To not like dogs

[lookpar]

Awkward subject, but I recently was in a social group and everyone except me was bonding over their love of dogs and I just knew I had to keep quiet but of how socially unacceptable it is to dislike them.

I’m not scared of them, I haven’t had any majorly horrible experiences to make me hate dogs. I just simply don’t like them. I would never find a dog cute, I think they make your home smelly and dirty, having to walk them and look after them just seems like a form of personal torture I don’t know why anyone would want that. But I could NEVER say that thought out loud I would be crucified!

Also, another thing I’ve noticed is, it’s a certain demographic of people who seem to be obsessed with their dogs, people without kids, or older people whose kids have moved out. I may be wrong but it’s like this need to mother something/someone.

But anyway, I know dog lovers will come for me that’s fine I just genuinely want to know, why is it such a problem for dog lovers when someone else doesn’t like them?

I have kids, and when someone says they don’t want kids or don’t like them I don’t then judge them and start scrutinising them, I sort of agree lol! (Obviously love my own)

Thread no. 1,876 on the same subject.

This is the topic du jour on Mumsnet today and it's frankly getting a bit old now.

YANBU to not like dogs. YABU to start a slightly goady thread inviting more dog disapproval knowing its so divisive.

I'm much more of a cat person than a dog person and I can take or leave them but I do think the anti-dog propaganda on here and the endless threads expressing disapproval of their presence in cafes etc is neurotic and tedious.

I agree with many of your sentiments, but I disagree with your right to post another thread on this topic.

I could have written your exact same post replacing ‘dog’ with ‘kids’. Including groups of people who bond over discussing their children, discuss little else but in this case they do judge and treat you like a pariah for not having any.

People like different things…

I don't like dogs and that's never been a problem with any of the very many dog lovers in my life.

I appreciate how much their dogs mean to them and can see how much they love them. They talk about their dogs of course but it's not like they go on about it and of course I wouldn't wax lyrical about how much I hate dogs when I'm around them. That would be absurdly rude.

The people I know don't fit your stereotype either.

I feel like you're trying to make a problem out of nothing here.

You like what you like.

No-one else gives a shit.

This…..

It’s more socially acceptable to say you don’t like dogs than it is to say you don’t like a certain type of person.

Meh, people don't like some things, it's not really that interesting. It's not the done thing to say how much you hate something when everyone is discussing it though - this would be the case if it were football, love island, or gary barlow.

Just move the conversation on - you're an adult, you should know how this works by now?

I hate dogs, and I hate people who hate children. I think that covers it.

Also, lots of families have dogs it's not just the demographics you describe. I had a dog as a child and throughout most of my adult life. I am now retired with no children in the house but I haven't always been like that.

Yes, no one on MN has ever admitted to hating dogs.

I have kids and a dog so outside your demographic but I do love my dog. It is a lot of time committed to walking and hoovering. Pretty sure I could knit another dog from the hoover bag. I do think dogs are good for mental health but it’s a personal preference though. Running for example seems absolutely bonkers to me but lots of people go on about how good it is for you and how positive it makes them feel to get up at the crack of dawn and go for a run. I’d rather have an extra half hour of sleep and a coffee. Surely you just smile, nod and move on?

I loathe cats. (Yes, don't @ me!)

'Things other people's cats do' is possibly the most tedious topic of conversation known to humankind (that and 'the dream I had last night' )

And yet.... people I love, love cats. So I tolerate their feline fables. I listen indulgently to tales of Tiddle's latest escapade because it gives those people I like pleasure, and it's not such an inconvenience to me, really. At least I don't have to own one of the mangy things.

YABU on the comment on certain demographic

not like that at all, that’s what you notice

OP - do you like any pets, so it’s just dogs, or do you not particularly “get” wanting to own an animal /have a non-human in your home?

I think it's just as well some of us don't see the appeal as the number of dogs in the country just seems to increase. Veganism is on the rise but we won't be able to reclaim any land for food or wildlife if we are still consuming just as much meat, but just give it to the carnivores we invite into the home!

I think an imbalance of carnivore and herbivore poo in the countryside probably affects the balance of bugs and bacteria. I'm sure that's why annoying flies do better than they should in a biodiversity crisis.

I realise dogs have been man's best friend for millennia. I suppose it's another problem of overpopulation.

This is the topic du jour on Mumsnet today and it's frankly getting a bit old now.

Oh, I'm sure we'll have plenty of immigrant/disabled/Labour bashing threads along soon enough. The kids have only just got up.

I have less than no interest in football but don't expect people not to bond over their shared love of it when I'm around. I just let it wash over me. Suggest you learn this skill

You’re being ridiculous. You didn’t have to keep quiet because it’s socially unacceptable to dislike dogs, you kept quiet because it’s socially unacceptable to come in on a discussion where people are sharing their love of something and announce your negative feelings on the subject. They weren’t having a debate, they were bonding over shared feelings, and you had nothing to contribute so politely kept quiet.

I is perfectly acceptable to dislike dogs.

Society needs children to sustain it in the long run.

Society does not need dogs.

Nobody gives a shit if you like dogs or not. It’s bizarre that you think this.

I don't mind dogs. I don't like badly behaved owners.
I haven't met many badly behaved dogs tbh. Met a lot of absolutely batshit owners and feel sorry for the dogs.
I used to be scared of cats (was randomly clawed by a stray cat as a kid). I like them now after my kids made me endure the cat cafe in town and had a nice orange cat sit on my knee at a bus stop for a cuddle. It wasn't the cleanest experience and it felt weird (like an interactive zoo which felt very wrong). The cats were lovely.
Animals are rarely awful (unless threatened). It tends to be humans. Same with children. (I volunteer with a local youth group tackling antisocial behaviour and sunday school) They are honest. The problem is normally owners and/or parents.

You can dislike whatever you like, but if we all started a thread on everything we didn't like then we would be wading around in "I don't like X" threads.

Recent events made me think we were ?