To think that people who don’t like pets shouldn’t be judged as “cold”?

[ByMellowScroller]

Not everyone loves animals, yet people think it’s a red flag. AIBU to think it’s just personal preference and nothing more?

When we are saying 'pets', we are really meaning cats and dogs aren't we? Not pet sheep, pet ponies, pet pigs etc etc, which live in a field or yard? Or chickens which are pets and yet lay eggs for us to eat?

Lots of people don't like cats or dogs because they don't like having them in their faces. Do they have the same reaction to people who keep a Shetland pony in the paddock? Or two hand reared lambs that are now whopping great sheep in the garden?

Why are dog lovers the best people?

I'm going back to the Dog House

Who the fuck is keeping a pet sheep? I think that's several layers more disturbing than having a cat. What's the point, unless you're planning to eat it?

It would be a red flag for me in friendships and relationships, as I have pets. 🤷‍♀️ I don’t care if people don’t want pets themselves, I totally get that - it’s a big responsibility. But if they actively dislike animals, or if there’s any chance they’ll be uptight and shitty about my cats, they’re certainly not coming round to my house, and we probably wouldn’t get on anyway.

What nonsense.

There's a hell of a difference between having no feelings for other living creatures to not wanting a pet.

I've got no desire whatsoever to have a pet. I did however drive an hour to a bird sanctuary with an injured bird I'd found in my garden. I dont mind other people's dogs etc I just don't want one of my own. It DOESNT make me a bad person

I love animals and creatures, I just don’t like the concept of domesticating animals. It goes against my morals. I also don’t visit zoos. I can’t bear to see any animal in a cage.

It's true though. Dog owners' homes smell of dog. What's wrong with pointing out that many of us like animals, but don't want to share our homes with any, one big reason being hygiene and the smell?

I just take people as I find them, most of the people that I know who don’t have animals are quite cold and unemotional

Oh ffs what a ridiculous statement.

So some halfwit that has a dangerous dog is a warmer more emotional person than someone who has no pets.

What about people that have pets but don't look after them properly are they still a better person than someone who knows their limits and doesn't have one

What about people who'd love a pet but either for health or housing reasons can't have one?? What category do they fit into

Honestly, that’s nonsense. The only thing dog lovers have in common is loving dogs. I’m assuming about twenty people will already have repeated that Hitler was a devoted dog owner throughout his life.

I love my dogs so much , can't say It's because I want to control them , I have older children I don't think I had them to control them either!
I have horses , dogs , cats and a rabbit , I've reared sheep that were kept as pets and also pigs , I adore pigs and if I had a farm I would
Absolutely have some.
I am vegan , I get told I'm a fake vegan for having pets and for letting my kids eat meat .. it's their choice what they want to eat , my views are my own.
I think you like what you like and I'd prefer it if people in my life like animals , but I chose mine not other people so yet again they have the right to choose what they do and don't like

It depends on the reason. Some people just culturally haven't been exposed to certain pets or have had trauma from an incident with a pet when they were young.

However, I have quite often noticed a correlation between those that don't like dogs (it doesn't normally extend to cats) and extreme cleanliness and precision in their dressing etc which can tend toward OCD. While I'll be friends with them, it's definitely a red flag for living with or dating them. I wouldn't describe them as 'cold', more uptight.

I am against the whole concept of pets.

They are bad for the environment.
They are responsible for millions of other animal deaths.
I also don't like the concept of controlling these animals. going against their natural instincts to be with their own species, run in packs, mate as they wish. Pet owners see fit to curtail all that, put a leash on their dogs and lord it over them. I find that so repulsive.

To own a meat-eating pet is the OPPOSITE of being an animal lover.

The vast majority of pet owners who declare themselves animal lovers, eat meat.

I am vegan. I am anti pet. I love wildlife. I think we should respect animals by leaving them alone.

As do you - turn up on many dog threads.

How long have you been vegan?

The people who say this tend to have been hurt horribly by their fellow humans.
Animals show no malice or bitchiness.

Not all of them, some of them are awful, but the people I connect with best have dogs.

Maybe it’s the lifestyle, or the fact that they appreciate how awesome dogs are rather than just talking about the smell or the shit. The pure joy of being out with a dog who is loving life, or who runs to the door and is happy to see you whatever is going on, or snuggles up to you if you’re feeling unwell. If you’re not a dog lover, you just don’t get that.

@IfOnlyTheyWent

Here you go!

I absolutely love animals, I am just not a pet person. I like outdoor animals. I just don't feel the need to own or anthropormorphise an animal.
I believe that animals should be allowed to be animals and we have responsibility for their environment and welfare. And people are people.

I am British, and I agree with you.

It IS about control, and it is about companionship, because many of these people can't or don't want to put the effort in to maintaining human relationships, and a dumb animal is the best they can manage - it doesn't answer back, it doesn't require a level of relationship the owner would have to have with another human. They are co-dependent, and I find it sad for all parties.

Oh please!

I know someone who has 3 pet sheep. They have names, and their own personalities. She has clicker trained them to do things like give a paw (or hoof).

My late grandad had a pet cow. She died in her 20s.

Exactly. I agree with this and many other pp. My boyfriend is a vegan because he cares about animals that much . However he does not want to own a pet and indeed is not comfortable with the idea of dog ownership and even gets irritated by the way his parents treat their dog (like a grandchild) but it’s clear he is more of an animal lover than the average person (me included) who will eat the meat of animals which have often not had a very nice life in the industrial farms we have.

And I hate people acting like
not liking dogs is the same as not liking animals. There are other animals! I’m not keen on dogs or any pets actually, but I love wild animals such as elephants for example and I foster one annually through an ethical elephant sanctuary.

This is a nation of pet lovers, not animal lovers.

How does that explain people who have both kids and pets?

I feel this. I enjoy interacting with other people's pets, I love wildlife documentaries and animals in nature. But I very much do not want pets. We've had a few over the years for the DC and they were a chore, and the guilt I had from them being a chore and not a joy was immense. I have dog walked/pet sat for friends and family when asked, and that always reinforced it for me, they are a lot of work, and my car and clothes stink, and picking up dog shit makes me gag. I have so much going on looking after my children that the idea of adding in a vulnerable thing I need to keep alive that needs feeding and toileting/cleaning out, flea/mite treating, grooming and health appointments just sounds far too much for me. I visit a lot of homes in my line of work and while I enjoy making a fuss of their pets, I can't deny I notice the smell, barking, hair, sometimes flea bites etc and wonder how on earth so many people commit to it. Sometimes I lie and say I don't have pets because my children have allergies, because it's more socially acceptable to say having babies isn't for you than admitting you aren't a cat person or you regretted getting guinea pigs.