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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To find dogs licking people’s faces a bit grim?

161 replies

betterthanbutter · 05/08/2018 19:27

Ok, firstly, I’m not a dog person, and I’m an emetophobe. Both of which might explain a lot!

We have a dog to stay with us this week (me and 2 DC, age 10 and 8). Dog is super cute, and the kids love her, which is great as they are not used to dogs at all and we were all a bit worried as to how the kids would get on with the dog.

However, they all like each other a lot, and there appears to be a mutual enjoyment of face licking. Including licking on their lips.

I feel rather 😱 about it all. My main concern is that it’ll make the kids ill. AIBU, or is that a genuine concern? I’m aware that with my emetophobia I’m prone to overestimating risk, hence posting here to get opinions on whether I’m BU or justified in my worrying.

What are people’s feelings on dogs licking kids’ faces?!

OP posts:

ferrier · 06/08/2018 00:08

I wouldn't let my dog lick other people's faces but I'm quite OK about her licking mine or my kids'. Ditto the cats. Haven't been ill for about two years now- maybe there's a correlation .....

Notevilstepmother · 06/08/2018 00:13

I love dogs, but I don’t allow face licking.

sonarbear · 06/08/2018 00:23

keyboardkate

A lot of generalisations in that post. And where did I say I feel sorry for "those who do not have total love for dogs and cats"? Strawman argument or what.

keyboardkate · 06/08/2018 00:28

sonarbear,

No worries, never the twain shall meet WRT to animals, their obsessive owners and on the other hand, those who just do not like animals.

I will leave it there. We are all different. I have no problem with animal lovers, but I do not like animals in my house, nor do I like visiting a house with animals in it either.

BTW I am normal and many think like I do too! Nighty night.

ferrier · 06/08/2018 06:00

All animal owners are not obsessive about their animals. Nor do they force them on visitors.
To be fair kate, you are quite unusual in your attitude. I can only recall one person with an avowed dislike of animals and they certainly don't refuse to visit animal owners' houses. A few children of my acquaintance are scared of dogs and one is scared of cats but that's a slightly different matter.

aurynne · 06/08/2018 06:12

Dogs, in general, do not lick their own arses. Sometimes they will lick close to their peeholes to clean the area.

Dogs' saliva is not "antiseptic" or "antibacterial". They simply have fewer toxic bacteria in their mouths than humans do.

I have not met a single person who has been ill as a result of being licked in the face (or even in the mouth) by a dog.

Babies and toddlers' hands are often covered in saliva, snot, bacteria and viruses, and shit (many do put their hands down their nappies). I'd much rather let my dog lick my face than let any toddler touch my face with their sticky hands. I have met MANY people who have been ill as a result of children touching and licking them. If you have a baby or toddler (and most MumsNet members do), then being freaked out by a dog licking your face is weird. Most mums I know carry more shit and vomit, faecval bacteria and common viruses on their clothes every day than my dog has produced in a week.

speakout · 06/08/2018 06:16

I have owned several dogs.

None could lick their arses, but they did lick their penises.

I would never let them lick my face.

Ginandplatonic · 06/08/2018 06:59

Can't get worked up over dogs licking faces. I discourage it certainly because I don't like the feel, but in terms of hygiene there are far dirtier things people probably touch every day, then touch their mouths - money, door handles, computer keyboards just to name a few.

And don't even get me started on that seething mass of viruses and bacteria the human toddler, that many of you who are so precious about dogs probably have about the house.

ChardonnaysPrettySister · 06/08/2018 07:25

Dogs in a house smell, moult, fart and take over. In other words, .....

So do people. People also eat garlic, curry and use smelly perfume.

What does fkn mean, BTW?

snowy1982 · 06/08/2018 07:33

I have 2 dogs and don’t let them lick my face, one is a big licker and is always trying to but we don’t allow it (the other isn’t a licker but does rub his nose in your face on rare occasions). My DF is always encouraging the licker to lick though, drives me mad

lovelovelovepancakes · 06/08/2018 07:34

I have a puppy and when I eat dinner she jumps up and licks at my mouth to try and get me to regurgitate my dinner for her.
I don't share food though so she's out of luck.

adaline · 06/08/2018 07:37

It might not be the most hygienic thing but I can't say it bothers me. Humans in general are pretty germy and if you go outside and mingle with the general public on a daily basis you're probably more likely to get sick from that than from any kind of germs a dog might carry around in its mouth!

adaline · 06/08/2018 07:43

I still dislike visiting houses where there are dogs and cats. Sorry, the animals take precedence (and they fkn smell and shed hairs) and the visitor is often obliged to enjoy

Yeah, because humans don't smell at all. They don't exercise and smell of sweat, nor do they ever eat smelly food or drink, fart, shed hair or skin cells everywhere, forget to wash their hands, drop food on the floor....

AngelsSins · 06/08/2018 08:16

I’m not that bothered about my dog licking my face, although I don’t like other dogs doing it, but in terms of how dirty/clean it is, human mouths tend to be “dirtier” and I’m sure you’ve had a guys tongue in your mouth before and didn’t die or get sick!

AngelsSins · 06/08/2018 08:19

I still dislike visiting houses where there are dogs and cats. Sorry, the animals take precedence (and they fkn smell and shed hairs) and the visitor is often obliged to enjoy

You could say the same about babies - the stink of dirty nappies, vomit, screaming, and visitors are obliged to enjoy...

SugarIsAmazing · 06/08/2018 08:23

Mine don't lick my face but I do share ice creams and my fork with them

Orchardgreen · 06/08/2018 08:32

I don’t really like visiting houses where there are children.

Originalsaltedpeanuts · 06/08/2018 08:36

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

GreatDuckCookery6211 · 06/08/2018 08:40

This came up on a breed specific dog forum a while ago. The place erupted! A few members were vehemently against letting our dogs lick our faces and mouths due to obvious reasons but the majority said it was absolutely fine and we were all the idiots and "thick" ones

Ucantarguewistupid · 06/08/2018 08:48

@geekone - oops my bad. Absolutely right. Forgot to add. Some men also put their dicks up women's vaginas can't imagine that's very hygienic- totally needed for procreation but most don't do it for this reason. Oh and bums. Dicks go up bums too - up female and male bums. Seem not for procreation purposes tho.

GhoulWithADragonTattoo · 06/08/2018 08:49

I think your attitude to dogs sounds healthy OP. Encourage the children to enjoy them but draw the line at face licking.

Strugglingtodomybest · 06/08/2018 08:50

I don't mind get licked at all, it's a bit grim when you get ambushed and they manage to get a tongue in your mouth though. Still not something I can get worked up over though.

Ucantarguewistupid · 06/08/2018 08:56

So aside from the fact humans can be as 'gross' as dogs. Humans are far more dangerous. An excerpt from Dr Ian Dunbar:

The Danger of Dogs
Certainly, dogs can be dangerous; they frequently bite, very infrequently maim and only extremely rarely, kill people. Certainly, each death is a heart-rending tragedy. But it is nonetheless essential to maintain perspective and to consider the danger of dogs relative to other dangers.

The incidence of dogs biting people is extremely high. In the United States, there are usually over one million reported dog bites each year and since only one out of every twenty bites are actually reported, the annual toll exceeds twenty million bites. However, very few dog attacks leave the victim maimed. Rather, most incidents involve a only a single nip and very few bites even puncture the skin. Very few people are actually killed by dogs and even fewer children.

In the United States, an average of twenty people, half of them children, are killed by dogs each year. This is indeed terrible, but more children are killed annually by farm animals. More children are killed in playgrounds, drowned in swimming pools, or choked on balloons. And last year in the United States, 2000 children were killed — not by dogs — but by their parents. Each year in the US, 2000 children are killed by their parents. This is the problem each year. And of course, many, many, many more children are killed by guns and by cars. The dog bite problem is serious but we must always keep it in perspective.

LEMtheoriginal · 06/08/2018 08:58

Vet nurse here. Most dog diseases are non zoonotic but some arent. The nasty being toxicara canis. Quite a common worm in dogs that does relatively little harm to the dog but they "get lost" in other species and end up migrating to other tissues. It can cause blindess among other things.

This is why you must ensure dogs are regularly wormed.

GiddyGardner · 06/08/2018 09:17

My dog eats cat shit, there's no way she's licking my face.

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