Your dog is not your babies 'brother'

That's the difficulty though isn't it, where do you draw the line?
St Bernards are huge, and often used to rescue people from remote mountain areas, Newfoundlands are used in water rescues, both breeds renowned for a calm demeanor and good nature, but they've had traits that make them calm and good natured bred in, whereas 'Bully' breeds have had the aggression and ability to kill well, bulls, bred into them.
That's then been capitalised on by unscrupulous breeders and owners who have encouraged those traits and effectively use the dog as a weapon.
People say 'deed not breed' but you can't get away from the fact all breeds have different drives and instincts, and those who have been specifically bred to be aggressive are going to be more dangerous than those that haven't.
All dogs could be dangerous in the right (wrong?) circumstances, but some are far more likely to be due to their breed.

Where do you draw the line? What do you class as a 'big dog'? We had an Old English Sheepdog, he wouldn't have hurt a fly, but he was pretty big. Mum had a Labrador cross Rottweiler, sounds scary but the biggest wuss you've ever met - she tried to sit on Mum's lap. Shouldn't we have been allowed to have them?

I don't think ANY of these big dogs that are capable of killing us, should be allowed. There is absolutely no need for them whatsoever.

Well it’s not babies brother, it’s baby’s brother.

One of them repeatedly pushed me, tipped me head first into a sleeping bag and shoved me in a cupboard so I was half dead from positional asphyxia by the time I was found and set fire to me once when 'just' trying to show me that fire was dangerous by spraying lighter fluid around me and across my feet before taking a lighter to it. Another one belted me so hard when I kicked him because he was bending my head back so far I could feel my neck creaking that I had concussion. And of course, there was the constant name calling.

The worst any animal did was scratch me when playing and getting a bit overexcited. Oh, and I sliced my finger open when washing up a glass bowl and the dog made the cat jump, so I walloped the bowl against the tap.

I definitely felt like the animals were more my siblings - and infinitely more trustworthy - than the humans.

You understand that was a joke.... right?

Stop with the grief Top Trumps. No need to mention about people losing children and it not being the same at all. The only person comparing them here is you.

Sorry for your loss @FoolishHips

I very lightheartedly sometimes refer to DC as my dog’s ‘litter mates’
Jokingly
I’m well aware they’re not siblings- a dog is a dog however well loved
But I take a very dim view of people who want these massive dangerous breeds. It’s not the dog’s fault - there are some deluded owners who are not very bright. Or just don’t care.
An XL bully and a 5 month old baby? No way.

I’m sure that’s true, and it is awful when a beloved pet dies. But it is not anything like the grief of losing a child. Not in the same universe. And when we constantly make the comparison, half-joking or not, it diminishes the actual children. They are not just pets and pets are not children.

You can't have been on MN for long if an obvious joke is one of the most unhinged things you've ever seen on here.

I think there's a big difference between referring to a dog as son, brother etc in a slightly tongue in cheek way and the frightnening scenario described in the OP. I know plenty of people who fit the former category, but at the end of the day, they are aware enough not to leave their dog unsupervised around very small children etc.

This is the key point.

refer to your pets as brother and sister if you want- but the lady in the o/p appears to believe the cat knows the spider is it’s “brother” and therefore won’t hurt it.

that’s the delusional bit.

i have to say though the increasing prevalence of people attributing human relationships and emotions is exactly why kids and children are being put in dangerous situations with pets.

This is one of the most unhinged things I have ever seen on MN.

It’s grim. Not least because that child grows up potentially feeling no more important than the dog. I know, I was that child. It always felt like my mum loved the dog most.

I always refer to as my pet cat and pet spider as brother and sister.

Suppose the difference is I know that cat would definitely eat spider for absolute sure if he got half the chance.

So everyone on here who's said they jokingly refer to their dogs as a sibling is mentally ill or stupid. Rather that than a miserable git.

If anyone asked DM if she had grandchildren she'd say one boy called Harry. Harry was my cat. She didn't believe for one minute that he was really her grandchildren but she got fed up with people pitying her if she said no. The final straw was when some nosy old bag started on about how selfish I was for not giving DM grandchildren. DM was neither mentally ill or stupid.

I didn’t mean it like siblings bite dog so dogs are OK. I was saying sibilings can’t always be trusted so the arguement that the dog is like a sibling is not a valid arguement for safety.

We always refer to my kids as the dogs sissy and bro! The kids (20 and 16) would be furious if I referred to them as anything else now! I don’t have (and never would) an XL bully and I wouldn’t have wanted a dog when mine were toddling round / potentially pulling at a dog. Mine were 9 and 12 when we got our dog (gentle breed). My dog is gentle but i’d never say he 100% wouldn’t bite as you just don’t know. So with such a large breed, no way i’d have one around kids

There’s a dog fairly locally who isn’t an XL bully. He’s some kind of mastiff. But some dick (probably on Mumsnet given the hatred of dogs on here) has reported him as an XL bully. They have to kennel him whilst they investigate. He’s a fairly prominent dog as owned by a business and knows lots of people as a result. So the community is incredibly upset.

Those who are saying no money should be spent on kennelling would have him killed for not much reason apart from being a large dog. At least he’s got some chance of returning home at the moment, you’d all make that nil.

This is what the issue is.

The belief that animals/dogs in this case, have the reasoning skills, intelligence and emotional understanding and regulation of humans - and expecting behaviour to match.

Unrealistic and unreasonable expectations that lead to a loss of inhibition around what they actually are and what drives them.

What drives these dogs is killing large animals, they've literally have the attributes that made them effective to do that bred into them. In the same way my spaniel has had the attributes to flush game out of bushes and carry things in her mouth to give to me bred into her.

You can't love that out, you can train but that will only go so far because they are instinctive behaviours that we have enhanced, and when you don't train but rely on the moral compass of an animal who doesn't have that capacity, to do or not do something, it's disastrous.

That may have been my finest hour. Can I just say I have no issue with well behaved, under control dogs in cafes.

we were in a cafe and a dog jumped up and out his paws on our table and slobbered. When I said shoo the owner said “he only wants some attention from you, you could give his belly a rub.

i then actually managed to do something I would usually only have though of after the event.

i said “get your dog away and maybe you would like to clean his slobber up”

She actually said- “Oh don’t mind the slobber that’s what my ickle baby does. Just wipe it.!!! All said with a chuckle.

i then stood up and plonked my then 7 month old DD on her table (she was in a car seat) and said “she has done a dirty nappy because that’s what my ickle baby does-just change it”

she stared at me for a bit with her mouth open like a goldfish. She stood up, grabbed the dog who by this time was standing on its hind legs at another table and shouted at her husband to get a move on. She then stormed out dragging dog by its collar with husband following sheepishly behind.

I remember many years ago, when people were lobbying for being able to take their dogs on holiday to the EU (which became possible afterwards with pet passports), some dog owner being interviewed about how the then-ban was ruining his life. He literally said "Some people don't seem to realise, a dog is human". It must have been 30 years ago but I can still remember it vividly (not least because he had the accent of my home town).

It reminds me of the lady on 'All creatures great and small' who wouldn't believe that her female dog was pregnant, because the only other dog she came into contact with was her brother.