Dogs.

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gavroche

Getting old but not past it
Location
North Wales
Do you treat your dog like a child? I am really amazed when I see people kissing and cuddling their dog as if it was a child. They buy special treats, sometimes even clothes, let them sleep on the settee, talk to them same as babies etc..... I don't have a dog because my wife and I feel you are too tied with a dog, but four of our children have one and they all behave like I said. At the end of the day, a dog is an animal and also a pet but not a child! Of course it should be treated and well looked after but hey, it is not your own flesh and blood. Love them and be good to them but remember, it is a DOG.
 

Dirk

If 6 Was 9
Location
Watchet
Do you treat your dog like a child? I am really amazed when I see people kissing and cuddling their dog as if it was a child. They buy special treats, sometimes even clothes, let them sleep on the settee, talk to them same as babies etc..... I don't have a dog because my wife and I feel you are too tied with a dog, but four of our children have one and they all behave like I said. At the end of the day, a dog is an animal and also a pet but not a child! Of course it should be treated and well looked after but hey, it is not your own flesh and blood. Love them and be good to them but remember, it is a DOG.

Try telling my JR that it's just a dog!
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rugby bloke

Veteran
Location
Northamptonshire
Makes me cringe as well. We have a dog, who is well loved, well fed and well walked. But at the end of the day he is a dog and is treated as such. He is not allowed on the furniture or upstairs and always eats after us. Dogs are pack animals and are happy when they know their position in the pack. He is a Labrador so is only really interested in fetching balls on his walks and eating as much as he can get away with ! Both these needs are met so he is a happy dog.
 

Cubist

Still wavin'
Location
Ovver 'thill
Where there is a fine line between a dog and a fashion statement/ furbaby, people are really entitled to do what they want with their dogs (within reason) . Dogs need their own space, so mine sleeps in the kitchen, and isn't allowed on the sofa. She is a gundog in training, but not a year old yet. As a family we enjoy having dogs, but we never lose sight of the fact that they are dogs with canine needs, not additional children.

As for folk that dress them up and so on, well, I don't do it, and I occasionally roll my eyes at pugs in top hats or whatever, but if they want to, then, well, it's their choice. If I want to purse my lips in disapproval and tut audibly I go to the local pharmacy and do it to the queueing smack heads, far more interactive.
 

Cubist

Still wavin'
Location
Ovver 'thill
While on the subject of dogs, my personal grief is with the owners and breeders of status/fighting dogs. I once helped plan a raid on an organised dogfight. I have never been as appalled and sickened by anything in my career as much as I was that day.

Add to that the current proliferation of puppy farming fuelled by the designer crossbreed fad, and you may yet see my blood boil. But it isn't caused by folk who love their dogs too much.
 
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steve50

Disenchanted Member
Location
West Yorkshire
Do you treat your dog like a child? I am really amazed when I see people kissing and cuddling their dog as if it was a child. They buy special treats, sometimes even clothes, let them sleep on the settee, talk to them same as babies etc..... I don't have a dog because my wife and I feel you are too tied with a dog, but four of our children have one and they all behave like I said. At the end of the day, a dog is an animal and also a pet but not a child! Of course it should be treated and well looked after but hey, it is not your own flesh and blood. Love them and be good to them but remember, it is a DOG.

I agree with your statement about people treating their dogs like babies etc, too much fussing and faffing about with a dog can make it turn nasty. Dogs need to know their place in the "pack" and as dog owners we have to make sure we are the pack leaders, the dominant one not the one who is pampering the doggy.
I have two German Shepherds, they know their place in my home, they are allowed the run of the house especially at night as I don't believe in restricting them to one room, they are not allowed on the beds or the furniture but other than that they have freedom of movement around the house.
They are "just a dog" BUT they are so much more than that, pet dogs become part of the family, they teach the children a healthy respect for animals and they are loyal friends for the thirteen or so years they are with us. If you are not a dog owner you will never fully understand.
 

s7ephanie

middle of nowhere in France
Oh don't tell my 2 ! they get treated like my babies, they have coats and jumpers for the cold, special coats for the heat, eat far better then i do and have more room in the bed than me !!
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macp

Guru
Location
Cheshire
Despite continuous grumpy stares and "why are the dogs on the sofa/bed" swmbo takes no notice :banghead:
 

pubrunner

Legendary Member
I don't have a dog because my wife and I feel you are too tied with a dog, . . . . . . .

We have a dog and this has meant that we are 'tied' to her; for example, if/when we go on holiday, we have to stay in the UK, so we always look for places that will take dogs. We have had to buy a roofbox (for the luggage :whistle:) so that we can take all our stuff and the dog in the car. A dog requires frequent exercise and this has meant that we've walked in places that we probably wouldn't have otherwise visited.

Having a dog, means that you are unlikely to visit Blackpool or popular places such as Cornwall; we've certainly had to become much more selective in our choice of holiday destinations, so we visit quieter places that are dog-friendly - such as Northumberland. Before we had a dog, I'd never been to Northumberland and I probably wouldn't have bothered to go there otherwise, but it is well-regarded by dog owners and we love the area.

My missus works from home, so our dog is rather a companion than a commitment and provides the benefits of being an early-warning system and guard & protector.

Whilst I can see your point, it is entirely subjective; having any pet is a commitment or a 'tie'. For some, the lifestyle adjustments are too much to consider having a dog, it just depends on whether (with regard to your lifestyle) you believe the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
 
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