To think people wouldn’t like dogs if they could talk

[DonnaBanana]

I am not a dog person. But I know lots of people who are and they commonly say the thing they love about dogs (as compared to children, for example) is how their love is unconditional and they don’t speak or share their opinions with you like people do.

That seemed a bit sad to me. It seems like saying having a dog is mostly good because it can’t talk or share its opinions (and as a sentient animal it surely has some) but if it could, it would become annoying and undesirable.

Would you still have a dog if it spoke its mind?

Agree with both of you.

It's an utterly ridiculous statement to make and yet soooo many people do. I once saw someone on here say they would rescue their own dog before they'd rescue an unknown child from a burning building

Ha, was that me?

Why would a stranger's child be in the same building as my dog? Where are the parents? Where is the fire brigade? We are told NOT to go into burning buildings as you will inevitably just be another casualty for the fire brigade to scoop (or sweep) up. Honestly, getting wound up about how someone answers a purely hypothetical and very very unlikely real scenario is bonkers.

Getting so mad about a remote possibility is maybe why people prefer dogs to people.

You're right. I'm utterly INCENSED about it. I'm not sure how I'll get over it <swoons>

I don't have to be "angry" or "so mad" to think that sort of statement makes someone a massive tool. My opinion obviously. You don't have to agree 😘

"Would you still have a dog if it spoke its mind?" Yes, because what's in a dog's mind is so straightforward and honest and simple. Because they don't lie, don't play mind games, don't nag, don't keep secrets.......................

You sure about that? Ever had a dog that your OH fed, and you get home from work and your dog is give you a starving look so you assume they have not been fed... and they end up with two lots of dinner? 😁

I despise dogs.

They are so idiotic and servile that they probably wouldn't have a single thought in their head to articulate.

I have a very mischievous border terrier with personalty in spades. While she cannot speak, she has no problem making her feelings known, she'll let me know if she is displeased, she sulks, she laughs, she smiles, she senses when I am sad and takes care of me in her own doggy way, she shows that her love in unconditional in so many ways. She can let me know if she does or doesn't like something. Animals may not be able to use human words, but they are perfectly capable of communicating if we take the time to listen.

I think it would be hilarious if she could speak. I have no doubt she would come out with some right corkers. I would love her just as much if she spoke.

Can't we read our dogs well enough to know what they'd say anyway?

Tbf, I assume my dog would be quite sweary.

When the baby cries, the dog sometimes comes through, looks, sighs and walks away.
I'm sure he would say, calling wolf again!! For nothing!!

When I'm playing with the baby, I'm sure he would sometimes say, Me too!!

Or, why does the new one get all of the attention?

When we had buttons earlier, I'm sure he was thinking, and would have said, don't forget me!

When the "good boys" come past the house, if he could talk, he'd probably be a bit annoyed.

So if you were amongst rubble after an earthquake and a rescue dog tried to alert it's handlers to you, you would tell it fuck off?

This is literally both of my toddlers

Despise dogs 🙄attention seeking at its finest.

😅

My 2 lab's are like that when I come home from a night shift. I have to message my dd to see if she fed them, before she left for work.

My dog is more expressive (and intelligent) than most people 🤷‍♀️

He's the smartest loveliest boy in the world 🥰 He's currently on my bed cuddled up to me snoring.

I feel sad for people who have never experienced the true unconditional affection of a dog.

I wouldn’t mind a talking dog as long as it wore pants to cover it’s bare anus in my house, picked up it’s own shit and didn’t harass wildlife.

I'd love mine to speak. 💙

I read that time spent with a dog is never time that is wasted.

My dog is my world. I do get upset when I see the (thankfully) few very vocal people on here telling the world they hate dogs, and dogs should be banned and bred out of existence.

I don't like to talk or be spoken to much of the time. I'm grateful for my quiet companions that like to sit with me and watch the garden grow.

Well, people can talk, and I still manage to love some of them. Obviously it's a perk that my dog will never say something to annoy or hurt me, but they do plenty of other things I don't like, and I love them anyway. On the other hand, any dog-owner will tell you that they can make their opinion perfectly clear without words. You know when your dog is pleased or displeased or outright disgusted with you. It's perfectly obvious through their behaviour and body language.

When I was a child, I liked to imagine how wonderful it would be to have a talking dog. 😆Now I'm a bit wiser. One less voice to listen to as an adult is a very good thing, though I still think having a dog to share secrets with as a child would have been amazing!

I'd love it if they could. Our Yorkie kind of does, if she barks and I say what do you want she'll get excited and lick her lips if she's hungry or the water bowl is empty. If she wants to go out she doesn't lick her lips. She and the other dogs understand the words chicken, meaty strips, bring it and foods.

You're right, its a red flag IMO when people say they love dogs as much as/more than humans. Especially when dogs - at least well-trained ones - are basically raised to obey their owner for their whole lives and stick to the owners routines etc. To me it basically tells me they can't deal with the more complex human emotions, and if dogs were capable of experiencing them and communicating them in words and made all their own decisions then no, I don't think they would be as well loved.

My Springer has a range of facial expressions that say a lot.
If he could talk though it’d be a stream of iloveyouiloveyouireallyloveyouthrowtheball
throwtheballthrowtheballgodiloveyou

They’re a particularly affectionate and needy breed so he’d do my head in if he could talk.

I think it is more than just not being able to cope with complex human emotions.

Animals don't abuse people, they don't lie or cheat, they don't start wars.
The planet is in danger from humans, not dogs.

You know where you stand with a pet dog.

You know where you stand with a pet dog.

@XenoBitch I don't know, my mother has an extremely complicated dog that I take care of a lot (we live in the same village). He's an extremely posh pedigree corgi (Obligatory Mumsnet disclaimer: I wouldn't personally buy a pedigree dog). He's beautiful, ridiculously intelligent, very highly strung, and very complicated. You can hurt his feelings easily, and he remembers it. He also seems to understand more human language than any dog I've ever known. One day he was being difficult about having his harness on to go for a walk - he does a lot of messing about over this because he doesn't like the harness - and thinking I was talking to myself, I said out loud 'How about just the collar then'. I didn't say it in any particular tone or particularly loudly. He stopped, came and sat down, presenting his neck for the collar. I'm still not over that. All in all, he's an extremely complicated, sensitive being who is quite hard work at an emotional level!

I am not a dog lover either but I have often wondered why they can't be trained to use the toilet. They are meant to be intelligent, right? Maybe it wouldn't work for, say, a Yorkshire Terrier, but surely larger breeds could squat and then nudge the flush? It's not that hard.