Using bitch for a dog

[Dunarunner]

Probably going to be told to get a grip but AIBU to think this is a little bit odd. Have been having work done on house and also have a relatively new Labrador puppy.

On Monday a man came in to do some plastering and we had a brief chat in the kitchen about dogs. I mentioned ours is a girl and he sort of looked me in the eye and said ‘yeah, bitches are best. Less trouble.’ I was a bit but told myself he was just using the correct terminology.

But on Friday, electrician was patting the dog and said ‘I’ve got a couple of bitches too’ or something to that effect.

I’m no prude (and rather too fond of the c word in the right situation)
But couldn’t help but feel the men were enjoying being able to use the word ‘bitch’ legitimately, to a woman at home alone and was, if not creeped out, then just a touch unsettled

I remember the second time I took my dog into a show and she had won the breed class and was in the main group where there was a commentator and the judge described her as being a good looking bitch

I am used to it now in the same way they will call female cows Heifers or female horses without a foal “barren”.

Can be offensive when used towards humans but really when they are talking about animals it’s just technical terms.

it's been men rather than women who call them bitches (women just say 'girl' or 'female').

checks between legs

@theThreeofWeevils, thank you 😊 . I’m entirely unbothered by the kicking, luckily! Just wanted to air my discomfort at the encounters I’ve had and find out if others felt the same. And I’m fine with the majority saying that isn’t the case. Equally, I feel somewhat validated by your points and what @JesusInTheCabbageVan said, too.

I've very rarely heard the term in context, with the exception of breeders or particularly 'doggy' people. So yes. Possibly theThreeofWeevils has got it right.

@bobstersmum oh yes, good plan. That’s exactly what I meant.

@MaidenMotherCrone add poor comprehension to my list of failings because I’m really struggling to understand wtf you’re talking about. Sorry.

Over reaction OP

Only on Mumsnet 🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

@JesusInTheCabbageVan what an absolute pile of shite.

Of course women call female dogs bitches.
In 30 years of dog breeding/showing/working everyone whether man or woman refers to a female dog as a bitch. Occasionally someone seeking a dog as a pet would ask for a girl which I would only ever refer to as a bitch in the conversation.
My children would also use the term bitch in relation to a female dog.

OP I'd feel momentarily embarrassed for sure. I always flinch when someone refers to their pet as a 'bitch', it just feels so wrong! It's very rare that I hear it to be honest. It seems like everyone has at least one dog these days but it's still rare I hear them referred to as a bitch.

@Dunarunner don't apologise you can't help it

Relax. The only time a man will correctly use the word bitch to you, talking about their dogs and your dog. Its a thing, its not about you, it really is about the dogs. If my dogs were bitches I would call them bitches, but mostly only to other dog owners. It'll happen again, try not to let it upset you.
Also gets used when female dogs are behaving like female dogs, they are being bitches, its exactly what they are, dogs and bitches behave differrently.
Don't worry about it at all. Dog talk, dog owners talk to each other about their dogs like parents talk about kids, small talk.
He wasn't calling you a bitch, or telling you about his wife and daughters or another customer on a job, calling them bitches, its his dogs and they are bitches. Not girls. You dont have to use the word if youre squeamish, uncomfortable, but its not an unreasonable use of it given the circumstances.

Equally I never hear anyone referring to their female cat as a queen, apart from breeders sometimes.

FFS! Don't ever go to a dog show...

@Pardonwhat Yeah, I knew that was coming.

As a dog owner, who regularly talks to other dog owners, I can't remember ever hearing another woman using the term bitch. Obviously women do, and I wouldn't give a shit if a woman did refer to my dog as a bitch (and I'm guessing OP wouldn't either). But in my experience, it's men rather than women. Just a shame people aren't capable of discussing it sensibly on here. Instead everyone's falling over themselves to willfully misunderstand her, so they can join in the bitchy (see what I did there ) schoolgirl pile-on.

Funnily enough, similarly to what the OP described, at least two of the 'bitch' comments I remember have been men making generalised statements about dogs vs bitches. One man said, "Yes, it's always the bitches who are more affectionate' after Ddog finally approached him for a fuss after about a year of avoiding him.

Actually tone is every thing. You obviously picked up on something.

In this situation I’d feel uncomfortable too.

@MaidenMotherCrone maybe, instead of snark, you could simply explain why you feel my first post was poorly communicated.

JesusInTheCabbageVan

As a dog owner, who regularly talks to other dog owners, my experience is entirely the opposite to you.
I don’t think OP is exactly helping herself with her attitude towards anyone who disagrees with her.

See I'd feel uncomfortable even without any sinister/creepy/menacing tone - I'd be feeling really odd that a bloke just talked to me about bitches. It would just feel weird.

@Bagofoldbones exactly. I definitely picked up something odd about the first encounter, especially ‘bitches are less trouble’, with direct eye contact. So maybe I was overly sensitive for the second encounter. Or maybe not. I honestly don’t know and that is why I posted here.

@Pardonwhat I have absolutely encouraged people to explain and discuss why they disagree, else I would not have posted here. But that isn’t what you did or why you came here, is it? Let’s be honest.

Please do not ever get involved in keeping poultry. I hate to think how you would deal with someone using the word for a male bird in it's proper context.

Erm that’s what most people say when describing a female dog. That’s the correct terminology

@TooTrueToBeGood
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You sound like my elderly maiden aunt who always said 'lady doggy.' I'm amazed her standards of gentility live on!