Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think dogs are unhygienic

218 replies

bottomsup12 · 18/02/2024 11:05

I know it sounds judgey but hear me out..

DH would love a dog and I do love the idea of having one when I see them out and about it seems really nice and fun having a dog as a companion. I absolutely love other people's dogs!

However when I get down to the nitty gritty of thinking about the actual reality of having a dog in the house it gives me the ick because...

  • I hate dog poo and I don't want to pick any of it up in the garden (DH says he will but I just know this will be slack and I'll end up stepping in it)
  • they're butts are just there out in the open and it will be sitting on the floor maybe even the furniture (have a baby so I don't want him crawling around where the dogs arse has been after a horrible dog poo!
  • I think they all smell bad! And I don't want me or the house to stink!
  • they lick everything on the floor outside and lick things in the house which makes me wince.
  • they obviously walk barefoot outside treading in all sorts of shit and the streets are filthy and they'd be walking all around the house and furniture with these gross dirty feet.
  • the hairs would be everywhere

I just can't get past all of that but I feel I am being unfair on DH who really wants one and grew up having them in the house

OP posts:
LemonLight · 18/02/2024 12:40

Yanbu. I have a dog whom I love (technically he's my husband's dog) but never ever again will I have another one. They are disgusting. Love them. But they are disgusting.

positivesliceofpie · 18/02/2024 12:44

I like pets but would never want one.
I can smell dogs like a non-smoker can smell smoke.
Rank.

SlowStartSundays · 18/02/2024 12:45

I love dogs but you shouldn’t get a dog feeling how you do about the hygiene side of them. You will find it stressful as you will constantly be worrying about that instead of enjoying life with a dog.

BringItOnxxx · 18/02/2024 12:47

I think it's easier if you keep the dog downstairs only?

RatatouillePie · 18/02/2024 12:48

We have 2 dogs. They're GROSS.

They belong to DH as I'm not a dog person, but it is usually me that ends up cleaning up the house due to all the mud and fur they deposit.

And don't get me started about how they use the carpet to itch their bums sometimes. 😫

But without a dog my DH would be a miserable git so we have to have a dog.

Tagyoureit · 18/02/2024 12:49

I don't mind dogs but will never ever get one for the reasons you've listed and I'm aware of how much of a responsibility they are!

Plus they lick their own bums and then lick everything including people 🤢

Cherrysoup · 18/02/2024 12:51

You’re not wrong, OP, they’re pretty disgusting. I’ve just put a clean cover on their bed and one went on it with wet paws, instant filth. One sleeps on my chair which is now stained and disgusting. One went upstairs yesterday and left dirt on the stairs. The depth of dust is disgusting, the floors are a disgrace. Saying that, I wouldn’t be without them and they love their cuddles. I have to change before I go to work every morning!

MixedPeel27 · 18/02/2024 13:03

My dogs do all of those things, yes, and more.

Eat fox poo
Eat anything they can find tbh
Dribble saliva all over the place
Snore loudly
Spit their food out of their bowls onto the floor before they eat it
Hair gets everywhere, even inside cupboards and drawers. Everywhere.

I adore them and we embrace the chaos and filth. I clean what I can as we go along but my house is not as clean as it used to be and I'm fine with that.

You'd go mad trying to stop all of this happening so if it worries you please don't get a dog.

Devonshiregal · 18/02/2024 13:04

just Wait til your kid is older - not crawling hands on floor, putting everything in its mouth and able to not piss a dog off by pulling its tail. Simple

AffIt · 18/02/2024 13:05

I grew up with dogs, but they were working dogs and lived outside (apart from the odd favourite who had 'indoor privileges', but strictly kitchen / TV room only).

I'll be honest, I do find the idea of dogs on the bed or even in the house all the time a bit unpleasant. Don't get me started on people who let their dogs lick their faces...

However, dogs are amazing companions and neither my siblings or cousins or I ever, to the best of my knowledge, ever got ill as a result of being around dogs.

But tbh, I don't think it sounds like you want a dog, so I don't think you should get one. Has your OH looked into things like Borrow My Doggy? All the fun, none of the responsibilities!

Tumbleweed101 · 18/02/2024 13:08

If you have a baby and don't really want one I'd definitely be asking your husband to wait and reconsider until the timing is better.

Not all dog breeds have a strong smell. In our family we have a lurcher, Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Welsh collie and German shepherd (not all in same house!). The collie and German Shepherd have the strongest doggy smell and the lurcher is barely noticeable. I think it depends a lot on coat types.

Dogfisher · 18/02/2024 13:10

Don't get a dog OP.

ImNotReallySpartacus · 18/02/2024 13:10

You are not wrong.

Moro93 · 18/02/2024 13:13

Itscatsallthewaydown · 18/02/2024 11:14

Dog owners’ houses often are a bit smelly (often they just can’t smell if any more). The ‘my dogs are better than your kids’ nutcases will be along any minute though.

I actually think the same about cat owner’s houses.

Floralsofa · 18/02/2024 13:15

I have a dog, I wish I didn't and we won't have another, he is well cared for and will live out his life with us as that's only fair for him, my DH had him before we met.

I hate the smell so have to wash him weekly, wash his bedding weekly, carpet shampoo the carpet every 3 months. I have to hoover more often, dust more often, he puts his bum on the floor and twirls around (regularly wormed) and gets poo marks on the carpet. It's an extra cost when we go away and I hate dog walking in the rain. I have two young children, maybe if they were older I wouldn't feel so strongly.

He isn't even a difficult dog, he is short haired, doesn't moult and is well behaved, but never again.

Moro93 · 18/02/2024 13:18

OP, if you don’t want a dog, don’t get one. It would sense you didn’t like it. However, the reasons you listed sound more like you’re a bit OCD about cleaning rather than it being specifically about dogs.

I feel sorry for your DH, though. I grew up with dogs and couldn’t imagine not having one now. I also feel like your child/children will miss out. So for those reasons I’d say YABU.

BewitchedorBewildered · 18/02/2024 13:19

Your DH will get over it. Do not get a dog. It would be very unfair to the animal to end up in your home. Let it go to someone who will love it.

TubeScreamer · 18/02/2024 13:24

Don’t get a dog. It wouldn’t be fair to do so given how you feel about them.

DontBeAPrickDarren · 18/02/2024 13:24

You’re not wrong OP! We have one, we are not remotely houseproud and rarely have visitors so dog basically has the run of the place and that’s fine with us. But yes, hair everywhere, mucky paw prints…..don’t think anyone has mentioned anal glands yet either? 🤢

But we do love the big hairy beast.

FunkyMonks · 18/02/2024 13:26

I love dogs my parents had them when me and my brother were younger growing up but now I'm older and have my own house my own DCs we have a cat and he's an indoor cat and not so messy but still
Mess from him like fur on windowsills cat food
Clean up cat poo to clean out of his litter and I defiantly wouldn't have a dog thankfully my DH is the same as me loves dogs but just don't want one I don't want my house to reek of dog the dog fur constantly cleaning up mess out in the garden ruins your grass as well were they pee etc so you end up with patches where it doesn't grow back.

And those that say they don't stink are kidding themselves or they've become nose blind because you can instantly smell dog in someone's home no amount of cleaning or air fresheners disguise that distinct dog smell.
Even bathing them etc.

I would say don't get a dog if you're both not on board it's not fair on the animal.

BreatheAndFocus · 18/02/2024 13:33

I try not to let my dog poo in the garden. He poos on walks, I pick it up and put it in a dog bin. Remember that there’ll be other animals poo in your garden potentially. Cats are a particularly nuisance for that but there are also things like seagulls and other birds, foxes, hedgehogs, etc.

Not all dogs moult. I’d bet you wouldn’t find a single dog hair in my house because mine’s a non-moulting breed and - to my surprise - genuinely doesn’t moult at all.

His bumhole is never dirty. If he were to be ill, I’d wash his rear end (wearing gloves) but it’s once in a blue moon. Although people don’t walk around with bare bumholes, a surprising number don’t wash their hands after visiting the toilet. They also pick their noses and then touch things in the house or out and about, which you then touch.

There are so many breeds of dogs to choose from. But, in all honesty, you sound like you dislike dogs so it wouldn’t be fair to the dog to get one now. Why not spend some time with some carefully chosen dogs? Not gallumphing monsters whose owners let them frolic in the bog and then run straight into the house, but more urban pet dogs who are clean and who don’t put mud in the house.

DancefloorAcrobatics · 18/02/2024 13:36

I find all this ‘immune’ system stuff a bit odd. What do they do to the immune system?

Because with a pet in the home, you have a constant barrage of bacteria, mold spores and other micro oraganisems that are often not present in a clinically clean home.
Your immune system will recognise and fight these, before you actually get ill wherever you are.

Globe22 · 18/02/2024 13:41

My dog is always pleased to see me unlike the teenagers in the house 🤣

BeadedBubbles · 18/02/2024 13:50

I love dogs, grew up with them and currently have 3. Was up at 3am today cleaning up dog vomit from the corner of the bedroom, one of our dogs eats her own poo, they pick up tics on walks etc etc. I absolutely wouldn't be without them. And yes our house smells of dog - but it's one of my favourite smells.

But ... I wouldn't have a dog with a baby. Certainly wouldn't want a baby crawling on the same floor that a dog had been rolling around and dribbling on. And wouldn't want the faff of trying to maintain separate areas.

I absolutely wouldn't have a dog with a toddler or small child. You either have a long-suffering dog who puts up with pulling and poking, or you have a child that gets warning nips, or possibly worse. You can't watch them all the time.

Finally I wouldn't have a dog if it was going to be left alone for long periods of time. It's not fair on the dog. You mention that you work so would that be the same for you if your dh also works?

redalex261 · 18/02/2024 13:51

Dogs can be a hassle (I have two) but they are so rewarding, especially for kids. As said upthread they are no more germy than kids if well trained. Wipe their feet as they come in. Choose a less casting breed. Have wooden floors. Lifting the dog poop - is horrendous at first, but I can only say one become acclimatised to it! (bit like the nappy change journey….) However please don't agree if you have doubts especially if your partner is likely to leave you to deal with work.