Christening +dog - am i being unreasonable????

[fee77]

DD is being christened soon, the plans are going well but my parents rocked the boat last night when they mentioned that a family member is bringing their dog - i don't want it! We live in quite a small house, and have never entertained more that 4 people! We are having a tent in the garden, ther will be over 20 guests, we have no drive so people will have to park in the street, there will be young children there and we have two already odd cats, who will be spooked enough on the day. These people haven't asked if they can bring their dog, and hated dogs till they got their own.
Please tell me i am not being unreasonable - i have to phone them tonight, and will basically say chose between dd and the dog! Sorry i rambled, but am a bit tense now!

The thread title is so bizarre when you look at it at this time of night - Christening + dog.

It conjurs up images of a) dog being christened and b) dog doing the vicar's christening job.

Think I'd better go to bed!

I don't think I have ever heard of anyone bringing a dog to a christening regardless of a "no dogs" on the invite!

It is your dd's big day not theirs and if they feel the need to bring their dog to such an occasion then perhaps they need to get out more (and minus the dog.)

You are not being unreasonable and I would definitely point out that this is not a day for pets at all! Tough if they get hurt feelings or go huffy. Plus, how many of your other guests would appreciate being slobbered over!

And I mean by the dog of course!

I really don't understand that thing of the dog not being able to be home alone. It's not a id, is not as if they were going in holiday living it alone. I can't believe that they preffer to incomodate you in a special day, instead of let overptotected dog to spend the day at home.

Well, I'm a dog-lover and we have a large mutt at home, but I would never assume that he is welcome at any event unless he was specifically invited (which doesn't tend to happen!). When we go out for the day, I make arrangements for a neighbour to pop in and let him out (we do the same for them). If your relatives genuinely have no one who will do that for them, then they should investigate local kennels.

I wouldn't make excuses to them. I would simply call and say that, sorry, but your dd's christening is simply not an appropriate occasion for them to bring their dog.

LOL - of of course, how silly of you, if you'd put 'no dogs' on the invite you wouldn't be in this situation, it's your fault! Yeah right!!!!i can't believe they want to bring their dog, how rude. No, no, no, esp becasue of the way they have handled it. If they couldn't come cos the dog couldn't be left for some reson and they rang to discuss a possible solution with you then maybe, just maybe, but they haven't done that and you shoudn't feel even slightly bad for saying no to them.

I can never understand how people get so obsessed over their dogs. My parents are the same. They wouldn't even leave their dog with the vicar because 'he wouldn't look after him the way we do'. So they drove 200 miles to see me, with their dog in the car, and then we all had to go out because there was no way the dog was coming in my lounge. My home is not dogproof, even though he is toilet trained. The dog was then stuck back in the car for the 200 mile trip back again. IMO he would have been far better off at home.
They are used to him, and don't seem to realise that he smells, dribbles, moults and his tail would cause serious damage. I like dogs, but that I wouldn't want them in my house on an ordinary day let alone for christining, and I think it is really unreasonable to expect it.

Is toilet trained the right phrase for dogs??

Say a resounding 'no'

Couldn't they leave it at a kennel for the day? I wouldn't claim allergies - because that undermines things for people who do genuinely have allergies (my mum tells people she is allergic to rice because she doesn't like it, even though ds has severe allergies to other things).

Just tell them their names were on the invite, the dogs name wasn't.

I'm sorry, I find this thread very strange. I would expect that most people with a dog would bring it with them for a daytime event unless they knew that the person they were visiting didn't like dogs. I think it's very sad that people think that children should be frightened of dogs. Now if your dog was very badly behaved, got into fights, wasn't housetrained or didn't like people then of course that would be different. Most people I know with dogs take them with them most of the time. Sometimes they leave them in the car, or tie them up outside, but in general they don't leave them at home for long periods of time. I'm not saying that fee77 shouldn't feel at liberty to say that she dosen't want her relative's dog in her house, but I am amazed at the amount of vitriol on this thread!

nooka .. you're mad if you think that a family pet is welcome at anyone else's party

I don't like dogs. Does that make me evil?

I would be quite upset if I went to a christening and there was a dog as ds has a dreadful allergy to dogs and cats and it would set off his asthma.

I would use your cats as an excuse and think that it is unrealistic to ask to bring a pet tbh.

Nope, not a dog owner (I have cats ), and of course I'm not saying people who don't like dogs are evil. I just think that some of the comments here are disproportionate. In any case, the dog in question isn't going to this christening anyway.

Nooka I would not expect to ever take my dog to anything like that!! and i've never known anyone too!!

I have a couple of dogs, they are house trained and obedience trained and I wouldn't dream of taking them to a christening. Besides the incovenience to the owner who may have the evening spoiled with worry about what the dog may or may not do, there's people who is seriously sensitive to pets hair, before we got our dogs we invited a friend to dinner and as soon as he entered our new house he had a severe asthma attack, we have been living there for a couple of months but I assume there was still some remains of pet dandruf from the previous owner's cat. Having said that, the main problem I have now when I have visits is to prevent toddlers to play with our dogs (both are very fragile and I'm afraid someone get bitten in response to a BIG hug), I have got to the point to tell mothers our dogs have a skin infection but still... they put their toddlers inside the dog kennel!!!

I wouldn't dream of taking my dog to a christening or any party.

When our twins were christened last year the party was at our house and we arranged for our dog (Golden Retriever) to be cared for by some friends elsewhere for the whole day. This was not only for his benefit but also because not everyone is into dogs and thought it best all round.

Well, most of our family events are at my parents. They have a dog and other members of the family bring theirs too if they have them. This is for day time "in the garden" type events, obviously not dinner parties or similar events.

I'm not that bothered either way - more surprised at how hostile some of the comments were.

Faced with the choice between daughter or dog, my mum has gone for the latter time and time again, to the irritation of me and my sister. She says her dog is her 'significant other' and there for her every day. We come and go.

spidermama, I love dogs but I can't imagine being like that.