Dang! 
I truly don’t mean to nitpick your posts, if I’m coming across that way. I do think that there are certain breeds that tend to attract a certain kind of owner. However, there seems to be a whole bunch of differing reasons why people set out to get a particular pet.
No problem, LD. I’m basing my theories on little more than recent experiences with people I know. I’ve got some ideas about why they like certain breeds as well, but never mind that.
BTW, I like my puppy. I expect I’ll love her someday when it gets a little easier. I keep telling myself, “She’s just a baby, she’s just a baby…”
I like dogs, but I’m not really a dog-owning-person. In my experience, the dog-owning-people fall into these camps:
- People who have a practical need for a dog, like for home security, guiding, hunting, tracking, etc.
- People who show, breed, and sell dogs
- Children
- Adults who have a childlike need for unconditional and continuous approval.
OK, you may argue with #4, but in my experience it’s true. I take my parents as a case in point. As far as I can remember, they’ve owned a dog that they absolutely dote on because it worships and needs them. It’s a mutual admiration society. They hate cats and come up with all sorts of rationales for it, but what it comes down to is that cats don’t ingratiate themselves shamelessly like dogs. I’m automatically on my defense whenever I encounter an adult who keeps a dog for no good reason. Generally it turns out that I prefer the dog to the person, who typically has doglike/childlike traits that are tiresome in an adult.
Reasons I like having a dog:
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I like the company. I hate having roommates but I got really bored when I live by myself. Since getting a dog I never feel bored or lonely. Also I feel a lot safer alone in my home.
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He gets me out of the house for regular walks, which is good for my health. Pets have been shown to have other positive health effects, like reducing blood pressure.
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Training him has taught me a lot about communication that has helped me in human relationships.
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I want a pet but I’m badly allergic to cats, and no other pets are interesting enough for me to find worth the trouble. So dogs it is!
I think it is true, that dogs display many human-like expressions (like smiling, excitement). Whether these are just conditioned behaviors of not, i don’t know. by I remember my dog vs my ex-wife: coming home after a hard day, my ex would immediatley start nagging (REMINDING ME TO FIX THE LEAKY FAUCET), and bitching about what a pisser it is to make dinner.
As for coming home to the dog: joyful barks and affection-no cutting remarks, no nagging-of course, the dog NEVER learned to prepare dinner!
Now I’ve got an image from a movie stuck in my head. It’s Rosie O’Donnell in dom gear telling some guy “paint my house”.
I am a dog person. I like being able to know what the animal is going to do. I can read a dogs body language and they will (or at least a properly trained one) do what you tell them to.
Cats on the other hand switch from pet me to die human scum at the drop of a hat. The only scar I have from any animal is from a cat that was purring on my lap one minute, then scratching and biting the next.
My dog is my best friend and has been for over 11 years. I do things for her because if she could she would do the same for me. Why do I dote on her? Because she needs me and what’s more, she trusts me. For example, if something is wrong, she lets me inflict pain or suffering on her when I must because she knows that ultimately it will make her feel better. If she gets a thorn in her paw she knows that all she has to do is stand there and I will find her, figure it out and make it better. I have a responsibility towards her and in return she gives me real love. When I am sad she knows and will act like a complete retard to get me to laugh. She will knock me over to lick the tears off of my face. She hides in shame when she makes a mess in the house. I don’t know many humans with as much compassion and consideration as my dog.
The first dog I ever got was a Lab (shocker), and I was a bit upset when I realized that I couldn’t really play with her for the first month or two. They just want to bite and gnaw on you with those needle teeth. Then, I read in a book that they call that part of a dog’s life the “piranha stage”, and I was relieved to know that was normal. Puppyhood is so relatively short that it always seems like a distant memory to me.
She was housebroken (with the exception of the occasional puddle) after her 3rd week with us, so we were lucky there.
That’s ridiculous. I can’t imagine anyone actually thinking that is a reasonable opinion to hold. Either your experience is severely limited, or you harbor some sort of bias toward dog owners for an unknown reason.
Odd, since half the people I know in my neighborhood I met while walking my dog. The field across from my house is a good place to let dogs run, and you chat while they are playing.
I doubt cat owners meet a lot of people this way.
Plus, the dogs I’ve had demand your attention, and force you to stop gazing at your navel.
Please.
Come visit me and meet my cat Lovey (appropriately named). My oldest cat Maisie, while more shy, pretty quickly grows to like other people. With me, they’re greeting me at the door just like the dog, and further, they never let an empty lap go unfilled, complete with much purring and the perfected “pet me, Pet ME” head shove under the hand. And as described in my previous posts, are likely to be LESS, not more, snobby than the dog.
It is apparent from your posts that you are confusing people who don’t really understand dogs for what they are (like your parents). That is, those who appear to “worship” the dog, and those that just plain love them for themselves and enjoy having them be a part (not the whole) of our lives.
I’m not sure how this contradicts anything I’ve said.
I like cats. I love dogs. And neither fact reflects anything more than individual preference.
Much of the opinion in this thread mind boggles me for no better reason than the SDMB is, if anything, heavily populated by doting cat lovers. The merest mention of a cat requires kitty pics, to a prolonged chorus of squees and adoring baby talk.
Cats are…okay. There was once a cat in my life and he was nice. I’ll never have another. Cats just aren’t very attractive or interesting to me. All those I’ve met have been mind-numbingly boring. To me, personal experience. And I just don’t care for their looks all that much. I’ve never looked at a cat, kitten or picture of same and thought, ‘Wow, that’s cute.’ They just don’t do much for me; personal preference. And that preference doesn’t mean I “need” slavish adoration, am somehow less independent of mind, etc. etc.
I love dogs because they’re a stitch, excellent companions (even for a confirmed recluse like me) and amazingly subtle. They’re so adept at reading humans that it’s easy to overlook how consistently and patiently they keep trying to teach us ‘dog’. The casual hip-bump in passing always cracks me up. It’s purest canine pack language, a teasing claim about who’s the faster, wittier animal.
People who don’t share that preference…oh well.
What’s interesting is that, even though the OP asked a sort of opinionish question about why people like or love dogs, there is a significant number of people weighing in about why they can’t stand dogs. I guess if you don’t like dogs, you really don’t need to offer any opinion at all, since the thread doesn’t pertain to you. I certainly wouldn’t post in a thread that asked why people like cats.
I love my dogs because they’re faithful companions. The two yellow labs stay outside. Their presence keeps other dogs and any other undesirable fauna off of our property; when I’m working in the yard, they’re always close by and will sound off if someone comes near. I have ample evidence that the big one would protect me as best she could if I were in danger, and the little guy will, too, when he grows up. And on those rare occasions when I manage to piss off my wife, my boss and my in-laws all on the same day, I know I can sit on my back step and the dogs will sit next to me and make me feel important and good and faultless.
They’re not perfect, by any means, and I have to constantly work with them to remind them to be well-behaved. Dead things have ended up in my yard that I have had to dispose of because … well, they’re dogs.
But at the end of the day, when they’re fed and watered and they’ve been worked and had their treats and I sit down on my deck and scratch their heads, I don’t need a beer. There’s just something about scratching a Lab behind the ears that makes me feel like all is right with the world.
Heh. We have and English Mastiff (and a Chow Chow) ‘BamBam’ and I just bought a magnet that says " You say ‘DROOL’ like it’s a BAD thing."
And, yeah, he snores very loudly. And he’ll protect me. Yes, I treat him like my son.
Well, he is my son. We’re childless. And it’s not your business if we anthropomorphize our beasties.
That’s how I am; I grew up with dogs, and during the times living in student apartments that didn’t allow pets, it just felt empty. I just can’t/don’t want to imagine life without the little buggers.
LOL once again. Thanks.
They keep my feet warm.
I love my doggies, really. They have so much personality that I forget they’re not human sometimes. They’re far more dependable than humans, too, and less emotionally taxing. I can tell you I’ve never been stood up by a dog, I never have to wonder how they feel about me, they don’t complain about the food I give them, they clearly enjoy my company and want to spend as much time with me as they can, they love to just cuddle, they appreciate the little things in life (such as sunshine and long walks), they’ll stay up with me when I can’t sleep, they’re not afraid to warn me of any potential danger, they’re completely genuine and, of course, they’re 100% loyal.
It’s a pity I don’t swing that way, come to think of it…