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AIBU?

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Original poster

Can you love a dog as much as a child?

490 replies

Bluemooninmyeyes1 · 31/12/2020 23:11

I’m not a dog owner and I don’t have children so I’m pretty clueless on this subject but genuinely interested! I work with someone who talks about her dog more than her own daughter and is constantly posting photos of her dog on social media.

So..is it possible to love your dog as much as your kids?

YABU- You cannot love a dog as much as a child

YANBU- You can definitely love a dog as much as a child

OP posts:
CakeRequired · 31/12/2020 23:31

If you're a normal human being with no psychogical problems, then in a situation where you had to choose between your child and a pet, your pet would never win.

I don't even have kids, but it's fairly obvious that you're going to have more of a bond with your child that you gave birth to, again unless you have psychological problems. I love my animals, a lot, I would protect them fiercely from anyone who wants to do them harm. I'm also not what I would consider a maternal person and I don't want children, but I know deep down, if I had kids, if someone harmed them or tried to, no one on this earth could save them from what I'd do to them. Grin My children would be loved way more than any pet, I just can't see myself having kids.

StillMedusa · 31/12/2020 23:32

I have four kids and a dog.. and I love them all :) But mine are adults now so independent, so most of my immediate love is lavished on the dog because she's here, by my side and she loves me unconditionally.
But if I had to save someone.. my children first..

I hve more dog pics than cats on my phone for the same reason... she's beside me!

thetaleunfolds · 31/12/2020 23:33

I love my 9 yo dog immensely, pretty much en par with my 2.5 yo dc. It was just the two of us before my son came along

raspberryk · 31/12/2020 23:34

I think we prefer our dog Grin

1FootInTheRave · 31/12/2020 23:34

Oh lordy, I adore my dogs. Really really love them massively and take them into consideration when choosing holidays etc.

But, I love my kids more.

Most of the time.

formerbabe · 31/12/2020 23:35

Definitely not.

I hope this isn't upsetting for anyone to read but if my dc died, I know I'd never feel truly happy ever again...I doubt losing a dog would destroy someone's life forever.

DoTheNextRightThing · 31/12/2020 23:35

I don’t want kids, but I love dogs. I loved my dog more than I could ever put into words, and losing him is the worst grief I've ever felt.

A dog is a member of your closest family. You should love it as such.

Mor12 · 31/12/2020 23:36

No. However I loved my dog more than my husband and my mother.

smallsteps88 · 31/12/2020 23:37

I posted lots of my dog on social media because a) I don’t really want my DCs plastered all over SM and b) my DCs don’t want themselves plastered all over SM and c) my dog had no strong feelings either way about being on SM.

Fruggalo · 31/12/2020 23:38

My parents definitely acted like they loved their dogs more than their grown up children and grandchildren.

TokyoSushi · 31/12/2020 23:38

Well no, if it was a burning house situation, obviously I'd save the DC but our dog does come pretty close!

dingoesatemybaby · 31/12/2020 23:39

I think you can love a dog like a child if you don't have children, I know people who do. But it's not comparable if you have both. I love my dog but it doesn't even come remotely close to the love I have for my children.

underneaththeash · 31/12/2020 23:40

I think some people do. We have a cat and a dog and they’re well animals.
But, we do have friends who are very keen on their dogs. (And expect them to come round for lunch too) very odd.

Dowhatyoudowell · 31/12/2020 23:41

There was a thread about a year ago comparing the love for your DC and pets, and posters were mostly outraged if anyone suggested kids trumped pets. Suggested that not loving your pets the same as your kids was cruel etc. It was bizarre. Just shows you can get different replies depending on who’s online.

I’ve had various pets all my life (cats, dogs, goat, birds, guinea pig) and loved them as members of the family, but since having DC the concept of love is just poles apart.

winetime89 · 31/12/2020 23:41

I love my dog as much as the kids, but it's a different type of love, the kids always come first, obviously if I had to rescue one over the other I'd choose my kids. I expect my kids to outlive me and live long happy lives where as I know a dog only has so many years.

MakeWorkYourNewFavourite · 31/12/2020 23:42

I have 7 cats and 2 dogs. I love them more than most people, but I love DD more than anyone in the world.

Mor12 · 31/12/2020 23:43

A lot of people can absolutely unconditionally love their children but not necessarily always like them!

Worriedandabitscared · 31/12/2020 23:44

Sometimes I love the dog more Grin

Groundhogdayzz · 31/12/2020 23:46

Absolutely love my dog to bits, but doesn’t compare to the live I have for my children. However, I post way more photos/videos of the dog as other people seem more interested in cute animals than they do other people’s kids. Plus, the dog doesn’t get embarrassed or annoyed when I film him!

Heffle · 31/12/2020 23:50

Frolicinameadow

They’re very different types of love imo.
I love my children so much it takes my breath away at times. But I don’t post pictures of them on social media because they’re too young to consent and understand it, I also don’t know enough about who owns the photos once they’re posted.
However, I lost my beloved dog a few years ago and I won’t lie, I’m still heart broken over it. I’ve sought grief counselling because the loss was so great. He was literally my best friend. There is nothing I wouldn’t have done for him. He loved me and my children endlessly and was so patient and gentle with them. I know to some they are just pets or animals but to me and my husband and kids he was family. He never slept outside, he had his own chair and he was just all round a great boy.

Ah - this brought a tear @Frolicinameadow just to know someone loved their boy as much as I did! Life has just lost some of its colour without him.

honkytonkheroe · 31/12/2020 23:50

No and I genuinely think the only people who could say yes, are those without children.

Floralnomad · 31/12/2020 23:50

I think it depends on the pet , my current dog is the dog love of my life , I’ve had other dogs , no doubt will have another dog at some point but he is the one . I’ve had 5 horses/ ponies over the years but only one was the irreplaceable horse love of my life . My dc are adult and in a burning building scenario I would indeed check the children were safe first ( if they were here) but I wouldn’t leave the house without my dog .

alloutofcareunits · 31/12/2020 23:54

I love my dog all of the time, I also like him all of the time. I love my child all of the time, but don't always like them....Grin

VinylDetective · 31/12/2020 23:57

My kids are adults and I think I love my dog in the way I loved them when they were little. You love your 40 year just as much as you did when they were a toddler but not in the same way.

Shadow21 · 31/12/2020 23:57

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