It's a bloody dog!

[MammaKel]

Ugh, I didn't realise how batshit crazy people were about their "furbabies."

We went to a family gathering yesterday where SIL and BIL and their DDog were - they don't have kids, and DDog is their baby but omg.

I could get past the calling each other mummy and daddy, calling my in laws grandma and grandpa and telling my kids he was their fur cousin and showing us pictures of taking him to see " Santa Paws" but there were two instances that genuinely made me cringe a bit ..

We were exchanging gifts, and they asked me where DDogs were, I laughed because I thought they were joking, but nope, totally serious and was upset he'd be left out, so I apologised (for some reason) and moved on very quickly..

The next one was that the dog was getting a bit agitated, and they said he was tired and getting a bit cranky, so they were leaving so he could have a nap..

I'm mostly being light-hearted, and I'm an animal lover (have 4 cats), but I just didn't realise how far it went AIBU or is this just the norm now?

Bit of an overreaction. Touched a nerve did I?

The PP asked if you'd feel the same if it was human ashes she'd brought.

I didn't put my dogs ashes on the Christmas table but that doesn't mean I would be concerned by someone who did want to, be the human or dog or otherwise. That is how they feel they need to process the grief. That's fine. They aren't hurting anyone.

The whole dog-mum/ fur baby thing is just nuts to me.

A friend hosted a huge (very expensive) "pawty" for her dog for its birthday recently and invited us along. The whole thing was off the wall bonkers. Same couple also took it to see Santa paws too followed up with whole albums on fb of said Santa visit and posts on the dogs instagram (yep... has its own insta). I mean wtf... the dog doesn't know what Santa is or that it's even Christmas!?!

I'm also tired of dog-mums comparing their dog to my kids and baby. It's not the same. It's just not. Puppies are tough, I know that well, but it's still not the same as a child and all the emotions and hormones that are thrown into the mix!

Because IT'S BATSHIT

Why? Who decides what is considered "batshit"?

How does it affect you? If it bothers you that much, then you are the one with the problem, not the dog owner.

I don’t see problem with either of those. My dog loves presents, and they have to buy presents for your children so onyl seems fair.
my dog also gets tired and over excited so needs to sleep. They are just doing what is best for their dog.

Yes, I probably would criticise someone for bringing the ashes of a dead child to a Christmas celebration with family f their soon to be daughter in law they’ve never met before. That behaviour would be cause for concern and I’d empathise and advise they speak to someone probably.
Just inappropriate there’s other ways to remember and include animals on Christmas.

@TerroristToddler "Pawty' 😭🤣

These are probably the same people who get annoyed if you say Mam or Mom instead of Mum, or vice versa. Makes no difference to their lives at all what name someone uses for any relationship they have, be it for their children or their dog or the random woman over the road.

My dog also received gifts from many people in our family, including those who don’t have a dog. They must just be nice people who recognize what is important to me instead of judging their family for loving their dog

We're Mum & Dad to our pets, we always have been, my parents were Gran & Gramps. It's always said in a jokey way; believe it or not, I don't actually imagine that I have ever given birth to puppies and kittens. I am, nonetheless, their provider, their primary caregiver and they are my family. We have two vets in the family and guess what? They refer to their pets as the furbabies 😆 Because they love them. I doubt they'd be widely classified as mentally ill for doing so, they'd be more likely referred to as being dedicated.

I do call my pup baby when I talk to her, it's a term of endearment. Some people call their adult partner baby, so what's the difference? We also refer to her as "The Childe". It's not because we literally think of her as a child, or because we couldn't have babies of our own, but is simply because it amuses us to refer to her in that way. She is not treated like a baby but she is an important member of the family. So if I want to say I'm her mum, I will and I don't really care what anyone thinks because she is my dog and it is my choice.

This is a mean-spirited and unnecessary thread. The nice thing to do would have been to say to the family members that you'd remember to bring their dog a gift next year. It wouldn't have hurt you to do that. But instead you chose to come on MN and publicly ridicule them for loving their pet. You call them "batshit crazy" then say you're being light-hearted when the comments here are anything but.

None of my comments have been hateful, I can't comment on others as I didn't post them.

I can post what I want. It's anonymous, and there's enough paw parents that it's not outing or anything of the sorts.

I apologised to the dog. I'm still not getting it a birthday or Christmas present.

You can love your dog as much as you want, but involving other people to indulge it is weird and unnecessary.

Weird in your opinion. Clearly not weird to your family members who did it.

There's probably things you do that they think are weird. Ask yourself how you'd feel if you found out they were calling you batshit on a public forum, for something that meant a lot to you.

Think he was a bit hacked off he didn't get the gravy to go with the turkey. Glad your cats enjoyed Christmas.

To all the people on this thread who think it is 'Batshit' that some owners refer to themselves as mummy and daddy, I have a question.

Would you prefer to live next door to such neurotic individuals who refer to themselves as mummy and daddy to their pet, or would you prefer to live next door to someone who beats the fuck out of their pet, hearing the screams and not being able to do anything?

Now I have moved the goalposts @Housebuyingfamily

I've spent a fortune on other people's kids over the years. It didn't hurt them to buy a bloody catnip mouse or two!

It really wouldn't bother me. People are allowed to have opinions and discussions.

It's an anonymous forum with people who agree and disagree. It's not that serious and has been pretty entertaining.

People are allowed to have a moan and groan about non issues.

You're saying it's weird in my opinion and not theirs however there's a lot of things people do (including with animals) that is weird and inappropriate and just because they think it's okay doesn't mean it is however on this topic it's just an agree to disagree, it's not hurting anyone.

I think it’s quite sweet.
They shouldn’t have been annoyed about the lack of presents for the dogs, but as for the rest, each to their own. They aren’t hurting anybody.

It’s cringy and weird and yes, can lead to problems. I think it blurs the line of responsibility - dog owners need to train and discipline appropriately, and know they are always pets and second to humans - they are not equal. I’ve worked with people who can’t come in today ‘because the dog sitter hasn’t arrived’ ‘they have to go to the vet’ etc. and been upset to be told no dice.

And when they die! Anyone knows full well you will outlive any pet when you take them on, blurring that line of owner/parent is a massive mistake, no Claire, you don’t get bereavement leave for a shitzpoo. The level of grief is screwing people up. It should not be like losing a child.

Ive had a dog, and a load of cats - they are pets, I don’t know or care when their birthday is (and neither do they), they have no idea what Christmas is. They have a great life and I enjoy being their owner.

I bloody love my dogs and we call them our son and daughter and buy them gifts as do my parents - jokey silly things. But I also respect that they are strong powerful animals and need to be trained and handled correctly and for that reason when I can see that a situation has the potential to overwhelm them I take them home. I don’t allow them to be alone with children and nor would I allow any child to ever hug climb or grab at them we encourage respectful distance and gentleness. In a way I do treat them like a small baby - I wouldn’t let children be alone with a baby nor would I let them hug climb over or grab at a baby and I would take a baby home when it was getting fractious. So in that way yes I fully treat my dogs like babies 42 teeth and 291psi bite strength tells me that this is necessary

Yes, you can be as nutty as you like 👍

Both can be true?

People can refer to themselves as an animals "mummy" or "daddy" and still neglect and abuse them ( whether it's indirectly or on purpose).

My sister has a dog who is their absolute world, their baby and they do all the novelty things with him and I totally appreciate he’s their baby.

He is also a yappy, untrained, nippy little shit. He isn’t invited to family Christmas or gatherings and they would never assume he was as he winds up my mum and dads dog and cannot behave, he goes to his grandpawrents if they’re coming to us. Whereas if they had a wild, untrained, unruly child, they’d still be invited, as they’re a child, not a dog. And there absolutely is a difference.

I walked out of the office when my cat had to go to the emergency vet. When he was PTS I didn't go in, I said I was going to work from home. He'd been with me 15 years and I'm not cold enough to just crack on with work.