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.

But they are.

Also, free speech is a thing. Those that elevate dogs above humans can call upon their dog who is a lawyer to sue me.

I think there is a real cognitive dissonance around dog ownership.

For example, it is objectively disgusting to have a dog on your furniture and in your bed. You wouldn’t allow a person to have a shit and then sit naked on your soft furnishings because that would obviously be gross. Yet with a dog it is somehow okay? Dog owners WANT them to be clean so they decide that they are to allow them to resolve the conflict that would otherwise exist

I don't have my dogs upstairs @Talkingtomyhouseplants because I have OCD and I'm germ phobic. I do have an exceptionally clean and fastidious breed of dog, however. They are allowed on the sofa at certain times, they would always ask first, but everything has washable cotton covers on so it isn't a problem.
The cats create far more mess in the house than the dogs ever do.

But seemingly free speech does not extend to those of us who value our dogs. Funny how it only ever goes one way.

I am certainly not stopping you or anyone from valuing their dogs.

I do object to people saying they value them more than human life, as do many others.

Like it or not, dogs stink, are dirty, filthy and not everyone fawns over them - and I classify them in my view as vermin. Tough that you dont like the word "vermin" in the same way that its tough for me to understand how people can say they value dogs over humans.

Um mine does not stink, isn’t dirty, filthy or vermin.

She smells heavenly, of Kiels dog shampoo, conditioner and liver tooth paste. 😍

Totally agree OP. There's no 'just' about it. A dog who's properly cared for needs constant attention, feeding, walking, keeping on top of vet appointments, training, sometimes late-night settling, certainly in the early months. Anyone who says that's 'just a dog' is probably not doing a very good job of raising them and, as such, should probably not have a dog.

I think it's possible to believe a human's life is of more value than a dog's life and yet not hate dogs and consider them vermin.

Bizarre that this thread has gone to those two extreme ends of the spectrum.

The fact you've even had to ask that question tells me you know nothing about what goes into properly looking after a dog.

My gardens (front and back) plus driveway are adjacent to a path leading to a park - really just a football pitch with shrubbery and trees to the rear.

I'm honestly so tired of having to deal with dog mess on my driveway, on the pavement in front of my house, on the verge adjacent to the side boundary (problematic when I'm cutting the hedge). Not great for the council workmen who have to cut the grass.

I've even had dog excrement on the driveway and on the hedge - the animal must have backed up whilst doing its business. Then there are the bags thrown into the hedge...

I do find that citrus scented Zoflora helps to an extent. I couldn't manage to wash all the excrement from the hedge adjacent to my driveway so I chucked bright orange chilli powder over it to deter other animals from adding to it. I figured that the chilli would cover the smell of the excrement and urine and the bright orange would let the owners know that there was something there.

Of course, nothing deters the humans who chuck the bags into and over the hedging. (Yes, the neighbours on the opposite side of the path have the same problem. However, I get more of it because the side of my back garden is 90 degrees to their front gardens.)

People tend to have a natural instinct to protect their own baby, and not necessarily that of strangers.
Not all women are maternal, even ones who have had children. I am not a fan of kids at all. I have no clue how to hold a baby, let alone want to. If I hear one cry, I want to leave, not go and comfort it. I am not a mum, but even some mums feel that way about babies that are not theirs.

Lacking the instinct to protect a baby is not dangerous, especially if you don't even have one.

I'm not at all maternal except for my own kids but I think it's natural human instinct to protect the young of your own species in a dangerous situation. It's just basic humanity, it's really immaterial whether you "like" kids or not. It's just about protecting the most vulnerable, which most humane people would.

YANBU. Animals aren't human, but they do rely on us for care, shelter and sustenance and in return they give us endless joy and calm.

I draw the line for people who live in bedsits, studio flats etc who work full time, which means their dogs are cooped up for hours at a time with no space to run around, it's no wonder there are messes and dog(s) with quite severe separation anxiety when the owner returns home from their job. Then does the owner have the time or the energy to take them for a walk? No. So they hire a dog walker (a market that didn't exist until recently). It's frankly animal abuse.

If you work part-time and/or you live with someone who either works from home or is part time, and your house is big-ish, then a dog is fine to own.

Well, I lack that instinct. That does not make me dangerous or lacking in humanity.

I disagree. Not dangerous maybe but certainly lacking in humanity.

Dogs are not the same as a child. They don’t think like people, they don’t feel like people.

And that's often why dogs are considered superior. I never used to understand this but I totally do now.

This was my point about people who think animals are better than all humans - it's emotionally stunted. You cannot have the same emotional depth of relationship with an animal as you do with a person, it's a lot easier, more straightforward. You don't have to put in the same work.

Emotionally stunted. Another one for my bingo card.

Humans are social animals, and our deepest and most meaningful social and emotional connections are meant to be with others of our species. I'm a big old hermit introvert animal lover, and I still recognise that unassailable fact.

@Notadame
Despite your insistence that you're not being horrible or insulting, you are still using the term "emotionally stunted" to describe people who have a deep connection with animals.

Your lack of compassion shows yet again. For you to speak of people lacking humanity is hypocrisy, pure and simple.

I always had a dog. Also had a horse, gerbils, snake, fish and cats. I'm a very experienced pet owner thank you. Regardless, the thread is not about how much work an animal is.

Animals are easy companions for people who aren’t able or willing to engage properly in human relationships. I have a family member who is the same - she doesn’t care about people at all, is not willing to put in the work to compromise, negotiate. People were an obstacle unless they are giving her what she wants. A dog can’t argue back - it shows “unconditional love” (knows who fills its food bowl)

If you think there's a nicer way of putting it, I'm open to being corrected. By the way I keep saying I DO have deep connections with animals. I don't know how much clearer I can be. I certainly don't mean those who love animals and value them are emotionally stunted. But if your deepest and most meaningful life relationship is with your dog or cat then there's probably something else going on there, because they cannot give you what another human can.

Humans have hurt me, bullied me, caused me trauma and lasting MH issues. My dog never has.
I am autistic. There is no reading between the lines with my dog.

But yes, I am emotionally stunted, a loon, mentally ill, lack humanity, and am weird and dangerous. All your words, about people like me.

So I am right then, there is something else going on there. Lots of things in fact 🤷

Your dog hasn't caused you trauma because it can't relate to you in the way a human can, not because it's inherently morally superior to a human being. This is exactly what my point is. I do sincerely apologise if it's upsetting to hear, but everything you've said is exemplifying exactly what I mean.