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.

People who treat dogs on a par with humans should not have dogs. It isn't fair on the dog. They are animals, not your emotional support or unconditional love giver. An animal with instincts and needs of their own. That attitude would explain why there are so many spoilt, poorly socilaised and badly behaved dogs around these days.

Says you from cosy middle class suburban Britain. There’s a big world out there. Where I am right now it’s not just a dog, sometimes it’s dinner. And there’s everything in between.

I always think who decided dogs (cross-poo breeds mostly!) would love nothing more than a life of sitting in the front of the car doing drop off’s, being walked along the high st and then sitting in Gail’s for hours at their owners feet, while they have a matcha latte.

Totally agree. Keep your kids out of my space. Dogs should also be kept out of other people and other dogs' spaces.

I don't take my dog to cafes. I like to relax, not have to keep vigilant about where they are and what they're doing. I don't see any reason dogs should be allowed in these places but, since they are, I sometimes will allow it because my daughter wants to. That's because the local cafe has dog ice cream and, in summer, my daughter wants to take the dogs for a treat. I'd rather dogs were banned from these places.

If someone's kid is hassling me in public, am I allowed to call out to the parents to remove their kid before I tell them Santa doesn't exist? Oops, sorry, you kid overheard.

Who made you the comments police? Why are dogs considered a special breed of animals, people manage to own cats, rats, guinea pigs, goldfish, ad nauseum, without wanting to inflict them on society.

If I was walking down the road and saw a car swerving towards two beings only one of them I could save. One was my own very loved dog. The other was your child who I had never met before. I would save the child. In fact, I think I d be a complete asshole if I chose to save my dog over your child. Dogs and children/humans aren't equivalent. This is what I mean when I say its just a dog. This comes from someone who thinks my own dog was sent from heaven and I adore him. Hes one of my favourite beings in the world. But hes not a human.

My cousin used to take her rat to the store. It rode on her shoulder and hid under her long hair. No-one cared because they never really noticed.

Cats are often inflicted on neighbours and wildlife.

I don’t think I’m anti dog. I grew up with dogs and have had them in my adult life but I am increasingly put off having one again by entitled dog owners, the increased amount of badly trained dogs and this weird anthropomorphism of them that seems ubiquitous. Yes, you can love your dog and yes, it can be extremely special to you and part of your family but it’s a dog and should be treated like one. I don’t enjoy that they are allowed everywhere and I think dogs should generally be kept on leads in most places.

But a child is just a human.
We are all ‘just’ a living being, but to other people we are something special.

Even good dog owners don't like the bad ones who let their dogs approach their dog, aren't leashed appropriately and have no training or recall.

It’s not unkind to think your dog is just a dog. It is a dog. Just a dog. You may think of it as being a family member but that doesn’t mean other people have to. I have nothing in common with people who think their dogs are human.

I’d save my dog.
Runs and takes cover

I agree, but at the same time, I respect others' right not to like dogs or want them in their home. My sister has never liked dogs, she tolerated our (small, harmless) doggy but didn't want him in her house. He was good with cats, as we had two, but her concern that her cats might be upset by a dog in the house as they weren't used to them was completely understandable. So we left him at home if we visited her.

Keep your kids out of my space... Jesus. The thinly veiled contempt for children on here sometimes. Children are not animals. They are humans. They have just as much right to use space as you do. In fact, they have rights to be children (right to play etc). They don t have an obligation to be mini adults and stay quiet just to placate adults. It would be great if we provided for that right adequately within society in such a way that both adults and children could have equal enjoyment, but we don't.

Nicely put!

They have no right to play around my table in a cafe or try to talk to me more than maybe one sentence in a cafe.

I've spent three decades caring for children (my own and others through foster care), I've advocated for children, I've been kind to others and involved them in my family, I've given lots. Now I'm past all that as my children are pretty much grown and I don't want to deal with them anymore. I want to sit quietly and enjoy my coffee. I've had my day of not being able to do that for a very long time. I never let them harass other people in public. Now other parents can stop theirs harassing me or they might not like how I do it myself.

I am actually nice and kind to kids in the right context. I just don't have time for parents who think everyone thinks their undisciplined child should be as endearing to everyone else as it is to them.

You do understand that comments are a fairly central part of a discussion forum!? 😂 Also as a PP has observed, the “it’s just a dog” comments are usually prompted by a dog owner foisting a dog on them because “it’s part of the family”. To the rest of the population, I’m afraid it is, in fact, just a dog.

Don't censor
You asked for opinions, you got opinions from those who disagree, tough shit, that's life
You're in the minority, being a dog owner
You are going to get many people agreeing that a dog is just a dog

There's a difference imo between "it's a dog" and "it's just a dog"
One recognises that dogs are and should be treated like dogs and there need to be rules for the benefit of the dog as much as anyone, and the other comes across as more dismissive, like the dog shouldn't matter to anyone.

But they're not taken to other houses for a social event like Christmas!

Context is everything, OP.

'Little Fido has died. He saw me through a divorce and has been my rock for 15 years.'
You're likely to comment that he's part of the family.

'I sat my dog at the restaurant table, put a napkin around his neck and put his food on a plate.'
I for one would be commenting 'Get over yourself. It's just a dog.'

Well, if they want to take them to other people's houses for Christmas, they need to check with the host to negotiate that, and accept the hosts decision without argument.

With the best will in the world, dogs aren’t the future of society. So I don’t give equal status to dogs and children unless in 20 years time I want my boiler repaired/groceries delivered/cancer treated by a fucking Labrador.

That doesn’t mean I don’t respect or love animals. I’m a vegan for a start so don’t believe in the needless breeding and suffering of animals for food. I’m not totally sold on excessive breeding of companion animals either tbh but I see the joy pets bring to people’s lives and don’t get too het up about it.

I agree-I think it's great when people care for rescue dogs, but the whole broader model of dog ownership is all about keeping another species in captivity, and controlling that animal for its entire lifespan, in order to satisfy the needs of human owners.

I love my cats more than a lot of my family 🤷‍♀️