Is anyone or does anyone know a dog obsessed person? Please explain this to me !!

[kittythescarygoblin]

hello, following on from my thoughts about the deceased gerbil it lead me on to people who are obsessed with dogs. My mother is one. I find her attitude truly repugnant. They are treated like children and she signs their names on cards etc. Has had afamily photo done with them.
I don't understand how anyone can think like this. It's only an animal fgs. Does anyone else have experiences like this to share. It would make me feel that I am ot alone in having a 'barking' mother!!! Or maybe I am.

i am not offended by dogs, but i wouldn't have one in my house. Too much slobber, fur and they smell. I don't get it either

my friend is obsessed with her dog. her dh is also a good friend of ours, and he wasnt like this before he met her. now i get sent 'family' outings pics of them with their dog. she says she will never have children.

Doesn't that make you cringe?

do they wear matching fleeces in said photos?

might as well be

Hmmm. I used to sign the dogs name on certain peoples cards before having children but in my defence your honour I would never have had a family photo done with him. The card thing tended to be for people who didn't like him much so I was sort of taking the piss. If I knew you, you would have definitely had a card with his name in it, and a paw print
They are (and should be if you choose to have one) part of the family and I think with childless people and people whos babies have flown the nest they can become a substitute. I still always get a birthday card from him btw. Not one of those crappy things that says "love fromt he dog" though. DP would never allow such sillyness to go commercial

This'll make you laugh ...
I get on very well with my MIL ... she is a really fantastic lady, if you understand her ... if you don't you are in trouble as she isn't like other people ...

An example, sorry if it is too long: MIL has a beloved Jack Russell. She puts her in kennels when we stay, which is kind because said JR is a bit unpredictable with children. We went down to see her a couple of years ago - at her invitation. (This involves either a 1.5 hr flight or a 10 hour drive with a 3 hour ferry trip ... so not a simple trip). This time we flew. It was New Year. She told us that she wouldn't be shopping for food or picking us up at the airport. We picked up a hire car and went to the supermarket on the way to her house, after having spent NZ$2000 on flights, laden with food (we are talking cereal, bread, milk, fruit, tea bags, coffee and simple dinners for the children) for our 4 night stay.
She did organise New Year's Eve dinner for us but everything else was left overs or scrambled eggs.
Anyway, on the last day we took her out for a lovely lunch (more because we knew we would starve if we didn't go out ). When we came home she went to the freezer and got out 2 lovely looking juicy steaks to defrost. DH asked her if she was having guests that night after we left. "Oh, no" she answered, "They are for Potty (the dog) ... she will be starving when she gets back from the kennels!"

we've just rehomed our 7 month old golden retriever(who sadly didn't have the tolerance required for living with small children) and he's gone to live with people like this. They can't have children so instead have thrown themselves fully into 'parenting' their dog (now dogs).
I think dogs probably make quite a good substitute, and let's face it, there's no harm in it. Dogs are a bit like children in a lot of ways and give a lot of affection.
We had a dog when I was a child/teenager, and my dad just loved that dog. Ok, he wouldn't have signed her name on cards , but he had a big picture of her up at work (still does AFAIK, and she's been dead 10 years) and still misses her. He said she was the only creature in the house who would greet him with enthusiasm and obvious joy whenever he came home from work, and the only one who loved doing things with him 100% of the time.

yes it does make me cringe, especially as i dont get sent as many pictures of his child from his first marriage (same age as my dd1). its mroe ther female friend who does the emailing. she has always been like this with dogs, she had one when we were at school and was so dotty about her. she talks to them in baby voice, and absolutly dotes on them. i did try and palm off one of my kuids on her once, but she held dd1 (baby at the time) like she was a bomb about to go off. she isnt maternal at all.