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?

Not fur cousin, no. Just cousin. HTH 😁

I'm glad some people have understood my thread.

If I'm honest, I don't think they're bad dog owners. There's times like this, and them insisting the dog goes everywhere with them as he has separation anxiety - this thread has reminded me we went to a restaurant in summer and they brought him and he was barking away so the pub owner asked them to remove him from the pub as others were complaining so they put him in the car (it wasn't a hot day or anything so he was safe) and was complaining about it the whole time, didn't understand why we weren't asked to leave when our kid was crying (because of the barking!) But they bought the dog a plate of beef or something to make it up to him haha which is all harmless really.

He's not a designer breed he's a resue and he's not badly behaved he just has bad manners like he barks alot, on that day of the gathering he was following people round begging for food, jumping up but he's not aggressive, just a silly bugger really and I know they do walk him and look after him and wouldn't say otherwise.

Although this thread has helped, I was being a bit of a stick in the mud and being a bit pissy so next year the kids can pick out a present for their fur cousin haha but seriously we'll get him a present and some treats. It'll make them happy, and that's all that matters.

Better get the cats something as well, or face the wrath of the furry vengeance.

My dog’s skinnanna and skingrandad are furbaby sitting tonight.

@MammaKel a very reasonable and balanced response OP! Sounds like a good plan

Presuming that 'person' you are 'telling' the dog to go to has a Christian name might that not be a more mature, sane and normal alternative to use?! 🙄

A much loved dog of ours died a few years ago and while it took a while to stop getting visibly emotional about it there is no way in this world that I feel the same grief for the loss of Teddy than I do for the death of my Mum in 2013, just not comparable. 🙄
I understand your need to encourage your DD to 'bond' with the dog but there has to be a better way than misleading her into believing that the dog has cognitive abilities it patently does not nor ever could have? I don't know her age but this could lead to difficult situations and possible danger due to DD's expectations of what the dog is capable of...Honesty concerning animal behaviour is ALWAYS the best and safest policy! 😱

Who decides what is mature, sane and normal though? No two people will have the same opinion of what that is.

Hmmmm. Does Santa Claus exist? Hands up if you tell your children the presents are brought by Santa... Or is that misleading them into believing something that cannot possibly happen....🤔

It might have escaped your notice but a dog is a real entity and Santa/Father Christmas is not!! 🙄
Sorry but that point of view must be considered simply scraping the bottom of the barrel when desperately casting around for any justification of your bizarre and frankly worrying opinion? 😥

It’s the couple with the annoying dog who are making the dog/baby/child equation and over-involving it in family events. They probably think because they want to be there, so does the dog.

Before you had children, were you never around those who had them and would not stop talking about them? You could be talking about nuclear physics and they would find a way to work the baby's latest antics into the conversation? A little annoying.

Same people only they have a dog instead of a child.

Cut them some slack. Maybe they can't have children due to problems or just their situation.

Learn to read. I said this was not the dog. It's a different animal and she thinks he doesn't like her, so we wrote one tag as if the present was from him to make her feel better about it.

She's 3. It's no different at this age than presents from Santa (although from your posts I imagine you disagree with that kind of fun too). I've grown up with dogs and other animals, she has never known life without animals in it, and only recently without a dog in the house. She's actually got a very natural way with dogs, she's the only child the neighbours dog will go near, that dogs scared of my neighbours grandchildren but not my DD. We obviously do all the "safety" stuff, never unsupervised, explaining the warning signs, explaining they're not the same as people etc. But to us, they are family.

I have grieved dogs more than some family members because they quite simply were better parts of my life. I haven't at any point suggested the grief would be worse than one of my parents. But it's big grief. And you don't get to say whether that is right for anyone other than yourself. Or whether that's sane or normal. You can speak for yourself, but I will feel how I feel about my dogs or any other animals I have in my family. And it will be normal for me.

Fuck me that’s creepy! Skin nanna???

I could have written this about my family members! My son was shouted at for throwing a screwed up bit of wrapping paper and it hit the dog, not hard. I must add.
In previous years, the dog has been sat on their knee for Christmas dinner, helping eat the dinner (I cooked) off their plate!
I love animals, before kids I had a dog I adored but this behaviour is a whole other level! It's not good for the dog either. It has terrible anxiety.

WTF, hope this is a joke post,(can never tell on here nowadays!)
That is a horrendous term!
Well creepy.

I can read very well and I did realise that the dog you were talking about grieving for was not the present dog, I just didn't feel that was a relevant point of the issue so don't know why you're making a thing of it?
I have nothing against fun and find it amusing that you would think it appropriate to accuse me of that, I have reread my comments and as far as I can see nowhere does it indicate that I am anti 'fun'?
Think you might have a problem with perception as telling a child that a dog has personally given them a present is no different to the existence of Santa Claus is a massive stretch and not sure how it correlates with your further re 'safety stuff' comment explaining to DD that 'they're not the same as people'?!🙄

Again, it is not a dog. It's an entirely different species of animal. Please do consider a refresher on your reading comprehension.

I was buying my DC presents from the cats on Tuesday ( got a nice hairbrush for DD ) they just (psychically obvs) told me to "put a tenner in an envelope for our big brother from both of us "

No thought planning, made me do the work and little cheapskates to book.
This was after DH and I did our Christmas donation to Cat Protection League .

I suppose SkinNanna is opposite to FurBaby ? .....
It;s not a term I'd hurry to use .

My DD calls me "SheDevil" to the animals when she talks about me .

It's what her guinea-pigs called me . My guinea-pigs were more polite .

I think buying presents for pets is a little odd. They, the animals, have no concept of gifts. But if you as an owner enjoy it why not?
What crosses the line for me is expecting other people to buy for your pets. If folks want to, again, fine, of course.
But maybe some pet owners should be more aware that not everyone treats pets as children.
I loved my cats dearly, but never bought them gifts at Christmas.
They'd only have played with the packaging anyway!

Well said.
You can absolutely dote on your dog, call them furbaby or whatever... and still take good care of them.

It's dreadful isn't it. They're shameless in their contempt for us.

LTBs😁

Ahhh , I cannot leave them , they fill the house with love and my carpets with fur

Well, that was quite the drip feed 😂

You have no idea how excited I get when I use the (new present to me from me ) Shark Stratos vacuum and it fills the cannister with their fur .

I am easily pleased .