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

It's a bit daft isn't it. A false dichotomy.

I volunteer in my local nature reserve and I love seeing the wildlife there. I love that the work I do makes a practical difference to animals, birds and insects. I would never get a pet because I think it's a bit weird. But I don't hate animals.

Not many of those people are vegans in my experience though.

What they actually mean is "I like all cute fluffy animals that I can anthropomorphise far more than people".

Agree. The “I like all animals far more than humans” people

This- anyone who said they dislike animals is immediately labelled a sociopath by me (at best). It’s a huge red flag - something not quite right with people who cannot like animals. It’s a lack of empathy, kindness, tolerance and respect for those who can’t fight back/speak/express themselves that doesn’t sit right with me.

Fully agree

I also think they tend to be the least suitable people to be pet owners

😂 it’s a running theme.

Caring about animals and liking/wanting pets are not the same thing.

I care about wildlife, conservation and biodiversity and I try to do what I can to support charities for these causes and to keep my garden in a way that's supportive of insects, frogs, toads, hedgehogs, birds, etc. I don't, however, have any desire to keep pets. On the other hand, not everyone who dotes on their personal pet is particularly interested in wildlife conservation more generally. I don't want an animal in my house, but I do very much want the world to be a place where wildlife can thrive.

It would be against MN Talk Guidelines, but I could literally tell you the exact names of the posters who spout stuff like this. They turn up on most dog threads.

Yes!

People who fetishise pets above people are trouble, though. Massive red flag.

Crap like dog owners only have dogs because they want something to control, or dog owners are socially lacking somewhat.

I have never seen these type of posts on MN.

I know someone who doesn't have, and wouldn't have pets. They're not keen on animals in that way. They're a perfectly nice person, just not someone who wants to keep animals. They wouldn't harm them, they put up with other people's animals, just wouldn't keep them themselves. Which is a sensible option, far too many animals are bought by people who shouldn't have them.

I'm allergic to a lot of animals so have never had dogs and cats. I don't dislike them but I don't want to pet them, don't want them to jump up at me or slobber on me 😬 some pet owners get really offended if you don't want their pets near you!

I love wildlife and watching nature programmes. I love watching the birds in my garden. My neighbours 2 cats hang out in our garden all the time and I don't mind that at all. I'm just not one of those people who adores dogs and cats, that's all.

It’s not the same as ‘no feeling for other living beings,’ though. I’m a vegetarian who donates to and volunteers with animal habitat conservation groups. I just don’t like the idea of pet animals, have never had any in adulthood, and the way people anthropomorphise their ‘furbsbies’ drives me nuts.

But I’d estimate I do more good for animals in general than a meagre eater who’s fine with battery eggs and cheap chicken, but has an overweight Pekingese they spoil.

What @GreenGrass28 and @SabreIsMyFave said is absolutely so...

Having an interest in, respect for and appreciation of animals (and, indeed, all living things), is vastly different to keeping pets - in fact, many choose not to have pets precisely because their respect for sentient, living things does not align with the idea of keeping them captive.

I don't care if random people don't want a pet themselves, but someone who makes a point of saying they 'don't like pets' seems needlessly negative and unpleasant, which does seem like a red flag. Similar to someone who doesn't have/want kids of their own compared with someone who goes around telling people how much they dislike children for no apparent reason. The first is fine; the second would be weird and make me think there was something else going on.

Lots of pet lovers eat meat, so they're not actually "animal lovers" - if they were they wouldn't condone their slaughter on an industrial scale. So they are just as selective about the animals they like as I am.

Exactly. It's very weird to describe disliking animals as a red flag then tuck into a juicy beef burger for dinner.

Yes that's how I feel (apart from XL bullies which I'm afraid I think need to be culled).

There is a thread here at the moment about dogs in cafes.... and it has descended into playground stuff such as "your house smells" etc. It is beyond ridiculous.

You don't have to have or want your own pets, but it does reflect better if a person at least has a healthy respect for animals and wouldn't wish them any harm.
Anyone who would abuse an animal is a red flag - and some of those can be pet owners.

I wouldn’t have an animal in my home and do not understand the appeal. But that doesn’t mean I would choose to be actively cruel.

Spot on!

There are regulars on the posts that have an obsession with dander or dangly bits and slobber! And they seem so bitter and angry. If they just said they didn’t like dogs then that’s fine. Vitriol is a good word for it - or spewing poison.

Give them time and they’ll appear here too.

I don't think containing an animal in your home for your own comfort or your own entertainment is indicative of being morally better than people who leave them the hell alone and are indifferent to them.

Dog owners are not particularly fond of people who do that too.

I like animals very much, but I think that many people would think that I was a bit cold about them tbh. I find it weird that we domesticate animals just for companionship, it seems a bit selfish to me. We tend to breed out the natural instincts of animals so that they suit our lives better, instead of accepting them as they are. And I really really dislike seeing dogs in cafes and shops, not because they're bothersome, but because I think that those places are so full of stimulation and smells and sounds, and yet we've bred those dogs natural reactions out of them, so that it's easier for us to be able to sit in a cafe and eat cake.

I really really like dogs and would love to have one, but honestly, I think that the vast, vast majority of people don't have the space/time and just get one anyway.