need to keep alive that needs feeding and toileting/cleaning out, flea/mite treating, grooming and health appointments just sounds far too much for me. I visit a lot of homes in my line of work and while I enjoy making a fuss of their pets, I can't deny I notice the smell, barking, hair, sometimes flea bites etc and wonder how on earth so many people commit to it. Sometimes I lie and say I don't have pets because my children have allergies, because it's more socially acceptable to say having babies isn't for you than admitting you aren't a cat person or you regretted getting guinea pigs.

How does that explain people who have both kids and pets?

Exactly. I agree with this and many other pp. My boyfriend is a vegan because he cares about animals that much . However he does not want to own a pet and indeed is not comfortable with the idea of dog ownership and even gets irritated by the way his parents treat their dog (like a grandchild) but it’s clear he is more of an animal lover than the average person (me included) who will eat the meat of animals which have often not had a very nice life in the industrial farms we have.

And I hate people acting like
not liking dogs is the same as not liking animals. There are other animals! I’m not keen on dogs or any pets actually, but I love wild animals such as elephants for example and I foster one annually through an ethical elephant sanctuary.

This is a nation of pet lovers, not animal lovers.

I know someone who has 3 pet sheep. They have names, and their own personalities. She has clicker trained them to do things like give a paw (or hoof).

My late grandad had a pet cow. She died in her 20s.

Oh please!

I am British, and I agree with you.

It IS about control, and it is about companionship, because many of these people can't or don't want to put the effort in to maintaining human relationships, and a dumb animal is the best they can manage - it doesn't answer back, it doesn't require a level of relationship the owner would have to have with another human. They are co-dependent, and I find it sad for all parties.

I absolutely love animals, I am just not a pet person. I like outdoor animals. I just don't feel the need to own or anthropormorphise an animal.
I believe that animals should be allowed to be animals and we have responsibility for their environment and welfare. And people are people.

@IfOnlyTheyWent

Here you go!

Not all of them, some of them are awful, but the people I connect with best have dogs.

Maybe it’s the lifestyle, or the fact that they appreciate how awesome dogs are rather than just talking about the smell or the shit. The pure joy of being out with a dog who is loving life, or who runs to the door and is happy to see you whatever is going on, or snuggles up to you if you’re feeling unwell. If you’re not a dog lover, you just don’t get that.

The people who say this tend to have been hurt horribly by their fellow humans.
Animals show no malice or bitchiness.

How long have you been vegan?

As do you - turn up on many dog threads.

I am against the whole concept of pets.

They are bad for the environment.
They are responsible for millions of other animal deaths.
I also don't like the concept of controlling these animals. going against their natural instincts to be with their own species, run in packs, mate as they wish. Pet owners see fit to curtail all that, put a leash on their dogs and lord it over them. I find that so repulsive.

To own a meat-eating pet is the OPPOSITE of being an animal lover.

The vast majority of pet owners who declare themselves animal lovers, eat meat.

I am vegan. I am anti pet. I love wildlife. I think we should respect animals by leaving them alone.

It depends on the reason. Some people just culturally haven't been exposed to certain pets or have had trauma from an incident with a pet when they were young.

However, I have quite often noticed a correlation between those that don't like dogs (it doesn't normally extend to cats) and extreme cleanliness and precision in their dressing etc which can tend toward OCD. While I'll be friends with them, it's definitely a red flag for living with or dating them. I wouldn't describe them as 'cold', more uptight.

I love my dogs so much , can't say It's because I want to control them , I have older children I don't think I had them to control them either!
I have horses , dogs , cats and a rabbit , I've reared sheep that were kept as pets and also pigs , I adore pigs and if I had a farm I would
Absolutely have some.
I am vegan , I get told I'm a fake vegan for having pets and for letting my kids eat meat .. it's their choice what they want to eat , my views are my own.
I think you like what you like and I'd prefer it if people in my life like animals , but I chose mine not other people so yet again they have the right to choose what they do and don't like