# Ruled out dating a guy who gives his dog beer? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 1, 2012, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruled-out-dating-a-guy-who-gives-his-dog-beer/630070 "2012-08-01T16:38:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruled-out-dating-a-guy-who-gives-his-dog-beer/630070/81 "2012-08-03T09:25:37Z")
I really doubt this guy is wasting that much money giving a dog alcohol, it just seems more likely he is making excuses for his own drinking or was making an attempt at humor that didn’t land. The comment about his friend sounds like a bit of twisted humor too. You could ask him to clarify. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruled-out-dating-a-guy-who-gives-his-dog-beer/630070/82 "2012-08-03T12:28:41Z")
**azraiel** , drop it. You’re hijacking the thread; start a new one if you want to continue your theme in a civil manner. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruled-out-dating-a-guy-who-gives-his-dog-beer/630070/83 "2012-08-03T13:16:54Z")
> [@azraiel](#): > > Do you know what triggered the horticultural revolution? Ancient hop grain juice? ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruled-out-dating-a-guy-who-gives-his-dog-beer/630070/84 "2012-08-03T13:20:42Z")
> [@azraiel](#): > > **Sicks** You look _smashing_ in that armor, but the recommendations you allude to come out of the provincial Prohibition myths noted above. Thanks. It’s true, I am a _fine_ motherfucker. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruled-out-dating-a-guy-who-gives-his-dog-beer/630070/85 "2012-08-03T13:22:25Z")
> [@Poster](#): > > He never hid that he drank with regularity, and I am 100% sure he was giving the beer to his animals. He mentioned jokingly that he was annoyed the cat won’t drink it so he’s not sure they could be friends. He wants to nail the cat? (Maybe I have seen “When Harry met Sally” too often.) ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruled-out-dating-a-guy-who-gives-his-dog-beer/630070/86 "2012-08-03T19:14:14Z")
> [@Poster](#): > > Well the dog thing came first and I didn’t completely withdraw but I started talking myself out of him even though I liked him intensely. Then other stuff like that cropped up. I was wondering if it was fair for me to judge him based on the first thing though, or if I was being “uptight.” No, I don’t think so. My cat was stoned on opiates last night having just been through oral surgery. I’m sure it took care of the pain, but he did NOT like being stoned. He was miserable. I can’t imagine a dog would like being drunk any better, and a dog isn’t going to draw the connection between drinking beer and feeling woozy and drunk. The human is old enough to know better. And on a case a week – even with smaller beer bottles, that dog is smaller than a human, too. You can damn well bet that dog is getting drunk, and probably every day. And frankly, that much alcohol isn’t good for a human liver, nevermind a dog where the BAC is proportionally higher. ---
**Author:** ![azraiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@azraiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/azraiel)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruled-out-dating-a-guy-who-gives-his-dog-beer/630070/87 "2012-08-03T20:43:13Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > **azraiel** , drop it. You’re hijacking the thread; start a new one if you want to continue your theme in a civil manner. Noted, accepted, and apologies. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruled-out-dating-a-guy-who-gives-his-dog-beer/630070/88 "2012-08-03T22:28:03Z")
This dude must have many, many other quirks. What else? Does the dog ever pass out? Does he sleep with the dog? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Niply\_Elder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@The\_Niply\_Elder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Niply_Elder)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruled-out-dating-a-guy-who-gives-his-dog-beer/630070/89 "2012-08-04T04:16:40Z")
I, for one would love to take one of your fine cases of SMALL beers. ---
**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruled-out-dating-a-guy-who-gives-his-dog-beer/630070/90 "2012-08-04T08:15:25Z")
Years ago when I was about 15, I knew a 17 year old who gave his dog beer because he enjoyed watching its reaction to alcohol; staggering, etc. At the time, I thought it was thoughtless and cruel. I am not saying the following applies to your friend, but this is how his life progressed. He became an alcoholic and his first job was a grocery clerk providing him with beer money. Fast forward 40 years and he’s still a clerk about to be laid off by the grocery chain in order for them to avoid paying full retirement and medical benefits. I don’t believe in Karma but I do believe my old acquaintance had a definite character flaw and every time I think about his miserable life, I remember the look on his face when many years ago, he told me he liked to give his dog beer. ---
**Author:** ![Poster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/0ea827/32.png) [@Poster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poster)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2012, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruled-out-dating-a-guy-who-gives-his-dog-beer/630070/91 "2012-08-04T18:46:19Z")
Your responses really helped me feel better about my decision, everyone. Thank you for all of your replies, even if you don’t agree with me. It’s my visceral reaction to find this behavior problematic and I have trouble understanding people who don’t see it as irresponsible pet ownership (to say the very least), but I did want to see the full spectrum of opinions, so thanks again! ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruled-out-dating-a-guy-who-gives-his-dog-beer/630070/92 "2012-08-05T04:42:22Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > This is going to be an annoying nitpick, but 11.2 oz (about 333 mL) is not unusual. Guinness Draft in a bottle, for example, is 11.2 oz. There’s a number of European beers I’ve seen sold in that size (like some Stiegl I recently bought). Nothing I’d buy by the case and give to the dog, though. Hey, you were right to point that out. Though I’d note, in turn, that those are _very_ hard to distinguish from 12-ounce bottles; I doubt the OP would notice they were less-than-normal-size beers. ---
**Author:** ![Arabella\_Flynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8491ac/32.png) [@Arabella\_Flynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arabella_Flynn)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2012, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruled-out-dating-a-guy-who-gives-his-dog-beer/630070/93 "2012-08-06T05:29:13Z")
> [@Kaio](#): > > No, I don’t think so. My cat was stoned on opiates last night having just been through oral surgery. I’m sure it took care of the pain, but he did NOT like being stoned. He was miserable. It varies by cat. My family used to take our assorted critters to the local spay/neuter clinic, which would call you to pick your pet up once they were stable and coming around, so they could wake up the rest of the way and recover at home. Most cats do indeed hate staggering around like that, but we had one little tabby girl who sprawled out on the sofa and enjoyed the hell out of whatever she was seeing until it wore off. Our best guess, going off of our limited knowledge of veterinary medicine and assorted relatives’ recollection of youthful indiscretions, was that they’d given her ketamine for the anaesthetic, and she was watching tracers. As for the OP, you get to break up with anyone at any time for any reason you want, including ‘meh’, ‘because’ or ‘no reason, just don’t want to do this’. Whether was logical or sensible for you to decline to date him because of the dog/beer interaction doesn’t matter – the fact was that it rang alarm bells for you, and it made you uncomfortable. That’s reason enough to not get yourself involved with anyone. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2012, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruled-out-dating-a-guy-who-gives-his-dog-beer/630070/94 "2012-08-06T05:41:26Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > Though I’d note, in turn, that those are _very_ hard to distinguish from 12-ounce bottles Indeed. If you buy beer regularly, you might notice it, but it’s not easy to spot otherwise. And with some bottles, like the Guinness one, it’s particularly deceiving. It’s not what I’d call a “small” bottle of beer. At any rate, the types of beers that come in 11.2 oz sizes are not the economy brands, so I doubt the boyfriend is plying his dog with Guinness or Golden Pheasant or something. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2012, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruled-out-dating-a-guy-who-gives-his-dog-beer/630070/95 "2012-08-06T08:32:33Z")
Quite simply, unless the OP lives with this guy to an extent sufficient to be able to say categorically by eyewitness evidence that this beer goes to the dog and not the guy, I’d bet dollars to donuts it goes to the guy. “I used to be an alcoholic _until very recently_ but uh, the cases of beer I buy are, yanno, for the dog”. Sure, buddy. ---
**Author:** ![DragonAsh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DragonAsh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DragonAsh)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2012, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruled-out-dating-a-guy-who-gives-his-dog-beer/630070/96 "2012-08-06T14:39:58Z")
My grandpa would pour a teaspoon on to the floor for their little dog Beau, who loved it - but it was Budweiser, so clearly Grandpa (and the dog) had lousy taste in beer. And yes, grandpa was an alcoholic. I hesitate giving my dog any leftover hamburgers from our BBQs because they have small bits of fried onions in them. I can’t imagine giving my dog _beer_ in any quantity, let alone on a regular basis. That he has zero common sense is beyond doubt, and he clearly doesn’t really care about his pets, or he’d think about what he was giving them. If that’s how he treats his pets - animals that depend on him for survival - you can guess how he probably treats other people in his life. Personally every person I’ve known that has treated their animals like crap have likewise treated spouses/offspring/siblings equally poorly. ---
**Author:** ![Poster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/0ea827/32.png) [@Poster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poster)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruled-out-dating-a-guy-who-gives-his-dog-beer/630070/97 "2012-08-09T18:26:44Z")
A lot of your opinions seem to hinge on the quantity – the CASE. Were it a 12- or even 6-pack of ponies, would it really change your assessment of him?! ---
**Author:** ![Poster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/0ea827/32.png) [@Poster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poster)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruled-out-dating-a-guy-who-gives-his-dog-beer/630070/98 "2012-08-10T02:04:50Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > It is quite fair to make assumptions about someone’s character based on their actions. > > Especially when they’re doing something really stupid like buying a case of beer for their dog every week. The guy’s a fucking idiot. Were it a 12- or even a 6-pack of ponies every week, would that change your opinion of him? ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruled-out-dating-a-guy-who-gives-his-dog-beer/630070/99 "2012-08-10T04:12:31Z")
No. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Niply\_Elder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@The\_Niply\_Elder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Niply_Elder)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruled-out-dating-a-guy-who-gives-his-dog-beer/630070/100 "2012-08-10T04:31:56Z")
Yes. Its all about moderation. You said case in the begining, which makes peope think of the chihiahua gulping down athe equivalent of a kegger. But if the actual quantity of beer is such that its part of a balanced diet, then its alright. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruled-out-dating-a-guy-who-gives-his-dog-beer/630070.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruled-out-dating-a-guy-who-gives-his-dog-beer/630070.md?page=6)