To not include the dog in a Christmas card

[WeCalledTheDogIndiana]

Writing Christmas card to sister in law and brother in law (DH’s sister and her husband) and remembered that last time they sent us a card (a few months ago) it was signed “from SIL, BIL, and Fido” - Fido being their dog…

Can we just write “Dear SIL, BIL, and DS” and leave it at that? Or is this doomed to be taken as a passive aggressive slight that will spawn it’s own mumsnet thread and lead to them going NC?!

I am veering towards “it’s a bit ridiculous but if it makes them happy just do it”. DH is firmly in the camp of “I am not addressing a fucking card to a fucking dog”

For context: we’re not particularly close, we don’t see them often as they live in the US, the family has a history of finding fault in everything everyone does, yes we both like dogs but no we don’t have our own (cause small children), and they didn’t have the dog last Christmas so it wasn’t an issue then. And yes I do have more important things to worry about but this is a pleasing distraction (and I am genuinely interested in views of dog owners and non dog owners alike!)

Can’t do voting on the app but:
YABU - just include the dog, why wouldn’t you
YANBU - fucking dogs don’t get fucking cards

I'm a pet lover and have had dogs and/or cats all my life. But I roll my eyes at people who include their pets in Christmas cards, and would never include mine or other people's in cards.

They're animals. They have no concept of greetings cards. They haven't sent them and they don't know what writing on a card means. The soppy anthropomorphism of animals does my head in.

Make sure you include the houseplants and the neighbours…

We have a dog , he gets Christmas presents , birthday presents etc I do not include him on cards- he told me he is not in the slightest bit offended .

The only people we do the animal names on Christmas cards is next door, we bonded over the cats. Other than that I put people names only.

I'm with your DH OP - but only so I can log in to your next thread, which will detail in full the long-running saga engendered by The Awful Snub To Our Fully Literate Dogs.

😂 This would be much more straightforward if we all got on really well, tbf (as I said in OP, we're not close and there have been many family fallouts/slights taken amongst all members over the years)

Perhaps it's never really about the pets...

If they don't have kids and they've put the dog in their own card previously.
Yes I'd address it to the dog too.
So very little effort needed.
Your dh is curmudgeonly

@AwkwardPaws27

It's really not an issue.

The vast majority of cards we get won't include the dog - it's fine. He can't actually read so he isn't offended.

That said, the odd one that does include him makes me smile.

Again, he would happily eat either card, no preference.

This ^ It's usually my friends/family who don't like dogs that always include the dog. Trying to atone perhaps

In these situations, I don’t include the dogs, cats, hamsters or pot plants in the festive greetings.

I don't send Christmas cards but years ago when my children were young and the cats were a very important part of their lives I would sign birthday cards from the cats, even sending separate cards from the cats, and they would do the same.

Now my children are fully grown adults I no longer send them birthday signed from me and the dog and I don't mention their pets on the cards either; it would never occur to me to do so.

I wouldn't think to include a pet as standard, but you have so if you think you should, or you think it would be well received, then just go for it.

Include the dog and stop being mean. My dog sent a Valentines card to my mum! (he erm, fancies her!).

My mum sends us a card just from the dog. She pretends the dog has written it with fake toddler style writing and badly coloured in pictures of dogs and bones. It must take them ages and it makes me smile a lot. They love their dog so much, and even though he’s a little bugger I do look forward to his Christmas card every year

I’m foreign and we don’t do cards so I have no idea about the etiquette. But if i get a vote I say put the dog’s name on too!
Also I love this thread, it’s such a wonderfully bonkers problem

It sounds like OP has now decided to include the dog, with the grudging support of her 'D'H.

Over the years, we have received cards signed on behalf of not only dogs and cats, but also horses, donkeys, a rabbit, a duck, a hamster, a guinea pig, a tortoise and a parrot. Sometimes we have reciprocated. Not a goldfish yet though, as mentioned by a pp.

I think it's just a matter of knowing your audience or doing what is important to them and/or you.

In this case, it sounds like it might smooth relations a tiny bit and make the recipients happy, so why not?

Personally if it is something that is likely to cause some sort of upset (no matter how ridiculous) I would just put the dog on the card - it's no skin off my nose

I wouldn't include a pet on a card. My mum signs everything from her pets, and refers to me as their "big sister", I hate it. 😂

My mum sends us a card just from the dog. She pretends the dog has written it with fake toddler style writing and badly coloured in pictures of dogs and bones. It must take them ages and it makes me smile a lot. They love their dog so much, and even though he’s a little bugger I do look forward to his Christmas card every year

WOW! I am so taken with this. I'm glad it makes you smile!

Update:

Card was written and deposited in the postbox this afternoon, so should be winging its way to the ILs in no time.

The dog was included. I believe the majority of posters should approve; apologies to those who demurred. I was won over by the love of all the pets, and the silliness (silliness should always triumph).

DH sighed, but on the plus side is delighted to have been described as "curmudgeonly" on this thread, as he's been working his way towards that for some years.

Thank you for all the stories about your mad pet card sending. You moved me from the "it's ridiculous but if it makes them happy, fine" camp to the "it's ridiculous but in a wonderful way" camp

You’re a good sport OP.