To not understand the appeal of dogs as pets?

[Gardentiger]

I just don't get it and would love to understand! As much as I like certain dogs I meet and think they are cute, the list of downsides is massive

• they smell and make your house and car and clothes smell bad

-they can't be left alone for a length of a working day -behavioural problems and agression -if you get a barky one it can ruin your relationship with neighbours -the amount of time you have to spend training them -some seem to need constant supervision -chewing things and generally wrecking the housr -having to pick up warm freshly baked turds

I walked a friend of mines dog the other day and it was awful! He pulled on the lead the entire way, and kept trying to pee on people's doorsteps / flowerpots.

So what is the appeal!? I say this as an animal lover who has had pet rabbits, cats and hamsters in the past.

We’ve had our beautiful boy 8 years now and there’s not been a single day when he hasn’t made both of us belly laugh more than once.
For that and that alone, a dog is worth all the hassle, all the hair and all the smells.

He is a giant teddy bear when we want comfort and a bundle of energy and excitement when we want fun.
Just looking at him makes me smile and every time he catches my eye he very slowly wags just the tip of his tail as if to say “I know, I love you too”.
He understands when we are upset and when we are happy, he knows when he can get away with being very cheeky and when to simply come and quietly lay next to us like the most loyal and devoted of friends.
His softy head smells of biscuits, he’s got beautiful intelligent darting beady eyes, he has a myriad of funny little rituals every day and he gives us so much pure unfiltered raw joy that we cannot bear to imagine life without him.

Weird world we live in. On one side dogs are considered a delicacy and on the other side people will raise a pack of dogs instead of having children, or they admit to loving the dog more then their own children.

The laughs. Oh the laughs when you have a dopey dog creature in your home. Honestly we smile and laugh more. He punctures awful moments and calms us when we most need it.
We are still able to recall our last dog whose death brought such immediate pain, but whose memories now, with the passing of time, bring the happiest of recollections.

They do make your house smell, they can do hugely inappropriate things just being ‘dog’. But I don’t care. She’s utterly adorable, brought huge fun to a very dark period of our lives, encourages us out….love her to bits.

@BarkingUpTheWrongRoseBush

They do make your house smell, they can do hugely inappropriate things just being ‘dog’. But I don’t care. She’s utterly adorable, brought huge fun to a very dark period of our lives, encourages us out….love her to bits.

We have an expression in our house: Be more dog It's a mantra we repeat to remind ourselves to live in the moment like a dog does. It's a surprisingly helpful mindfulness technique!

I find it more odd people don't understand others are different to them and have different preferences. Imo puppies and kittens are far cuter than babies. But I don't find people odd who think different than me
This and this again and again. It's not just dogs but just about everything.

There are posts after posts about racism, sexism, agism etc...which is great, then next you'll have the same people posting about how it is not normal to like the things that they don't and show themselves to be totally intolerant.

When I was broody, all I could see were cute babies. Puppies didn't do much to me. My kids are now adults, I'm back to finding babies annoying and certainly find very few cute.

Since I've had my dog, I've never found dogs so interesting and cute. I notice them like I didn't before.

Neither is abnormal or wrong. It's the way it is. I don't find people who don't like dogs wierd. I don't understand it but I fully respect that their personality emotions, feelings, experiences are not a copy of mine and that will lead to different views.

Some people here really seem to struggle with this concept though.

It's a mantra we repeat to remind ourselves to live in the moment like a dog does.It's a surprisingly helpful mindfulness technique!
This is a good point. Well loved dogs are just always happy, it's catching!

Companionship.loyalty.a genuine welcome home.they don't judge,nag or whine.they let you know if an intruder is around.they keep you fit.you meet lots of people.they make you laugh.they eat leftovers so you don't eat too much😀.they teach you things.they love cuddles.you can train them and enter classes and competition's.you feel safer.you can tell them anything,they won't repeat it.spend more time outside.you can go out into the countryside alone walking and not get off looks.you get not watching them act the fool.they give far more than they receive.you are their world..

@vivainsomnia

It's a mantra we repeat to remind ourselves to live in the moment like a dog does.It's a surprisingly helpful mindfulness technique! This is a good point. Well loved dogs are just always happy, it's catching!

Be more dog is such a helpful thought.

There's nothing more uplifting than seeing her racing towards the sea - ears flapping in the wind.

My second floor overlooks my neighbours' garden. Before they bought a dog, it used to be beautiful with flowers and deck chairs and they would all sit there with friends, have BBQs, etc. Now every time I look outside, I see it covered in little bits of stuffing from broken toys, chewed up bits of rubbish and other dog related crap. They're never there anymore.

@TheVamoosh

My second floor overlooks my neighbours' garden. Before they bought a dog, it used to be beautiful with flowers and deck chairs and they would all sit there with friends, have BBQs, etc. Now every time I look outside, I see it covered in little bits of stuffing from broken toys, chewed up bits of rubbish and other dog related crap. They're never there anymore.

I have dogs. My garden is beautiful with flowers and pretty chairs. We sit there with friends and have BBQ;s and the dogs are content to lie quietly.

Your neighbours are the problem not the dogs

@TheVamoosh

My second floor overlooks my neighbours' garden. Before they bought a dog, it used to be beautiful with flowers and deck chairs and they would all sit there with friends, have BBQs, etc. Now every time I look outside, I see it covered in little bits of stuffing from broken toys, chewed up bits of rubbish and other dog related crap. They're never there anymore.

That's a shame. We have a galumping great golden retriever, cottage borders, wildflower area and bbq area. And a happy dog. The two can coexist. The only problem is a less than perfect lawn - scorched wee patches!!

Same here @sha, just with a lab

@shallswim, I meant

@TheVamoosh

My second floor overlooks my neighbours' garden. Before they bought a dog, it used to be beautiful with flowers and deck chairs and they would all sit there with friends, have BBQs, etc. Now every time I look outside, I see it covered in little bits of stuffing from broken toys, chewed up bits of rubbish and other dog related crap. They're never there anymore.

Where have they gone? It seems like you're linking the dog related crap to them not being there, but since it's easy enough to pick the dog related crap up, I'm wondering whether you should knock on their door and check they're still alive?

Where have they gone? It seems like you're linking the dog related crap to them not being there, but since it's easy enough to pick the dog related crap up, I'm wondering whether you should knock on their door and check they're still alive?

Maybe the dog ate them all. Everybody knows dogs do that, the bastards.

Maybe the dog ate them all. Everybody knows dogs do that, the bastards.

Where have they gone? It seems like you're linking the dog related crap to them not being there, but since it's easy enough to pick the dog related crap up, I'm wondering whether you should knock on their door and check they're still alive?

Haha! I see them out front all the time. But the garden has become a dog playground. It looks like shit so they only use it to play with the pup now, I think.

They're nothing grim about it. They're sealed tubes of runny cat food 😂 and they eat one at a time so they never go back in after the rats have touched them.

But if you think that's grim I put my refrigerated raw dog food in the family fridge

Anyways, they are for cats, but I have RATS :)

3 boys and they're wonderful.

I get this.
Dog issues become everyone's issue more frequently than other pets I guess.

Having a shit time at the mo. After putting kids to bed fell apart and had a cry. My dog came to me and gave me the most loving look and cuddled up next to me for the evening. He always makes me feel better, or wants to. Dogs are better than people.