# Do you love your dog THAT much? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 17, 2002, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-love-your-dog-that-much/143227 "2002-12-17T02:34:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-love-your-dog-that-much/143227/21 "2002-12-17T08:37:45Z")
I hate to be a spoilsport, but do you know _why_ dogs lick you around the mouth? In the wild, canine puppies lick their parents’ mouths when they want to be fed. They’re signalling to their parents that it’s time to regurgitate some food for them. It has nothing to do with love. ---
**Author:** ![firagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/13edae/32.png) [@firagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/firagon)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-love-your-dog-that-much/143227/22 "2002-12-17T08:42:37Z")
How about **oldscratch** and the golden retriever? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-love-your-dog-that-much/143227/23 "2002-12-17T11:48:09Z")
:: scurries off to do a search on **oldscratch** :: ---
**Author:** ![Triss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Triss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triss)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-love-your-dog-that-much/143227/24 "2002-12-17T12:58:18Z")
Hmmm. My dog seems to be a discriminate licker. She _seems_to know that I don’t like it, and mostly doesn’t bother, although sometimes she gets me with her lightening-quick tongue just to piss me off. She’s licks hubby’s face much more often…although he tries not to let her get near his mouth either. Here’s a short article about the ‘psychology’ behind licking behaviours if anyone’s interested. [http://aolsvc.petplace.aol.com/articles/artShow.asp?artID=2942](http://aolsvc.petplace.aol.com/articles/artShow.asp?artID=2942) ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-love-your-dog-that-much/143227/25 "2002-12-17T13:52:26Z")
Ew, ew, ew! I just found the post by oldscratch. Ew! Ew! ---
**Author:** ![gouda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c77e96/32.png) [@gouda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gouda)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-love-your-dog-that-much/143227/26 "2002-12-17T14:02:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Calliope \* > In any case, we let the people we love kiss us, sometimes with a tongue, and their mouths are no cleaner than a dog’s. It’s all about love, I guess. No offense intended here, but I’m kinda insulted by this. You mean allowing my dog to kiss my mouth means I love him more? Or conversely, that I don’t love him enough because I won’t let him kiss my mouth?!?! **DeadlyAccurate** , or anyone else, actually, if you still have the **oldscratch** post, could you post the link? I’m feeling too lazy to do a search right now 😃 ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-love-your-dog-that-much/143227/27 "2002-12-17T14:11:53Z")
Trust me folks. You don’t want to know about that **oldscratch** post. ---
**Author:** ![lovelyluka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f475e1/32.png) [@lovelyluka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lovelyluka)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-love-your-dog-that-much/143227/28 "2002-12-17T14:19:35Z")
Warning: What you are about to hear comes from a die-hard cat lover. For the record, I absolutely cannot stand dogs licking me anywhere - not my fingers, not my toes, nowhere. Mostly that’s for the same reasons that have already been named (the “why don’t they just rub their ass all over you” argument), but take it one step further…if your dog habitually licks your fingers, do you ALWAYS go and wash your hands immediately thereafter? No? Well, might you then get something to eat? Or hold your children’s hands? Or empty the dishwasher? I rest my case. ---
**Author:** ![Tony\_Montana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@Tony\_Montana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tony_Montana)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-love-your-dog-that-much/143227/29 "2002-12-17T14:20:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by World Eater \* > \*\*People have sex with horses, why are you surprised at this? \*\* They still f&\*K horses dont they? ---
**Author:** ![gouda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c77e96/32.png) [@gouda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gouda)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-love-your-dog-that-much/143227/30 "2002-12-17T14:31:01Z")
I found the **oldscratch** post. Excuse me while I puke my guts out… ---
**Author:** ![heresiarch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/278dde/32.png) [@heresiarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heresiarch)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-love-your-dog-that-much/143227/31 "2002-12-17T14:32:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Scarlett67 \* > **DarkWriter, I can top you. One morning when Phyllis was five or six months old, I was lying in bed yawning, and she stuck her WHOLE SNOUT in my mouth! Bleh.** I have _got_ to figure out how to train my dog to do that. (Not to me - but to my wife, and maybe to houseguests that overstay their welcome.) As for dog kisses - I think of it as exercise for my immune system. ---
**Author:** ![brachyrhynchos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brachyrhynchos/32/376_2.png) [@brachyrhynchos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brachyrhynchos)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-love-your-dog-that-much/143227/32 "2002-12-17T14:34:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Early Out \* > \*\*I hate to be a spoilsport, but do you know _why_ dogs lick you around the mouth? In the wild, canine puppies lick their parents’ mouths when they want to be fed. They’re signalling to their parents that it’s time to regurgitate some food for them. It has nothing to do with love. \*\* No no!, they loved me, they luuuvvvvvvvv’d me. They really really did. 🙂 Spoilsport. Actually, I saw that with my first two doggies. Occasionally they’d lick each other in the corner of their mouths. A few times one would start heaving :eek:. ---
**Author:** ![Calliope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Calliope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calliope)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-love-your-dog-that-much/143227/33 "2002-12-17T15:02:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Maxxxie \* > \*\*Ya know… I’ve yet to kiss someone that licks their arsehole. Or anyone else’s for that matter (to my knowledge!). I regularly see my doggies lick their own butts. Why would I want that anywhere near my mouth?? :eek: > > Max 🙂 \*\* Do you kiss anyone who gives you oral sex? ---
**Author:** ![Calliope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Calliope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calliope)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-love-your-dog-that-much/143227/34 "2002-12-17T15:05:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gouda \* > \*\*No offense intended here, but I’m kinda insulted by this. You mean allowing my dog to kiss my mouth means I love him more? Or conversely, that I don’t love him enough because I won’t let him kiss my mouth?!?! > > [ \*\* No, not at all. I just meant that we will do strange things for love. If you really think about it, letting someone else stick a tongue in your mouth and swish it around is kind of gross. But we don’t stop to think about all the bacteria being exchanged. I guess I meant that sometimes love allows us to overlook these things. That is not to say that you don’t love your dog if you don’t swap spit with him. ---
**Author:** ![greck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ab992/32.png) [@greck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greck)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-love-your-dog-that-much/143227/35 "2002-12-17T15:15:20Z")
wienerhund gets to lick me on the mouth but MOUTH CLOSED only, i never lick back they’re naturally not so slobbery and stinky as other breeds though. ---
**Author:** ![Skelji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Skelji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skelji)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-love-your-dog-that-much/143227/36 "2002-12-17T15:31:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by superbee \* > \*\*I would give my left nut to get one more puppy kiss from my BIG SWEETIE… \*\* Great. Now I have Chick McGee’s voice in my head. Sorry about your dog, though. I’ve had dogs all my life. I love dogs. I’ve rescued lots of dogs. I’ll wash 'em, brush 'em, play with them, train them, roll around on the floor with them, whatever. I will never let a dog lick my mouth (unless it’s a sneak attack, which I’ve been victim to). Sure, part of it is the germ factor, but let’s face it: My dog licks himself, and he’s covered with **hair**. He licks the carpet. He licks the cats. He plays out in the yard, and he gets dirt and grass in his mouth. I don’t want any of that in mine. No thanks. He can lick lick my hand or my face even, but no canine frenchies. ---
**Author:** ![BottledBlondJeanie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/0ea827/32.png) [@BottledBlondJeanie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BottledBlondJeanie)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-love-your-dog-that-much/143227/37 "2002-12-17T15:42:17Z")
I try not to allow any mouth kissing, but I, too, fall victim to the sneaky lick sometimes. My dog is allowed to lick my chin/cheek(s). What I have yet to figure out is why she has a fetich for gnawing on my ears…it’s a grooming thing, but I can’t help but think she’s thinking my ears don’t belong there and she’s trying to remove them. ---
**Author:** ![Velma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/85e7bf/32.png) [@Velma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velma)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-love-your-dog-that-much/143227/38 "2002-12-17T17:05:38Z")
My dog is allowed to lick under my chin, but _not_ on/in my mouth. ew. She does sometimes like to lick the top of my head like she’s grooming me, which is ok for a bit until she tries to pull my hair. She’s not one of those dogs who goes crazy and just has to lick everyone / thing, though, so it’s not excessive. (Unless a visitor who doesn’t like dogs licking them comes over, then she must lick them.) ---
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-love-your-dog-that-much/143227/39 "2002-12-17T17:11:06Z")
margiepup gives lovely kisses, and in fact will not allow mr. jar or I to retire for the night before kissing us and cleaning our ears. She’s a sweetie and I love her THAT much. ---
**Author:** ![Legomancer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/779978/32.png) [@Legomancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Legomancer)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-love-your-dog-that-much/143227/40 "2002-12-17T17:39:11Z")
My dog kisses my face and my hands, and I don’t wash immediately afterwards. That would be rude. I also, for the record, may have touched that door handle you just touched, may have handled that quarter you have, and might have pressed the elevator button you pressed. Fear the germs! Fear them! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-love-your-dog-that-much/143227.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-love-your-dog-that-much/143227.md?page=3)