I’ve never been a fan of dogs. They make me nervous. I like animals, but dogs are just too needy, destructive, and abrasive. Working dogs are fine, but pets/companion dogs really bother me.
They are given so much free reign in homes, it makes me nervous. I shouldn’t have to be hyper-vigilant to guard my food and possessions because “the dog might get it!”
They’re often very loud, they demand your attention constantly, and they’re always in your space.
The worst part is that people nowadays bring their dogs into stores and restaurants, because apparently a lot of dogs have separation anxiety now.
Owners will let their dogs walk right up to me while I’m actively backing away, and assuring me that “they’re friendly!” But I do not want to be approached by a strange dog!! I do not know how they will react so I do not want them near me!!
I get that people love their dogs, but there is far too much poor behavior from dogs and their owners that I just can’t excuse it.
It dampens my enjoyment of a place when I am forced to guard my possessions, listen to loud barking and/or constant whimpering, be interrupted by the owner who always have to yell at their dogs mid-conversation to keep them from doing something their not supposed to, etc.
Dogs are just… exhausting.
And I’m very very tired of having to accept them into my spaces & having to deal with them in public settings. I don’t believe I’m a bad person for thinking this way. I’m just tired of dogs.
That is all.
Edit: Some of y’all are really offended & have taken that fact that I don’t like dogs very personal. Why can I not dislike dogs?
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Same. I like/tolerate well-trained dogs, but those are basically nonexistent these days.
Where I live, dog culture is really strong. People here violate leash laws all the time. When you gently but firmly raise a knee to keep a big jumping dog off your chest, the owner acts like you just did a heinous crime. If you complain about not wanting to be jumped on/knocked over by a giant dog that weighs more than you do, you’ll be told to seek therapy for your phobia.
Bad dog owners have ruined dogs for me. Training is considered taboo, something close to animal abuse. Which boggles the mind, because the psychology of dogs is such that they need training and maintenance discipline to be well-adjusted. IMO, not training your dog is animal abuse. But here we are, with untrained dogs running around bowling people over and sticking their tongues in strangers’ mouths.
Your post made me smile. Great example of the difference of allowing down votes or not. Can you imaging the down votes this would have gotten on that other service.
Frankly I agree. Dogs are needy. I guess a lot of people like that. Not me. For me that is highly subtractive not additive.
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Sounds more like you are tired of poorly trained dogs and their incompetent owners. Unfortunatly there are many of the latter.
“they’re friendly!”
Oh god, I’ve had that same experience, but while walking my rescue who was deathly afraid of everything. A big dog comes up to us unleashed and I tell the owners to please call back your dog. They do, but it does nothing. My dog almost pulled out of her harness she was so afraid.
Some people shouldn’t have dogs, and unfortunately, that’s most people. I’m sorry you have to deal with dogs with shitty owners. It’s not the dogs fault though, and can usually be re-trained so that they can take part in polite society, unlike their troglodyte owners.
Oh, I’ve had experience with unleashed dogs, too. I’m so sorry you had to deal with that.
You just can’t train a dog to not act like a dog, though! You can make (some of) them more polite, but I have yet to meet a perfectly behaved dog.
I just don’t like dogs.
You don’t have to like dogs.
You do have to make that clear to some people. Put together a response, have it ready. “Please call your dog. I don’t like dogs and don’t want it near me.” And call restaurants before you go and ask if they allow dogs. And ask your friends to put their dog in another room while you visit.
I guarantee you some folks will assume you are afraid of dogs, and will try to use their dog to cure your “fear.” You will have to be firm that you are not afraid of them, you don’t like them.
Sounds like you’re painting all dogs with a brush dipped in your experiences. I can completely understand that. I also don’t like those situations. They stress me out and make for an uncomfortable visit. I’ve had my backpack destroyed by a Frenchie, slobber on my clothes from a great Dane, conversations interrupted by a Yorkie, and staffie that just made me nervous.
At the same time, I grew up with a Shiba Inu, and I now have my own Shiba. He’s quiet, never begs, requires very little of me, and lays down quietly when guests are over. He loves people and is incredibly protective. It took quite a bit of training and patience, but I’m extremely proud of the good boy he’s turned into.
Yes, I love my dog and I’m not expecting you to, but I am asking you to be open minded to different experiences. There are good and bad owners while there are also compatible dog breeds. If aomwone has a border collie in an apartment, it will destroy everything. Same could be said for a Pomeranian that’s understimulated.
I respect your opinion and hope that you can one day see the good side of dogs and the companionship they bring into people’s lives. While it may not be something in your story, for others it may be a necessary part of their day.
I see the good side for others. If you like dogs and the positives you feel they bring to your life, enjoy your dog!
But for me, I just don’t like dogs.
Why is it so taboo to not like dogs? I don’t hate them, I just don’t like them.
I like dogs. I just keep a healthy distance. I’ve been bitten by too many “good boys” to really care for raising my own.
Reminds me of this clip from Pink Panther:
Lol, thanks. Honestly got a good laugh out of that. My first dog bite happened in a similar way :p
Most people don’t seem to know this oddly, but in lots of parts of the world people don’t really care for dogs. Wild dogs are more common outside of the first world and they can be extremely dangerous. People will often get injured by one and be afraid of dogs for the rest of their lives. I had a roommate from the middle east while I was in college and he said he did not care for dogs at all.
It is also pretty common these days for people to straight up not follow the law in regards to their dogs. Having dogs off leash in a nature area seems to be very common nowadays. My own dog gets very nervous while near an off leash dog and I basically had to stop taking him with me on hikes since they are so common. Makes me very angry.
I agree. I am always frustrated to see entitled dog owners who walk right by a sign that clearly states dogs must be on leash. I absolutely love dogs but I still feel this way. Not only because they can make other people nervous who are just trying to enjoy the space and may have very real dog related traumas in their past but often in natural areas they can be very disruptive to the wildlife. I also love birds and I don’t like to think of all the shorebirds that are harassed or displaced by owners that don’t take care to ensure that they are handling their furry friends responsibly.
I’m kinda there with you. My cousin has two chocolate labs and every time I’m at their house I hear their name combined with the word “stop it!” Or “get down” or some other variant every 5 minutes or so. I’m sorry, dogs are just inferior cats. Cats are pet perfection.
Same here. My family & in-laws have dogs that are somewhat trained, but they still cause trouble. Growing up, we only had dogs and I thought cats were bad pets. Now as an adult, I realize dogs always need so much effort & attention, and cats make much better pets.
Perhaps I’m reading into it, but it sounds like the majority of your exposure is with someone(s) who is a poor dog owner and lets their dogs do whatever they like. Which is isn’t to invalidate your discomfort, but I wonder if you wouldn’t have a better time of things if 70%(or w/e) of your exposure to dogs wasn’t dealing with extreme misbehavior, and therefore it wouldn’t be at the forefront of your mind.
I like dogs that get to know me over years, and small dogs. Unfortunately I get few opportunities to do so authentically (many of them I got to know as a child are deceased today), as I don’t like to be approached by random dogs because I believe they are thinking I have food.
I didn’t like the fact that my old apartment allowed dogs (I would leave the elevator whenever one showed up, seclusion and dogs don’t go well together). But I always smiled whenever I got a, relatively frequent, reply-all email from management about disciplining people whose dogs used the grass (or elevator, one time) as a toilet.
I always say: I like dogs, but I never want to live with one again.
