# Why I am a dog person. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 10, 2005, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-am-a-dog-person/293867 "2005-03-10T17:28:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2005, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-am-a-dog-person/293867/1 "2005-03-10T17:28:57Z")
[Link.](http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,150007,00.html) šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2005, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-am-a-dog-person/293867/2 "2005-03-10T17:33:07Z")
:eek: If the cat gets convicted, will he be sentenced to all nine lives without chance of parole? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2005, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-am-a-dog-person/293867/3 "2005-03-10T17:33:41Z")
My cat loves to bat at things with his paw. If he knocks it off a shelf or table, he stands there looking all proud of himself. Of course, if he knocked my gun off a shelf and it shot me, Iā€™m pretty sure heā€™d run and hide behind my recliner. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2005, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-am-a-dog-person/293867/4 "2005-03-10T18:22:00Z")
Not to trivialize the tragedy here, but this makes me like cats _more_. ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Girl)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2005, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-am-a-dog-person/293867/5 "2005-03-10T18:32:16Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > Not to trivialize the tragedy here, but this makes me like cats _more_. Seriously. Obviously, this cat recognized a flaw in the human gene pool when he saw it. He was doing us all a valuable service. Cooking with a loaded weapon on the counter? Enlighten me, gun owners, does a gun have to cocked to accidently go off or is perfectly reasonable to expect a gun to go off simply by hitting the ground? Even if there was some reason you had to cook with a loaded gun on the counter, I take it thereā€™s some preventative (i.e., a safety) that could have alleviated the danger. Not that you would even see it coming if your cat decided to shoot you. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2005, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-am-a-dog-person/293867/6 "2005-03-10T18:35:28Z")
> [@Cinnamon Girl](#): > > does a gun have to cocked to accidently go off or is perfectly reasonable to expect a gun to go off simply by hitting the ground? In real life you never tell the bad guy to ā€œdrop itā€. If you donā€™t have a round in the chamber, it wonā€™t go off if dropped, but itā€™s not the sprt of thing you depend upon. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2005, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-am-a-dog-person/293867/7 "2005-03-10T18:40:35Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > Not to trivialize the tragedy here, but this makes me like cats _more_. Me too. The cat demonstrates the insanity of some peopleā€™s love of guns. **Reasons why Iā€™m _not_ a dog personā€¦** They bark. They bark some more. They bark still more. They stare at you when you eat. They require a leash. They make you suffer the indignity of picking up dogpoo using a shopping bag as a glove. They are dumb. They are subservient. The little ones are evil bastards. The majority of breeds are ugly. **Reasons Iā€™m a cat personā€¦** They are proud. They are independent. They can feed themselves if neccesary. They are cute and fuzzy (even the really fat ones) They are clean. They donā€™t bark. They can hide their poo. They donā€™t require a leash, ever. They are cute and fuzzy. ---
**Author:** ![BF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5ac83/32.png) [@BF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BF)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2005, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-am-a-dog-person/293867/8 "2005-03-10T18:44:09Z")
> [@Cinnamon Girl](#): > > Enlighten me, gun owners, does a gun have to cocked to accidently go off or is perfectly reasonable to expect a gun to go off simply by hitting the ground? No to the second part of this statement. Most semi-autos usually have 2-3 safety mechanisms that prevent the firearm from discharging without pulling the trigger. I assume semi-auto in this case because IIRC, I donā€™t know of any 9mm revolvers. Unless it was real piece of junk. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2005, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-am-a-dog-person/293867/9 "2005-03-10T18:44:38Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > **Reasons why Iā€™m _not_ a dog personā€¦** Have you seen the look of utter shock and disgust on a catā€™s face when the dog eats from the cat pan? ā€œGood gad, you let thisā€¦_creature_ā€¦ into our home?ā€ ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2005, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-am-a-dog-person/293867/10 "2005-03-10T19:20:38Z")
> [@BF](#): > > Most semi-autos usually have 2-3 safety mechanisms that prevent the firearm from discharging without pulling the trigger. I stand corrected. I can happen with my old Beretta. Which leaves us with the possibility he shot himself and blamed it on the cat. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2005, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-am-a-dog-person/293867/11 "2005-03-10T19:47:07Z")
Wasnā€™t there a case recently where a man was shot by a puppy? In all fairness to dogdom, though, it was in self-defense. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2005, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-am-a-dog-person/293867/12 "2005-03-10T20:23:22Z")
Yes, and I believe that puppy was hailed as a hero. Not to mention there are a few cases every now and again of hunters getting shot by their own dogs. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2005, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-am-a-dog-person/293867/13 "2005-03-10T20:24:57Z")
What you have to remember is that the cat shot him from **behind**. A dog at least looks you in the eye when it triggers your carelessly-placed rifle. ---
**Author:** ![Not\_A\_Tame\_Lion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e36b37/32.png) [@Not\_A\_Tame\_Lion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_A_Tame_Lion)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2005, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-am-a-dog-person/293867/14 "2005-03-10T20:38:50Z")
> [@Cinnamon Girl](#): > > Seriously. > > Obviously, this cat recognized a flaw in the human gene pool when he saw it. He was doing us all a valuable service. Indeed. If the dude is dumb enough to leave a loaded gun lying around his kitchen, he got what he deserved. Yet another reason to love cats. And Lobsang is all over the problems with dogs. Not only do they bark, they willā€“if allowed to do soā€“bark _incessantly,_ for hours on end. I have just such a problem at my place. My landlord/neighborā€™s dog is allowed to bark for hours without anything done about it. It kind of makes sense though: my landlord is a loudmouthed idiot, thus his dog is a loudmouthed idiot. Thatā€™s the real problem with dogs: they tend to be exactly what their owners are. And, as Iā€™ve found that most folks in this world are not exactly my idea of sunshine, their dogs donā€™t appeal to me very much either. Contrast that with a catā€“specifically, the cat in the OP story. The guy who got shot is an idiot. If the pet were a dog, the dog would be an idiot, too. Probably would have shot itself, not the owner. Obviously, the cat was smarter than that. Of course, we canā€™t really judge motive here. Maybe the guy gave kitty a can of chicken and rice instead of tuna. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2005, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-am-a-dog-person/293867/15 "2005-03-10T20:40:43Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Have you seen the look of utter shock and disgust on a catā€™s face when the dog eats from the cat pan? > > ā€œGood gad, you let thisā€¦_creature_ā€¦ into our home?ā€ [George Carlin] Dogs are a constant source of entertainment. Ever have a dog that eats cat turds? Some of 'em do. Some of you must know that. Of course, youā€™ve gotta have a cat. You canā€™t be buying cat turds at the supermarket. But itā€™s true, some dogsā€™ll eat cat turds. Yeah, but donā€™t let 'em lick you that day. Get a bottle of Listerine for him. Try to make him gargle. Pour it down his throat and tell him to howl. ā€œCā€™mon howl! Howl, goddammit, howl!ā€ [/George Carlin] ---
**Author:** ![Foible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Foible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foible)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-am-a-dog-person/293867/16 "2005-03-11T03:16:30Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > **Reasons why Iā€™m _not_ a dog personā€¦** > They make you suffer the indignity of picking up dogpoo using a shopping bag as a glove. > > They are dumb. > > They are subservient. On a cold morning itā€™s more of a blessing than an indignity, There are days I canā€™t wait for that steamer to hit the frosty grass. I wonā€™t try and convince you that dogs arenā€™t dumb or subservient. Some people just arenā€™t cut out for membership in the clan of the dog people. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-am-a-dog-person/293867/17 "2005-03-11T19:07:47Z")
Sorry to bump this, but I have another reason why Iā€™m not a dog person. The longest-living and most adored cat of my growing up - Flossy, was killed by a vicious little shit of a dog owned by a local woman of sinister personality\* who kept no adequate control of her evil four-legged turds. [sub]\*Issue for another thread[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![BF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5ac83/32.png) [@BF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BF)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-am-a-dog-person/293867/18 "2005-03-11T19:20:26Z")
Sorry, **Lobsang** for your repulsion of manā€™s best friend. I happen to enjoy the best of both worlds, as I am an unrepentant lover of German Shepherds, which Iā€™ve had since grade school, and we also share one roof with three snobsā€¦, err, cats, courtesy of my wife. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-am-a-dog-person/293867/19 "2005-03-11T19:29:52Z")
> [@BF](#): > > Sorry, **Lobsang** for your repulsion of manā€™s best friend. I happen to enjoy the best of both worlds, as I am an unrepentant lover of German Shepherds, which Iā€™ve had since grade school, and we also share one roof with three snobsā€¦, err, cats, courtesy of my wife. šŸ˜ƒ I donā€™t mean to tar all dogs with the same brush. Many dogs are handsome and donā€™t possess the negative qualities I see in many dogs. German Shepherds are a good example, as are Border Collies, Labradors, and others. The dogs that killed my cat were the worst kind. Vicious, noisy, ugly, permanently angry. I donā€™t know what people see in them. ---
**Author:** ![BF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5ac83/32.png) [@BF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BF)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2005, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-am-a-dog-person/293867/20 "2005-03-11T19:43:41Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > The dogs that killed my cat were the worst kind. Vicious, noisy, ugly, permanently angry. I donā€™t know what people see in them. They arenā€™t born that way (99.9% of 'em). Itā€™s the owner. Iā€™ve come across a few, and would rather shoot the owner than the dog. (But thatā€™s just me, YMMV.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-i-am-a-dog-person/293867.md?page=2)