Dogs are so gross

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by pylon

I've had dogs my entire life. I cannot imagine not having one or two at any given time. I too have said the same thing to certain people as a polite way to say "You aren't responsible enough to have a dog." or "You are too lazy to have a dog."

I'm not saying this is you, but I think a lot of people say that to protect an animal from a potentially crappy situation without hurting someone's feelings.

Yeah those conversation are hard to have. I worked with someone who had a decent social life (plans right after work all the time), lived in a tiny apartment in the beltline and wasn't a big outdoors person. Wanted to get a Australian Shepard / Blue Heeler mix from a rescue that already been returned twice, as their first dog... Didn't feel comfortable saying this is an awful ideal don't do it oh god no. Tried to take the more tactful approach. She ended up giving the dog back almost immediately.

Every dog is different but you need to consider the breed. Don't get a working dog when you can't meet their needs, you'll pay for it one way or another. Get a breed that suits your lifestyle not the other way around.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Going to the dog park with my gf and her palatable canine and seeing how people dress up their dogs and humanize them like little furry dolls weirds me out

I mean there was a tiny chocolate dog Fonz in full leather wear. I didn't know what I was looking at

Owners who knowingly treat their dog like a pet and a separate species with an intellectual boundary there between their dogs world and their world I am good with, and I respect their lifestyle

The enthusiastic ones that have created a fur child that they sleep with, lounge with, and interact with like their offspring weird me out

Most the times those dogs aren't even that cute. I guess just like babies

Sliver isnt that out to lunch. I genuinely wonder how often dog owners meditate on the amount of fecal matter hanging off their dogs fur most of the time

Some of them are essentially walking shag rugs that excrete feces constantly with little accuracy/precision. Do you know how easily things end up caught in shag rugs?

[Geraldsh]

Having a dog is like having a 3 year old child for 15 years. The only dogs I like are working dogs that know their job.

[jayswin]

Cats are 100 times better in every measurable way, no debate needed, end thread.

[keratosis]

Originally Posted by jayswin

Cats are 100 times better in every measurable way, no debate needed, end thread.

Yup, except when the steal my Doritos.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by keratosis

Yup, except when the steal my Doritos.

Yeah, I am not a fan of my cat licking all my snacks. Fortunately that’s pretty much as gross as it gets. Well, and hairballs.

[RogerWilco]

I have always believed people that don't like dogs can't be trusted.

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by jayswin

Cats are 100 times better in every measurable way, no debate needed, end thread.

Nothing quite like a pet that takes a dump in a box, buries it under clay gravel in said box and then walks all over your kitchen counters. Hard pass.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Yeah, I am not a fan of my cat licking all my snacks. Fortunately that’s pretty much as gross as it gets. Well, and hairballs.

hairballs dry up quickly, and then it's like throwing away a string of dryer lint

same with their ####. turns rock hard, except for the rare time they're extremely sick with something. easy clean up

cat licking/saliva is the worst part, as only a rare person won't be irritated in some way by coming into contact with it

that and their pee. smells horrible if it gets on any clothing. there's no chance of recovering that item after the fact

[OldDutch]

Can’t say I would have got a dog if single. I grew up with cats. They were there and zero maintenance. Kind of liked that.

But what our puppy has done for the mental health of our children post COVID is immeasurable. They were beat down mentally and 2022 saw their spirits raise.

Its why when I walk, feed, clean, play with the thing 80% of the time - all the time I don’t care. My boys love him. I kinda do too.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by Reaper

Nothing quite like a pet that takes a dump in a box, buries it under clay gravel in said box and then walks all over your kitchen counters. Hard pass.

1. You can train them not to.
2. In the event they do, Lysol wipes for the kitchen counters. Done.

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by Reaper

Nothing quite like a pet that takes a dump in a box, buries it under clay gravel in said box and then walks all over your kitchen counters. Hard pass.

When it was occasionally brought up, I would say:
yeah, that's what this house needs - a big box full of #### in a corner.
We are a bird house now though, and I would not ever have it any other way. But definitely not a cat

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

It's one thing to prefer dogs, but dog people trying to paint cats as a maintenance burden is just laughable

you kidding? they might be more hands-off than a guinea pig

at least play in an arena where you can win

camraderie, the rewards of training it, exercise, etc

[Weitz]

Dogs are the best. I have a border collie. We do agility and sheep herding. Cross country skiing. Hiking. Walks. He comes basically everywhere and is an amazing companion.

I’m allergic to cats so never had one but also never understood why you’d want one.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by RogerWilco

I have always believed people that don't like dogs can't be trusted.

That's dumb.

[Slava]

We have a dog and a cat. There are pros and cons to each. I’ve never had a dog until this one and there are some parts that are so great. The major drawback to me is that you can’t just “pick up and go”, say for a weekend or wherever. It makes travel more of a challenge for us, without question. Once ours passes, I don’t think we’d get another.

The cat is the worst though. The claw things, throw up hairballs and without a doubt it’s more destructive than the dog. Not even a question that we will not have another cat.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Weitz

Dogs are the best. I have a border collie. We do agility and sheep herding. Cross country skiing. Hiking. Walks. He comes basically everywhere and is an amazing companion.

I’m allergic to cats so never had one but also never understood why you’d want one.

You could just make a friend and have the same experience.

Bonus: real conversation!

Drawback: not as good at sheep herding.

[The Yen Man]

I like other people's dogs, but would never have one myself. I find them gross to have around the house. Just not my thing. Hearing stories of cleaning up dog diarrhea or dog puke does not sound fun to me at all, and is not worth the tradeoff of the good things of having a dog IMO.

[1qqaaz]

Originally Posted by jayswin

Cats are 100 times better in every measurable way, no debate needed, end thread.

As someone who has several of both, I am inclined to agree.

1 dog is more work than 3 cats. 3 cats are way more rewarding than 1 dog.
The biggest difference is that for cats, you can leave all day. For a dog, you have to come home and let them out every 3-6 hours.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Slava

We have a dog and a cat. There are pros and cons to each. I’ve never had a dog until this one and there are some parts that are so great. The major drawback to me is that you can’t just “pick up and go”, say for a weekend or wherever. It makes travel more of a challenge for us, without question. Once ours passes, I don’t think we’d get another.

The cat is the worst though. The claw things, throw up hairballs and without a doubt it’s more destructive than the dog. Not even a question that we will not have another cat.

I realize what I'm about to say will be so foreign to some people they'll think I'm trolling, but since I've actually done this on three occasions that I can think of off the top of my head, it is genuine. If you wouldn't do it again on owning both a cat and a dog, and the dog makes life a little harder to enjoy, why don't you just surrender them to the SPCA? They could be out of your life an hour from now and you'll never have to look back.