To think we need to find a way to infiltrate the dog cult?

[dogsdilemma]

I'll start by saying I favour cats but love all animals. I don't want a dog just now because I find them tying. Would date someone who had one because, contrary to what I'm about to say, I like them and it wouldn't be my responsibility.

But the obsession drives me nuts. It seems no one can own a dog in a normal way anymore. As in I have a dog, the dog is a pet not a person, dogs aren't god-like solve all creatures, it's fine if not everyone loves my dog as much as me - like I am with my cat.

Someone gets a puppy and I go to their house - all conversation is about the puppy and I'm expected to fuss like they've just given birth. I can't say 'ah I've actually come to catch up with my friend, not have endless chat about the puppy's sleep schedule and whether or not it shat in the house today' because their dogs are their babies, so I should treat them as such.

Instagram accounts for dogs - captions written like 'my mum took me for a walk today, I had so much fun'. Only mildly cringy but wtf? Are you a springer spaniel mother or Katie from uni?

I do an exercise class and the owner has a puppy. She brings him along so he's not home alone. At least 15 minutes of the session I've paid for is always taken up by the hive mind fussing the puppy. Everyone loves dogs so no one minds apparently - except I DO mind. If I say this though I'm gonna be the dick.

I'm OLD, and every other profile says 'must love dogs'. I do love them but don't want one, and if I say this it's like I've confessed to being Hitler in a past life. Cue messages trying to change my mind, as though not being obsessed with dogs is a moral failure. I love my cat but wouldn't rule out someone who doesn't feel the same?

The final nail in the coffin. I've been dating someone new. Had an absolute shitter of a week so far - nothing he can help with, not really serious, just work stuff. His response is 15 pictures of his dog being cute to cheer me up. He's just trying to be nice but I do not get it. I wouldn't expect pictures of my cat to cheer anyone up except, maybe, me. I'm being narky but I actually found it so so irritating and cannot even fake enthusiasm to reply. If I say 'awwww cute, thank you' he'll continue with this approach. If I say 'cute but why would your dog cheer me up ha' I'm gonna look like a knob.

I have no problem with others doing what they want to do but recently it is infiltrating everything. I know there are worse issues but ffs it's so annoying - what is this dog cult and how to we stop it? Can I tell this lovely man I'm dating that I actually have little interest in his dog?!?!?

Case in point. Cult members always deny it's a cult.

I love dogs, however I'm beginning to realise like kids, I don't nessaryly love other people's.

One thing I don't get is the fur baby stuff, love my fur baby, not allowed dogs on school premises but that's OK as it's my fur baby, and we, I am special, fur baby is my life and can't be parted even for the 5min school run. Three months later - where is fur baby? Oh he was too much hard work, been re homed.

My dog was a member of my family. Was wasn't joined at the hip. But neither was she disposable.

It feels like it's a fad or trendy and babying dogs with no knowledge on having a previous dog results in dogs with issues.

It's not healthy taking your dog everywhere.

The dog thing you’re talking about OP seems to me to me to be a symptom of the world of self entitlement we live in.

It’s that individualistic attitude and selfish view on life that as long as the very bare minimum expectations are met an individual can do what they want.

It’s the same sort of thinking that has people emailing midst theatre performance, excusing intolerable behaviour from their kids in public, trying to shoo people so they can get a perfect insta shot etc etc.

“I’m alright Jack, so you should be too”

i love animals. Have dog, cats, chickens, and they are all pets. Loved pets. But pets that can be put elsewhere if a human who comes into our sphere feels uncomfortable.

I've got 2 dogs and I agree with you
One thing I hate is dogs allowed in coffee shops
They bark and the owners look on adoringly
The worst was 2 weeks ago ,some dog was having a shit on the floor of the coffee shop ,while the owner was busy chatting,dihoreerh all over , clearly a poorly dog ...so why bring it in a coffee shop if it's unwell
No one battered a eye lid at the shit or the smell .

A little picture to cheer you up! 🤣Just look at his little fluffy face!! Let me know if you need any more!😉

I don’t think it’s a dog cult. I think there’s a strange cult out there which doesn’t like dogs. I don’t trust them at all. I’d steer clear of them if I was OLD.

Have you met the cat cult?
give me dogs any day

I am horrified to hear of a cat staff member completely deny cat god status.

There literally was a whole civilisation in Egypt that recognised this. Your cat will lose its badge if it doesn't re educate you!
😜

Love all animals but believe cats have staff dogs have masters/mistresses. You won't find a cat working for the police

It’s bizarre, where on earth are you going? I’ve always had dogs, always been to dog friendly places. Hardly ever heard a dog bark (if it does the owner shuts it up) never seen a dog poo on the floor - although according to MN this is a frequent occurance.

I personally hate the way they get wedged into every advert on social media and telly. Saw an advert for Y-food. Nothing to do with dogs - but lo and behold end of advert she gets up from a desk and a dog is wedged underneath. Just why? I do not want to look at an ugly mutt.
I get it in cleaning adverts - if it gets a dog owners house clean it can get anything clean - but every advert is unnecessary.

I adore my dog, I'm sure I have in the past spoken about him too much in one conversation, and I'm not above posting a pic of him on my insta on the regular.
I do take him to the odd pub lunch, but it's not somewhere we take him a lot.

The only shop he's ever stepped foot in is a pet shop, I don't take him on the school run, I wouldn't take him in to a child's play park, or anywhere else that a dog is permitted.

I like to think I'm a well balanced owner though.

I do think that being strongly anti dog is the new 'edgy' personality trait

Yabu because you have a cat, I'm plagued with cat pictures from dd, driving me mad!

At least dogs can go places, cats just ignore you and go next door

100% OP.

I keep getting killed for saying on here that we need to treat dogs like dogs again, it's really not doing them any good to be treated like we treat humans.

Treating humans that way is leading us down an evolutionary black hole where we are paradoxically dependent on our own complex interventions to be alive where every other species manages just fine without clothes, special diet food derived from dubious sources, pharmaceutical and medical interventions for normal human behaviour like having an emotion or a stomach ache, temperature-controlled shelters, etc, so why are we doing it to another animal? It's cruel!

They should live outside in a kennel, be walked 1-2 times a day, left to roam in the garden or a dog run the rest of the time, fed normal dog food, and we should stop purpose breeding them into genetic bin fires that are dependent on our medical interventions to survive with any quality of life. And they're not a child! They need dog stuff that they're not getting because they're getting this bollocks instead.

Grrrr. I don't think it's what Mesolithic man envisioned when he domesticated the first dog.

I agree. Recently had conversation with a friend who has just bought a (no garden) flat where they aren't allowed dogs (maybe any pets?) She's suddenly decided she needs a dog so has asked the other owners if the rules can be changed. They've said no and she's outraged. They're selfish apparently and she might just get one anyway despite it not being allowed. I said that I would have said no too (noise really carries in the flats so not sure I could cope with any barking) and that makes me awful too apparently.

Dogs are better than children HTH

Hahahaha I cannot object too much to this because he is very cute and I definitely invited this by posting the thread. I love their ears!

You can absolutely love dogs and not want one I have no time to commit to a dog therefore I did not buy one why does that mean I love dogs less than other people if anything I love them more because I recognise the commitment and the sheer hard work it can be and know I can't do it

The problem these days is absolutely dog owners demanding you must love dogs like they do or your an awful person and clearly a dog hater 🙄

went for lunch in a nice pub - very remote, no alternatives - and the built in window seating has a dog sitting on it with its bumhole on the velour.

Anyway my Charlie bear would probably eat any dog I had the audacity to bring home

leave the bastard obviously, and then live happily ever after with your cats. The end. 😂 Or just leave people be if that’s what cheers them up.

Oh Lord, I so agree with you. My dearly departed rescue was well loved and cared for but he was a pet. I didn’t expect to take him everywhere nor think everyone should be interested in him. And I see so many people doing crazy things. Like putting thick coats on dogs with perfectly good coats of their own. Not able to leave their dog in the house on its own. Paying someone £20 to let their dog run around. And employing wacky dog behaviourists who insist you stick to a weird exercise schedule or else your dog will be sad. People are running themselves ragged to keep their dogs happy. They must think we’re nuts!

@TheLostOnes thats a lot of the problem now though isn’t it? Dog owners now just want instant gratification with no thought to the next 10+ years and everything that comes with that. There needs to be tighter controls

👀

I feel the same about kids (& I have 1!) here’s Jonny next to the fire
here’s Jonny in Y1
here’s Jonny with his Xmas Pjs on
Jonny on his bike, at the park, etc

Too much of anything is boring but I tire more quickly with kids stuff than dogs. Apart from my own child of course.

This is it - it's the entitlement of it and the judgement if I dare complain that annoys me.

Why should I have to go find another class. I've been going there for years. I'd have to drive miles to another class because its the only one near me. Why when it's actually a little bit disgusting to have a tiny poorly trained puppy in an exercise environment anyway, when attendees are often lying all over the floor. Some attendees may be nervous around dogs. We are paying customers, but somehow I know we would be met by offense if we expressed it.

And that's the issue - dogs have become this massive deal in recent years, akin to human babies. They're in cafes, bars, literally everyone's house jumping up at visitors... and no one is allowed to say a word because they're the owners 'babies'. Except they're not - they're dogs