# Why do people like dogs so much? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 18, 2008, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-like-dogs-so-much/453377 "2008-06-18T18:42:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-like-dogs-so-much/453377/21 "2008-06-18T22:23:59Z")
Among other things, I occasionally get a kick out of the fact that she obeys, and she wants to obey. She shows off being useful if given a chance. ---
**Author:** ![FourPaws](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e0b2c6/32.png) [@FourPaws](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FourPaws)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-like-dogs-so-much/453377/22 "2008-06-18T23:27:47Z")
[QUOTE=Procrustus] What’s not to like? we have two dogs. I have really grown to hate them, although they’re not that bad as dogs go. But I resent the “responsibility”(on top of the parental responsibiltiies which I don’t resent) Having to find a dog sitter everytime we want a weekend away, having to be home on time to let them out or feed them, their insistance on an early morning breakfast on weekends (they don’t seem to know it’s a weekend). They bark when anyone comes to the house (even me). The kids say they love them. [/QUOTE] Why did you get dogs, then? You have to find a sitter for kids if you’re away as well. You have to be home on time for kids. Kids like eating, too. Some people like dogs. Some people like kids. Some people like both. Some people like one but not the other. It’s life. There’s differences of opinions. That’s just the way it goes. ---
**Author:** ![FourPaws](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e0b2c6/32.png) [@FourPaws](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FourPaws)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-like-dogs-so-much/453377/23 "2008-06-18T23:30:11Z")
[QUOTE=Toxylon] I don’t like dogs. I’m a very private person. Dogs are demanding and in-your-face. It seems you can’t enter a room with a dog in it without the dog bolting up to you, wanting something from you. I hate that. Dogs, especially large dogs, take up physical and mental space that I don’t want to share. Dogs are ugly. They sound annoying. Dogs smell disgusting when wet. Dogs make a mess. Dogs, any dog, are potentially dangerous to small children. I have cats and I’m happy. [/QUOTE] If you substitute the word “adult(s)” for “dog(s)”, it has the same effect. Funny, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-like-dogs-so-much/453377/24 "2008-06-18T23:31:03Z")
[QUOTE=beowulff] They don’t talk back. They give you unconditional love. They are not judgmental. [/QUOTE] No Yes No My dog talks back. Mostly “rouwwwwll”. Or “woof woof woof” when I want her to say in the basement so she doesn’t jump on the cleaning people. Judgmental? You should see how my Puppy looks at me when I run out of puppy treats. But that said we like them because for some reason they like us. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-like-dogs-so-much/453377/25 "2008-06-18T23:34:34Z")
[QUOTE=Toxylon] Dogs, any dog, are potentially dangerous to small children. I have cats and I’m happy. [/QUOTE] Aren’t you worried your cats will suck the breath out of babies? That’s at least as likely as ALL dogs being dangerous to small children. Sailboat ---
**Author:** ![FourPaws](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e0b2c6/32.png) [@FourPaws](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FourPaws)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-like-dogs-so-much/453377/26 "2008-06-18T23:34:42Z")
I have five dogs. I enjoy the companionship. Of course there are times when they piss me off. There are times when my wife, son, daughter, cat piss me off too. But that’s life. I will never, ever not have dogs. I have five now, and love it. I love the companonship, the warmth in the winter, the unconditional love, the partnership. One of my favorite things in life is doing what I’m doing right now; sitting on my couch, dogs all around me, watching tv or being on the net. It’s very relaxing. That makes up entirely for cleaning up poop outside, sweeping the hair off the floors, anything. I realize they are not for everyone. But don’t fault those who want them. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-like-dogs-so-much/453377/27 "2008-06-19T00:24:50Z")
[QUOTE=Yllaria] Among other things, I occasionally get a kick out of the fact that she obeys, and she wants to obey. She shows off being useful if given a chance. [/QUOTE] Have you ever thought about S&M? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![FourPaws](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e0b2c6/32.png) [@FourPaws](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FourPaws)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-like-dogs-so-much/453377/28 "2008-06-19T01:39:32Z")
[QUOTE=betenoir] No Yes No My dog talks back. Mostly “rouwwwwll”. Or “woof woof woof” when I want her to say in the basement so she doesn’t jump on the cleaning people. Judgmental? You should see how my Puppy looks at me when I run out of puppy treats. But that said we like them because for some reason they like us. [/QUOTE] My biggest dog, a 110lb black lab, makes funny sounds when I’m patting him. His name is Indy (after Indiana Jones), but when he makes those sounds I call him Chewwie (after Chewbacca) because literally, that’s what he sounds like. My smallest dog, Mocha, is a 65lb chocolate lab. She follows me up to bed at night, gives me a good night kiss (always) rolls over, and goes to sleep. We’re like a married couple. Sandy, the leader, is an 85lb female. She is the most obedient, and most protective, and a wonderful companion. Abby, the oldest, is an 80 lab, who sleeps with my son and has since he got his own bed at age 3. Jake, my golden, is 90lbs and is the prankster of the pack. He’s also the most loveable. So dogs, just like people, have individual personalities. That’s why I love them so much. Sure, I could have five more kids, but I’d get arrested if I locked five kids in the basement during the day. Plus, with dogs, I don’t have to worry about college expenses 😉 ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-like-dogs-so-much/453377/29 "2008-06-19T01:52:10Z")
[QUOTE=Leaffan] When I come home from work my dog (Bichon) acts like I’ve been gone for 10 years. [/QUOTE] I can’t remember the comic who said that dogs have only one unit of time: **forever**. You go, you come back. You’ve been gone **forever**. Dogs hang around you because of the dog Prime Directive: Whoever finds food is the leader. You manage to find food _every single day_! That, in the dog way of thinking, is leadership worthy of undying loyalty. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-like-dogs-so-much/453377/30 "2008-06-19T02:13:16Z")
[QUOTE=gaffa] I can’t remember the comic who said that dogs have only one unit of time: **forever**. You go, you come back. You’ve been gone **forever**. Dogs hang around you because of the dog Prime Directive: Whoever finds food is the leader. You manage to find food _every single day_! That, in the dog way of thinking, is leadership worthy of undying loyalty. [/QUOTE] Ha! Sounds vaguely Carlin-esque, no? ---
**Author:** ![Plan\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Plan\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plan_B)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-like-dogs-so-much/453377/31 "2008-06-19T03:51:10Z")
[QUOTE=beowulff] They don’t talk back. They give you unconditional love. They are not judgmental. [/QUOTE] And they die before they become teenagers 😉 But seriously, now that we’ve had a bit of a debate, can anyone locate any of the dog vs. cat humor that’s been going around the web? Wasn’t there a dog’s diary vs a cat’s diary, or something like that. IIRC, it was very funny stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-like-dogs-so-much/453377/32 "2008-06-19T07:30:29Z")
[QUOTE=Plan B] But seriously, now that we’ve had a bit of a debate, can anyone locate any of the dog vs. cat humor that’s been going around the web? Wasn’t there a dog’s diary vs a cat’s diary, or something like that. IIRC, it was very funny stuff. [/QUOTE] [A Day In The Life Of A Dog And A Cat](http://mattgunn.ca/2007/04/18/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-dog-cat/) ---
**Author:** ![legalsnugs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/45deac/32.png) [@legalsnugs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/legalsnugs)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-like-dogs-so-much/453377/33 "2008-06-19T07:58:27Z")
[QUOTE=Leaffan] Ha! Sounds vaguely Carlin-esque, no? [/QUOTE] In one of his videos, George Carlin opines that dogs are attractive to humans because of dogs’ ability to have “expressions” due to the fact that they have “eyebrows.” I can go along with that. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-like-dogs-so-much/453377/34 "2008-06-19T10:35:41Z")
How can anyone not like [Skidboot?](http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5249518974978628334) (Link goes to video. Bring tissues.) ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-like-dogs-so-much/453377/35 "2008-06-19T10:58:33Z")
Great thread. I often wonder what it is people see in dogs – even though I grew up with dogs, and now have two myself (for our son, who loves all living creatures including roaches and mosquitoes). Dogs are … okay. Our two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (blecch, what a horrible breed name) are bearable, because they are loving, not too overwhelming, and pretty darn cute to look at. It is also quite hilarious to watch our two cats interact with the dogs. (Our Egyptian cat rules all.) But I would NEVER have dogs if not for the joy they bring my son. They are relentlessly demanding. Cats, on the other hand, are rarely annoying (though kittenhood can be pretty intense). They don’t bark, they don’t need to be walked, they don’t smother you with unwanted hero worship every time you enter the room, and you can ad lib feed them. And they are absolutely beautiful to watch; I always say that cats are “living art.” Cat lovers have been known to accuse dog lovers of needing adulation, whereas cat lovers are independent souls who admire the same trait in others. I know that’s not a fair characterization, because I know a lot of dog-lovers who are hardly adulation-seekers. But dog worship is indeed puzzling. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-like-dogs-so-much/453377/36 "2008-06-19T12:14:33Z")
[QUOTE=Labrador Deceiver] The cat we had growing up did all of the above & worse when she was a kitten. My hands were shredded, and my house stunk for weeks. Come to think of it, the litterbox ensured that it stunk for 20 years. Cats & Dogs are two different animals with two different sets of characteristics. it would stand to reason that some people would like one more than the other. Especially when there have been many more years spent breading one of those animals with human compatibility in mind. [/QUOTE] Yeah, I’ve certainly had problems with the cats as well. But if they pulled half the crap this puppy has, I’d be divorced by now. My husband does get upset with the dog, but even when he’s mad, if she does something “cute” like jump over the back of the couch, he has to press his lips together so he won’t laugh. I do think that it’s the people’s personalities that make them a dog or cat person. All the dog people I know are outgoing and thrive on constant stimulation, and the cat people are quieter and more self-centered. ---
**Author:** ![evangelinagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@evangelinagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evangelinagirl)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-like-dogs-so-much/453377/37 "2008-06-19T15:00:09Z")
[QUOTE=scrambledeggs] So why do people like their dogs so much – they treat them better than children, and clean up after their junk, and will do anything to protect them from the real world. What is the attraction that makes people go crazy around puppies and dogs? [/QUOTE] FYI: I have three cats and one black lab. They all live outside and are all in a pack. The cats come RUNNING to me when I get home, begging for attention and my dog sits back and waves. (Yes, he really does raise his paw.) Why do we go crazy around puppies and dogs? Well cute factor and the anthropomorphism we do to animals aside, I love my dog (and those I have had previously) because his ancestors left the pack to sit with primitive man and woman by the fire. They chose to be with humanity. And quite honestly, can you imagine the things they could say about us humans? ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-like-dogs-so-much/453377/38 "2008-06-19T15:10:58Z")
[QUOTE=gaffa] I can’t remember the comic who said that dogs have only one unit of time: **forever**. You go, you come back. You’ve been gone **forever**. Dogs hang around you because of the dog Prime Directive: Whoever finds food is the leader. You manage to find food _every single day_! That, in the dog way of thinking, is leadership worthy of undying loyalty. [/QUOTE] I was out of town for a week. I expected to get a ton of puppy love. I came home after a week to an empty house. Brainiac4 was still at work, my mother had taken the kids and the dog to her house for a few days. So everyone gets home. And the dog looks at me - HE’S the one who just got home from a trip - did I miss him? That I was back in the house when he got home - he’d pretty much forgotten I hadn’t been there when he left. I don’t think a firm conception of time and events is really his strength. (He was excited to see me, but had been run ragged at Grandma’s - he slept for two days) ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-like-dogs-so-much/453377/39 "2008-06-19T15:13:00Z")
[QUOTE=Dung Beetle] I do think that it’s the people’s personalities that make them a dog or cat person. All the dog people I know are outgoing and thrive on constant stimulation, and the cat people are quieter and more self-centered. [/QUOTE] My experience with dog people differs greatly from yours, I think. I know a great many dog people who are extremely introverted (almost anti-social), and some who live lives that border on total solitude. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-like-dogs-so-much/453377/40 "2008-06-19T15:16:42Z")
A well-trained dog is a joy. Friendly, obedient, loving, safe with children and strangers. A true companion, who respects you. Guide dogs, sheep dogs and rescue dogs are unbelievably useful. Cats are nice to look at. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-like-dogs-so-much/453377.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-like-dogs-so-much/453377.md?page=3)