I’m taking my joint custody dog Buster for his morning constitutional when he spots a woman standing in the street waiting for the bus. Being territorial he races towards the woman causing her to emit a loud scream.
“Are you okay Miss?” I ask.
Since Buster’s on a leash he fell short of the woman by ten feet. As he wags his tail the woman gives me a look designed to reduce my body into subatomic particles. It doesn’t work.
I smile reassuringly. “It’s only a small dog Miss.”
“I don’t like dogs!” the woman says, stomping away angrily.
“”Take care Miss,” I say, watching as she plods down the street. I can tell she’s preoccupied with something but what that “something” is I have no idea. But if she doesn’t pay attention to her surroundings she’ll get run over by the very bus she’s waiting for. Maybe her emotional state prompted her outsized reaction. Or maybe she really just doesn’t like dogs.
I don’t like people who don’t like dogs. Of course I’ve met people who have good reason to be afraid of dogs – they were mauled as a kid, saw a dog kill something or have serious allergies. On the flip side, however, I have a friend who was bit on the face by a large canine when she was five, had numerous plastic surgeries to repair the damage and still loves dogs. I also know people who are saddened by the fact they’re allergic to man’s best friend but still yearn to own one. Go figure.
But there are people out there who just don’t like dogs. I was perusing a dating website where one of the female respondents wrote, “I just don’t do dogs. It’s a deal breaker.” I feel sorry for any man who dates her. There’s also guy around the corner from my house who yells at me whenever Buster trots past his property. “Keep that dog off my lawn!” he usually yells out his second floor window. His lawn is a disgusting brown patch of dead stuff and his house looks like it hasn’t been painted in years. He’s one of these broken old men who have nothing better to do yell at dog owners and little kids. I don’t like him either.
“When you have a lawn worth protecting then we’ll talk!” I shouted back one day. I won’t be sharing my food with him if Armageddon strikes.
Dogs were the first domesticated animals. The theory goes that prehistoric wolves ate the scraps from garbage piles outside our ancestor’s caves and eventually became used to humans who eventually tamed them. In fact Buster’s great grandfather cubed to the nth degree was called the “Gobi Kitchen Midden Dog” and those 8th Millennium B.C. Chinese eventually breed those scavengers into breeds that would eventually become the Tibetan Spaniel, Pekingese and Japanese Chin. Another offshoot of the “Midden Dog” evolved into the Papillion, Pug, Long Haired Chihuahua and the Shih-Tzu. And those ancient dogs provided a valuable service in return for food – they were natural sentries. Whenever a rival tribesman or saber-toothed tiger was poking around dogs raised the alarm. Freed from always sleeping with one eye open, dogs probably allowed our ancestors to get some shuteye in a time when life was “nasty, brutish and short.” And as dogs became more and more prevalent they were seen as a sign of wealth. So if you had enough food to feed a dog you were probably sitting pretty in your cave condo. And if you were wealthy you’d score those fur-clad babes genetically driven to look for a sugar daddy to protect their offspring. I’m not being sexist or anything – that’s just the way things were back then. But maybe that explains why some girls get all gooey when they see a young guy playing Frisbee with a dog in Central Park.
Buster’s a Japanese Chin. His lineage is noble and ancient. Chins were the pets of Japanese royalty and were probably introduced to the West when Admiral Perry opened trade with Orient back in 1853 with the help of naval gunships and a little ship to shore bombardment. Not fond of being blasted to bits the Japanese gifted Perry with several Chins and they ended up in the hands of President Franklin Pierce and Queen Victoria. Of course the Japanese wised up after Perry’s little visit and began to build up a modern army and navy of their own. Well, we all know how that turned out. After WWII the Chin was almost extinct in Japan. So English and American breeders helped reintroduce the breed to our former enemies. And the Chin is still held in high regard in the Land of the Rising Sun. Whenever I run into Japanese tourists they go nuts when they see Buster and snap a million pictures. And you don’t see too many Chins either. They’re relatively rare.
True to his lineage Buster’s an excellent guard dog. At twelve pounds he can’t take down a burglar like a German Shepherd but you’ll know when one’s coming. If he hears anything out of the ordinary he sounds the alarm. One time he woke me up and I discovered that my apartment was filled with smoke. The house next door was on fire. Thanks Buster.
So why do some people hate dogs? I’ve never understood it. My knee-jerk reaction is that they’re selfish narcissists who can’t be bothered to care for another living thing. Dogs are a commitment and do put a crimp in a fancy free lifestyle so it’s no wonder so many couples get a dog before they embark upon having children. Now I’m not bashing people who don’t get dogs because they lead busy lives. They’re smart. Don’t get a dog if you can’t take care of it. But some people just have an unreasonable antipathy towards dogs and some dipshits abuse them. If it were up to me Michael Vick would be shoveling dogshit for all eternity. That would be some serious Karma. Once I saw an obviously disturbed youth throwing rocks at a dog tied up in a yard. You could have heard me yelling in Connecticut. And one of the biggest warning signs a kid’s an incipient serial killer is that they harm animals. Cops keep an eye on those children as they’re growing up.
Dogs help the blind, rescue people, sniff out drugs and explosives, are actual police officers, provide companionship, retrieve food and have been shown to help reduce depression. They bring joy to old people, teach children responsibility and help politicians get out of jams. (FDR and Nixon) And when the President gets a dog it’s a source of endless media coverage. 43,021,000 American households own 72,114,000 dogs and with pet food, vets, grooming and toys they’re a multibillion-dollar industry employing thousands of people. Dogs overwhelmingly provide more benefits to people than deficits.
So I’m doing the dating game now and my “deal breaker” is a woman who doesn’t like dogs. Yeah, it’s a bit absolutist but trust me, I learned that lesson the hard way. If you don’t “do” dogs I don’t care is you’re a supermodel – you’re gone. And while some people look askance at my joint custody arrangement, fuck ‘em. They’ll never understand and they’re not worth knowing. Having a dog and taking good care of it is a character reference. And between my ex and me Buster’s one of the best cared for dogs in the Tri-State area.
As the dog-hating woman boards her bus I shake my head. Something bad might be happening in her life and that’s sad.
But then again something is wrong with her anyway.
I don’t normally post comments here, but this whole post irritates me.
I don’t understand the attitude that there is something wrong with people who have different opinions than you. I’m not a dog-lover, but not a dog-hater either. I suspect most people who don’t like dogs are that way because of some bad experience. Or maybe they grew up with parents who had a bad experience. What does it matter?
People who abuse animals are scum, though, I’ll agree with you there.
I just think it’s strange that the “absolutist” attitude is acceptable when it comes to your side of the argument, but not for the other side.
I love dogs, but i am one of those “selfish narcissists;” i have cats because they are easier to take care of. still i love other peoples (well-bahaved) dogs, just as i love their (well-behaved) children; i just don’t want any of my own.
I like dogs, and all animals really. Well behaved animals are a joy to be around. Poorly behaved ones are another story. Usually that is their owners’ fault more than their own.
I really dislike visiting friends that have poorly behaved dogs that jump on you or the ones that won’t leave you alone and you have to keep trying to swap their nose away from your crotch.
Same with the neighbor that let his dog run loose that would chase my car as I tried to enter my own driveway and the proceed to growl, bark, and nip at my while I tried to unload groceries and get them into my house.
I have two cats and love them as if they were kids. They are Bengals and behave very much like dogs aside from the barking, drooling, and jumping.
I had dogs growing up and they were wonderful. In general it is hard to understand why anyone could dislike dogs, or animals in general, but if someone was only exposed to the type of examples mentioned above, it is easier to understand.
Then again, I feel the same way about people’s kids, lol.
I can’t imagine dating anyone that didn’t like my dog. I can just look at him and his tail starts wagging – how can you not love that??
Sure, it’s a little harder to just drop everything and take a road trip unless he can come along, but he’s worth it.
Dogs are generally reflections of their upbringing, which means that the sweetest looking Lab or the tiniest Shih Tzu can still be dangerous if they’ve been mistreated or abused. And the small dog argument is all well and good until you get bitten in the face by a Chihuahua and then barely miss smashing your head in because you’ve fainted in shock.
Nothing is “wrong with me” because this happened and I’m now nervous around dogs – something was wrong with the dog and now I have to suffer for it.
I absolutely love dogs. I grew up in a family where neither of my parents were fond of pets so all of my dog experiences were outside the house. Once I reached college I lived in a fraternity house where we had two dogs and they were the greatest. Since then I have lived with two other dogs and I love them. When my wife and I started dating she was afraid of dogs, but over the years she’s become much better and now is only afraid of the more aggressive ones. It’s a sad excuse, but I personally couldn’t handle watching a pet suffer and eventually pass on which is why I can never get a dog. I know, my loss.
Waiter, I always knew I liked you before, but this post made me love you. I owned my own retail store for 4 years so my wonderful Golden Retriever, Woody could go to work with me every day. He came behind the counter and wouldn’t greet 2 people in that entire time. The first guy wrote me a bad check. The second guy committed an armed robbery in the back parking lot. Show me a human who can assess other people that well! Everyone else, well, he just forgave them for being who they were and loved them anyway. Thanks for the great tribute to Buster.
I have a friend who is a cat person. She says that she hates dogs, but I always catch her petting and talking to mine.
She says that her dislike for dogs didn’t really start until she became a topless dancer. One might wonder what the connection is, but she says that dogs remind her of all of the drunk men in those bars that she has been exposed to.
I guess there are parallels, both groups drool and are clumsy at times. They run around with their tongue hanging out. They want to jump all over you. Sniffing crotches is a high priority.
I think that the dogs are suffering unfairly here, but I guess it is her loss.
I’ve been reading your blog for years, and I have always pictured Buster as a boxer or a lab. I had NO IDEA he was so tiny, and it makes me love his name even more.
I like dogs even though I was bitten when I was a kid and was scared of them for a while. Most dogs are adorable, but because of my religion I couldn’t have a dog inside the house, only outside… so that doesn’t really work out for me. I am planning to get a cat though… once I rent in a place that allows them
I don’t really like dogs, although I don’t actively hate them; I didn’t realise it made me a bad person!
great post. I am a female and a huge dog lover. If a guy doesn’t like a dog, forrrrrrrget it. That is a sign that he must be some kind of weirdo. How can you not love a creature who’s sole purpose is to please their owners (most of the time). All dogs want to do is make their owners happy and give them companionship.
On a side note, please never yell at your dog for extended periods of time. Studies have shown that yelling loudly at your dog, is as bad as putting them in a corner and beating them.. so please be gentle with your pooch!
If anyone is interested in getting a fabulous, easily trained and lovable breed, I recommend the Sheltie. (mini collie) They are the best!
I am coming on the one year anniversary of the death of my first dog. I still get misty eyed even as I smile and play with the “replacement” dog.
Normally I agree and can get on board with what you write, or if not, at worst it doesn’t really matter enough to me to say something. Today is different..
I don’t think anyone would begrudge you the right to exclude someone from your life based on their dislike for dependants, but you’re making some pretty broad generalizations in your post. You try to rein it in and say that it’s just bad when someone does harm to a dog, but your general tone overall is still, “if you don’t like dogs, you are mentally ill and a blight on society in general.” Which is as hurtful a sentiment as you are complaining about in others..
I completely agree! People who hate dogs always seem a little off to me.
Oh and….I always pictured Buster as a Jack Russell. Still kinda adjusting to the new picture in my head.
This is my one Al Qaeda viewpoint and I’m sticking to it! Sue me!
🙂
Recently read that the Chinese (with more millionnaires than any other country) are opting for the Tibetan dog you mentioned. It’s a big yak-herding animal and it drools. Owning one means you’re rich enough to have something that messy and useless (for your lifestyle). Worse than the starlets with their purse-sized critters.
LOL. You touched a nerve with some of your readers Waiter. Probably means you’re doing something right.
Everyone’s has something with which they brook no dissension on people. Everyone. And if you’ll notice the author was polite to the “dog hater” in his post.
But I have to say I’ve meet plenty of narcissists who own dogs. Ever hear of Paris Hilton Waiter? 🙂
With me, it’s more like “Must tolerate reptiles.” But then, I don’t inflict my reps on other people… they stay in their cages when I have visitors.
I don’t care for dogs. I don’t hate them, won’t beat them with a stick, but I don’t want to pet your dog, I don’t want your dog to jump on me, and honestly, I’d rather not visit your house if your dog’s going to slobber on me.
And yet, I got blood all over my dress one time saving my neighbor’s dog’s life. The poor thing was out on a lead and managed to get the lead tangled around its own throat. The neighbor wasn’t even home at the time; I ran out back, got bitten several times trying to help it, and took him off the emergency vets. Neighbor had the nerve to be MAD at me for the huge vet bill they ended up with.
People who don’t like animals are not to be trusted. They generally also don’t like children and old people and they would push both out of the way to get on the life boat first.
Where I work we have a strict ‘No dogs’ policy from corporate.
We ignore it
I’m much more of a cat person than a dog person, but there are certain individual dogs that I adore, like my daughter’s Staffie. Having been regularly terrified as a child by a standard poodle that lived next door to my grandmother, I am extremely nervous around all large dogs, and most medium sized ones. Doesn’t stop me from loving them, and appreciating my friends dogs, but it does stop me from owning one of my own.
I love dogs. I think they’re great. So long as they’re not around me. The major reason that I freak out when I see a dog these days is that I’m really, really allergic, and the dog’s owner has decided that leash laws do not apply to him. In your dog hater’s defense, it’s not always easy in that split second of seeing the dog run at you to determine if he’s on a leash or not. Cut her some slack. It make take her a while to come down from the fright of having an animal she doesn’t like run at her in attack mode. Just because *you* know that Buster is a sweet dog who wouldn’t harm her doesn’t mean that *she* automatically knows.
I don’t like pets at all. Well, not quite. I like them when they live with other people. 🙂 I just don’t have the capacity to take care of anything more than myself, my child, and my husband. Someday 🙂
I gotta agree with the first commenter. Since when is someone damaged goods just because they have different tastes in companions from you? That’s not like you, Waiter. I grew up with dogs and live with one now, and when I finished reading this post I still felt like I was being called wrong and stupid because I don’t flip head over heels over how great they are. I’ve seen the positive effects dogs can have on peoples’ lives–some of my extended family is much happier because of the dogs it includes–but for myself, I can take them or leave them, and I resent the implication that I’m broken because of it.
Sorry Waiter, not cool. You are usually so much more magnanimous and understanding. Ever stop to think that some people are terribly allergic to animals? And what about private property do you not understand? Even if you diligently clean up the mess, if your dog tramples and defecates on someone’s lawn, it’s pretty easy to see the offense.
The history of dogs and human societies is long and storied, and I have no personal problem with them (nor do I have any allergies or aversions as described above. However, you are deluding yourself if you think that their natural home is in a giant metropolitan area. The act of taking your dog for a walk, or to the dentist’s office, etc. in Manhattan may encroach on other people’s comfort or medical/physical/mental well-being! It doesn’t mean that they are dog haters.
“This is my one Al Qaeda viewpoint and I’m sticking to it! Sue me! 🙂
Fair enough, sir.. in that case, I am sure you won’t mind a more blunt retort on the subject. 🙂
With all due respect, I put it to you that you are a bigger narcissist than the people you complain about, because it irks you to no end that some people don’t give you and your dog the attention and adoration that you feel you and your dog deserve when you’re out in public.
I don’t usually comment, but something bugs me about this. I think there’s a difference between not liking/loving dogs and hating dogs.
I’m allergic to dogs. I’m primarily allergic to their saliva, though the hair can be a problem as well. Therefore, I am generally put off by dogs’ tendencies to show affection via licking–it really causes a problem for me. So considering that the act of being licked provokes an allergic reaction, I can’t really handle being in the room with a dog who is not well trained and will not respond when I tell it to sit, stay, or go away.
If I were just allergic to their hair, I doubt I’d dislike them much. However, part of their nature is what makes them a problem for me. I’m allergic to cat hair, but cats themselves don’t bother me on principle-they stay away, so if I’m not sitting on a pile of cat hair, I’ll likely be OK.
I think dogs do a lot of great things–I have a friend who has a service dog and he’s pretty cool. As long as he stays across the room from me. But I think your understanding of the reasons people dislike dogs is a bit limited, and there are really some good reasons that don’t make someone a bad person.
I could (likely) never seriously date a guy with a dog because I am incredibly allergic. Even being around a small dog with short hair for a few hours will cause me some serious issues. It sucks because I do enjoy well behaved dogs. Even taking allergy meds doesn’t improve things enough to make it a viable option.
Dogs are OK, though they don’t thrill me. No matter how well mannered and trained, they’ll soil the area (well I was late from the office and little baxter just couldn’t wait any more…). Cats are OK, but can be their own kind of vicious.
As a kid we had dogs and cats. My wife adopted a litter of critters once, and I was fine with that. Then they got sick, and despite bringing them to the vet, they died. Save one. Who was run over by a car.
Most recently, we had ferrets. Now THOSE are a great pet.
I have to agree with Amanda, there’s a difference between not liking dogs and hating them.
Just my perspective on the question of why some don’t like dogs.
I don’t hate dogs, but I don’t particularly like them either. I wouldn’t wish dogs to suffer or be abused, I’ll likely pat the nice and well-behaved ones that want to say Hi and prefer that they leave me alone after that, I appreciate they do a lot of good for people, nor do I begrudge people that have/love dogs, but I’ve just never been into dogs. (The one exception has been a black lab named Tunafish. She wasn’t mine, but she was my buddy. She was mellow, didn’t smell and had a lot of cat-like tendencies.)
I could list off the things I don’t like for about dogs as reasons to not like them- noise, smell, annoying demands for attention, destruction, licking, etc., but people can make some of the same arguments about cats, yet I love them overwhelmingly. So for me there’s no real logic or a moral or mental flaw, just personal preference.
I don’t understand how anyone can’t like dogs, although like others said, childhood trauma or allergies, etc. Having said that, here’s my favorite paean to animal buddies…
God summoned a beast from the field and He said, “Behold man, created in my image. Therefore adore him.
You shall protect him in the wilderness, shepherd his flocks, watch over his children, accompany him wherever he may go – even unto civilization. You shall be his companion, his ally, his slave.”
“To do these things,” God said, “I endow you with these instincts uncommon to other beasts: faithfulness, devotion, and understanding surpassing those of man himself.
Lest it impair your courage, you shall never foresee your death. Lest it impair your loyalty, you shall be blind to the faults of man.
Lest it impair your understanding, you are denied the power of words. Speak to your master only with your mind, and through your honest eyes.
“Walk by his side; sleep in his doorway; ward off his enemies, carry his burdens, share his afflictions; love him and comfort him.
And in return for this, man will fulfill your needs & wants – which shall be only food, shelter, & affection.
“So be silent, and be a friend to man. Guide him through the perils along the way to the land that I have promised him.
This shall be your destiny & your immortality.”
So spake the Lord….
and the dog heard, and was content.
)God summoned a beast from the field and He said, “Behold man, created in my image. Therefore adore him. You shall protect him in the wilderness, shepherd his flocks, watch over his children, accompany him wherever he may go – even unto civilization. You shall be his companion, his ally, his slave.”
“To do these things,” God said, “I endow you with these instincts uncommon to other beasts: faithfulness, devotion, and understanding surpassing those of man himself.
Lest it impair your courage, you shall never foresee your death. Lest it impair your loyalty, you shall be blind to the faults of man.
Lest it impair your understanding, you are denied the power of words. Speak to your master only with your mind, and through your honest eyes.
“Walk by his side; sleep in his doorway; ward off his enemies, carry his burdens, share his afflictions; love him and comfort him.
And in return for this, man will fulfill your needs & wants – which shall be only food, shelter, & affection.
“So be silent, and be a friend to man. Guide him through the perils along the way to the land that I have promised him.
This shall be your destiny & your immortality.”
So spake the Lord….
and the dog heard, and was content.
(wish I could take credit for that!)
I LOVE dogs – more than I love most people (husband and daughter excluded). What I don’t like, at all, are irresponsible dog owners. We have neighbors who let their dogs run and since most of those dogs are boys and we have a girl, they all come to our yard to pee. Drives me nuts. One dog pees on our deck! Some dogs come from 2 blocks away. We have no recourse with these idiots. If ever the timing is right, however, you can bet those dogs will end up in our local pound. There, I feel better…Thanks.
P.S. Didn’t picture Buster as a Chin either! I’m with the Jack Russel voters. Hmmm.
As the previous posts demonstrate, this is an argument that should not fall into ‘absolutist’ territory.
Dogs are a reflection of their owners far more than most other pets. Consequently, living in a rural township in the middle of the Arizona desert, where leash laws are frequently ignored and a great deal of the pet owners occupy the ‘redneck’ strata of the social spectrum, it is nigh on impossible to walk a mile down our sidewalks without being assaulted by slavering, barking pups.
This creates in me, sometimes, the ‘absolutist’ thought that I hate dogs.
While not being true, I have bad days too, just like the lady boarding that bus.
Though I like dogs, your attitude is quite wrong here. There is nothing “naturally” or inherently wrong with people who don’t like dogs. It’s meaningless to bring up the domestication issue, as though that proved anything about how we “should” be – because even before dogs were domesticated, humans feared them because they could kill us.
Also, regardless of how shabby a person’s lawn is, that doesn’t mean it’s all right for your dog to poop in it or trample on the vegetation there. It’s not YOUR lawn. It was completely inappropriate for you to have yelled back at the homeowner the way you did.
You’re taking people’s attitudes toward dogs way too personally, Waiter.
Wait, that woman was afraid of a snub-nosed, 12-pound furball?
Oh, and there’s the Muslims who can’t like dogs. Part of their religion and culture to avoid touching dogs. They try not to scream who a dog crosses their path, but I’ve many a times (here in Asia) had to help them chase a stray dog away.
I think it’d be a deal breaker for me too. And again, if my dog doesn’t like someone, or someone doesn’t like my dog I’m immediately wary of them.
my three dogs greet every guest that comes to my front gate by barking and wagging their tails like crazy… i never have had a problem, but i have had several people refuse to come in because of the dogs. good girls! they kept out a new lady who turned out to be really bad news.
“if you don’t like my dogs, i don’t need to like you” if you like my dogs, come on in and sit a spell…
I’m scared of dogs. I have been as long as I can remember. I’m sure that it’s something to do with growing up without any pets, so not learning to trust them, or to do with being chased a few times as a kid, but dogs still scare me. Sometimes I can learn to trust an individual dog over time, but mostly any dog will make me want to be nowhere near them.
But I like dogs. It always irks me that people assume because I’m scared of dogs, that I dislike them. There’s a difference between the two. I’m an animal loving vegetarian. I don’t wish any harm to a dog, and they’re cute to watch from what I consider to be a safe distance, or on TV. I just don’t want to be close to them.
I will say though, if a dog was on a leash, I’d feel a lot safer. I may be startled if the dog approached, but for the most part I’d trust the owner to keep control.
i have a dog by default. it was either us or the spca. since i don’t trust the spca, i told my daughter to bring her home. we have 5 cats and 1 dog. she is a pit lab mix and the biggest sweetheart ever. she has issues which is why we are her 4th home from when we got her at 9 months. but, i would’t change a thing.
Maybe Waiter should have said “I don’t like people who hate dogs” instead of not “liking them.” That being said, he did say that he understood why people with allergies, busy schedules, dog bite victims and people who’ve otherwise be traumatized might not like/want them. Just some perspective.
And yeah, some dog owners are idiots. Keep them on a leash!
I think I can safely say – leaving poor little dogs out of this – that we all have our “deal-breakers” when it comes to finding a relationship.
For example, I want to date a guy who is spiritual and believes in God. Not a religious extremist, but not an atheist. I’ve made attempts to overlook this difference, but when it comes down to basic values, we just don’t see eye-to-eye.
Before you all get riled up, I’m not knocking atheists. A few of my best friends don’t believe in God. I love them dearly, but I’m not going to have children with them!
In any case, I think Waiter has a right to feel this way. Good luck in the dating scene, Waiter!!!
SIDE NOTE: If you’re a dog lover, here is a link to a wonderful movie called “Through a Dog’s Eyes.” It’s about canine assistants. My friend’s kids are featured in this movie (Chase and Connor).
http://www.pbs.org/dogs-eyes/film#
i like pets with fur, especially charismatic animals. hehe. but my mum doesn’t like pets because she doesn’t like things with fur. how sad. i can only own a cat when i move out from my family apartment.
I’m 18 and have loved dogs all my life,I can’t remember a time I haven’t wanted one. But I’m one of those people with massive allergies to animals, my asthma goes insane if I’m in a house with one for more than half an hour and I’m even worse with cats (not entirely too upset by that)
It.sucks.
Hmmm I always pictured Buster as a boxer. I had to Google Japanese Chin. Really cute!
Hey, we need a picture of Buster!
The great mystery of what kind of breed Buster is finally solved!! And he’s perfectly adorable, too.
Don’t understand people who don’t love animals in general. It’s just one of those signs that if you can’t connect with creatures so willing to give you everything and their dinner, you probably aren’t much of a creature either.
This irks me to no end. Just because I dislike dogs makes me a bad or untrustworthy person? Normally I really enjoy your posts, but this just pisses me off. It is your right to dislike people who believe or think differently than you, but to lump everyone who thinks slightly the same way into a category without knowing any of them is presumptuous and rude. It’d be like me saying something about people who drive a certain kind of car or use a specific type of slang. There isn’t anything wrong with that, it’s just that you don’t like it. And that is silly.
I don’t like dogs. My parents have a dog and I tolerate it. I take it for walks when they ask me to and I’ll feed it, but I wouldn’t get a dog. I think that cats and rats are more fun. In fact, I love them. I enjoy playing with them and taking care of them and generally being around them. I dislike being around dogs. Fortunately, the rest of my family is more cat-inclined.
Whats more, saying that people who dislike dogs can’t be trusted or are unnatural or whatever, that’s ridiculous. What if I said that waiters or people who wrote blogs couldn’t be trusted? Same ridiculous principle.
Sorry Waiter, but you missed the mark with this one.
And I would never date a man who called me “miss.”
Frankly, this post itself is arrogant. Just because you love dogs, why does that mean that there must be something wrong with a person who doesn’t love dogs? If I love cats and you don’t, does the same principle apply? If we don’t like the same thing, something must be wrong with one of us?
It’s great that dogs help out blind people and that yours woke you up because of a fire. But that doesn’t obligate everyone to love them. Dogs don’t respect personal space. They jump on you slobber on you and sometimes bite. Those seem like reasonable factors that some people might not like. The woman might not have realized the leash would stop your dog before it reached her. She doesn’t know your dog; it’s ok for her to be scared of a strange dog.
Alleging that someone is abnormal because they have rational reasons for not liking something, in this case a dog, is a rather narcissistic point of view itself.
i always pictured buster as a english bulldog. must be the name. but chin’s are adorable! i was raised around dogs, have had them myself and love them. that being said, i dont blame anyone for being wary of new/unleashed dogs. it does irk me when my exhusband’s mother comes over to visit and is scared of my moms *rescue* dog, who is the most gentle dog i’ve ever met!
Okay, enough. I like dogs, some people don’t. End of story.