If I see any more comments on Mumsnet of it's just a dog

[Lifeneedsaresetagain]

Do people not realise that for those who welcome them into the family they are part of the family. And if you have a dog and say it's just a dog, I'm not sure you should have one.

I love my cat very very much and do consider him part of my family, especially because it was only me and him before I met my partner, had my DD and now expecting second DD. So nearly 10 years of him being my rock, but at the end of the day I still acknowledge hes a cat and his needs are different to ours.

With cats its maybe different as its more natural for them to be left to their own devices but dogs are taken everywhere these days and imo treated like accessories when they also deserve to live and be treated in the appropriate way and not like humans. I do think dog owners especially can take things too far with how involved they make their dogs and try to make everyone else around them accept that level of involvement i.e. bringing them to every place or event.

The thing is, people have always had dogs. But this mass anthropomorphising of them is relatively recent. People have loved and cared for their dogs but not expected them to enter shops and cafes or have their rights equal to or above humans. Good owners still understand that dogs are not people.

Some owners have become ridiculous now, hence the pushback from others. This simply wasn’t as big an issue in the 70s, 80s etc.

Dogs are not human children. But as others have said they are a species that have evolved alongside us for thousands of years. Humans and dogs have a special bond due to this.
I love dogs, I like dogs more than most people. Like many of us I have had a hard time with some relationships and people. Dogs have never let me down.
I don't take my dogs shopping or to other people's houses however. They wouldn't enjoy that. I take them for dog walks- that is more their ( and my ) thing.
I don't judge people who go down the 'fur baby' way of doing dog ownership. It generally does no harm. I understand though that some people don't like dogs everywhere as they are not into them.
I do judge parents who bring ip their children to be terrified of dogs. I think this is unwise as it creates misery and actually puts children at more risk.

Our dog is a massive part of our family and we will all be so heartbroken when his time comes. I feel sorry for people who have never known the happiness a dog can bring. Best decision I ever made getting him.

I do often read these comments and have to say it makes me so sad.
i have two dogs.. I’ve had multiple miscarriages and have been going through ivf and my dogs are my babies… when my fiance passed away my first dog carried me through his death and she is the only link I have to him. They become part of the family and I’m so grateful for mine

But. It is just a dog. What else can it be?
Are you one of THOSE people who call dogs your furbaby 😂

What would be wrong with someone having a dog when they have been unable to have children.
Anyone judging that seems a bit unkind. My mother is autistic and she has always preferred cats and horses to us ... Sad perhaps but not her fault and I don't judge her for it. Love and tolerance for others can go a long way if we can find it ❤

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@ReyRey12I absolutely agree with you. It is all about the context.

In my experience mumsnetters are pretty anti-dog for various reasons.

Make your mind up. Have you started a thread to discuss this, or not?

It isn't exactly sensible to start a thread to discuss something and then expect the only answers to be ones you like and it's downright unacceptable to tell people not to give their point of view!

But if a dog isn't just a dog, what is it? Is it a trans human? Trans 👏 humans 👏 are 👏 humans. Some dogs are just dogs though, like my friend's dog. He's a cis dog. He knows his place in the pack, and frankly he looks like a pretty happy dog for it.

It’s the ‘just’ that’s unacceptable though I think.

Yes , it is a dog ; yes most of us differentiate between species.

But to many of us, they are not ‘just’ animals. They deserve respect as do all creatures on this earth.

But a lot of people assume humans are all that matter.

Rant over. Off to hug a tree.

I fully see how dogs are members of people's families.

What I don't get is why they think I should act as if their dog is a member of mine.

Yes, plenty of those around. Nothing special, except to their owners.

Do you think parents with children who are terrified of dogs make them afraid of dogs on purpose? Why would they do that? As you said, it can make things miserable.

I wish my son wasn't afraid of dogs but he is. A poor excuse of an owner not only allowed their dog to jump on my son and scratch him but also thought it was rather amusing and didn't seem to care that my son was terrified and he's been incredibly frightened, nervous and uncomfortable around dogs since.

Before that, he didn't love dogs but he wasn't terrified of them either.

It's just a dog.

What I find bizarre is how attached people can be to their dog (or cat though usually it’s a dog) to the extent they think it’s one of the family while still happily sitting down to eat a meal made of a different animal with a similar level of intelligence and ability to be affectionate (pigs for example).

That’s where my “it’s just a dog” thinking comes from. It’s an animal with a similar ability to feel pain, show affection, learn etc as something humans as a group are happy to raise for slaughter and food. The idea it should be afforded a similar level of consideration as a human seems utterly bizarre in that context.

Not to the poster it's not.

Just like your kids are just someone else's kids to everyone else and don't mean anything to anyone but you and your family.

I’d argue having a dog is much more self-serving than having a child. So perhaps you’re more self-serving than you think. Dog-owner and parent-child relationships are very different. Because people and animals are different.

It’s a much simpler relationship and the responsibilities and expectations are very different. It can still be a loving, enriching relationship but it’s not really comparable.

If I came on here saying that my kids should love me unconditionally because I look after them, that they should want to be my friend and that they owe me anything because I decided to bring them into my family, I’d get a swift reality check.

You raise kids not to need you, to be independent, to think for themselves and hopefully flourish in the world away from you. Dogs are reliant on us, we expect them to follow our commands, to be our companions and love us unconditionally. I think there’s often a whiff of superiority from the ‘animals are equal/ better than people’ camp, but often the reasons given for preferring animals are rather self-serving.

It’s still just a dog. Sorry.

That’s ludicrous. If a dog attacked one of the kids, they should be of the house the same day. If one child hit another, you wouldn’t take the same action.

I ADORE dogs. Spend many hours dedicated to their training, enjoyment and quality of life. However they are dogs. My human children come first. Suggesting they are on par with your human children makes me question if you should be a parent.

Animals are just simpler and less complex. I think that's why a lot of people, especially with ND, prefer them.

I am sure I had my kids for self-serving reasons. I wanted kids, I liked kids. The dog - support dog for my child. Only reason I got a dog. It felt more sacrificial than self-serving. I never wanted a dog. The dog taught me just why people embrace dogs so fully. That dog is more important to me than anyone else's child, because of the importance it holds for my child.

I read a post yesterday about the dog with severe anxiety as the owner was in hospital. The amount of posters saying put it in kennels. Which was obviously going to make it ten times worse. There is a lack of care sometimes animals do have feelings and emotions clearly I.e anxiety. So I will treat my animals well. No im not going to take my dog everywhere with me and I would never ask to bring it to anyone’s house. I get an overnight pet sitter at home when I need to be away.

When I take my grandchildren out they are with me and only me. I do not expect anyone else to be remotely interested in them but, more importantly, they are absolutely not allowed to invade other peoples space physically or with noise. They are quietly doing whatever we are doing with me. I expect the same from dog owners . I don't want to hear or smell or see your dog. My grandchildren will sit quietly on a chair in a cafe. Your dog needs to be UNDER the table and quiet. Not leaping out to bark at every dog that goes past , not sitting on a chair and resting its face on the table where the next person's food will go. Your dog may well be your baby but to me it is an animal and should be treated as such. We had 2 golden retrievers for years. They were beautiful and very loved. They were never, ever taken to restaurants or cafes or peoples houses. They were part of our family and nothing to do with anyone else.