Why do Americans love dogs so much?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s not to love? They love their families unconditionally.

So do babies? And also, a baby has never mauled its family

Children kill their parents all the time.

I think you are kidding but this is actually incredibly rare.

Dog bites are super common, though. I like dogs but most dogs could be provoked into biting a human without that much effort (even well behaved dogs-- they are animals with an attack instinct if they are sufficiently threatened), whereas most children simply don't have the means to murder someone even if given a good reason to do so.

Have you ever breastfed a teething infant? Child bites happen all the time, and without provocation. One of the most relevant situations is the common one of a toddler who bites other toddlers in daycare.

Compare bites to bites.

When’s the last time a teething infant mauled his mother and landed her in the ICU?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like dogs perfectly fine, but I don’t get why it seems to be such a thing for Americans to be so enamored of dogs.
It seems like it’s more acceptable to say that you don’t like children than admit that you don’t care for dogs. This doesn’t seem to be as prevalent in other countries. Why is this?

There are lots of people who hate them.

Why?

+1. Excluding the owners who don’t follow the rules, etc. why do so many people, ESPECIALLY on this site hate dogs? In real life I don’t know many people at all who dislike them.

I dislike “dog mom” type dog owners, I am neutral about most dogs (I tend to like goldens and labs, and dislike pits and tiny dogs). I can’t say “I don’t like dogs” out loud because people assume I’m antisocial. In actuality I used to like most dogs , until I had kids, and witnessed off leash dogs 1) eating my kids lunch off of her lap in a park while my kid cried and tried to make it go away, its owner laughed and thought it was cute 2) running up to my kid on the sidewalk and biting her in the leg as she rode her scooter on the sidewalk 3) barking incessantly at us as we try to walk to elementary school and it’s tied up at the street corner (not allowed in school property) and lunging at kids walking past, once causing a kid to scream and jump into the road narrowly missing being hit by a car 4) bark for hours on end in the yard as the owners ignore it 5) licking my dog allergic toddler in the stroller despite me yelling at it and the owner (this dog was leashed even, but the owner just let it run up to the stroller and start licking) causing hives all over his face. Man I could go on, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They’re for the feeble minded or anxious who are unable to meaningfully connect with other humans. The dumb animal is more “on their level” and simpler to interact with. That’s a lot of people nowadays.

Nailed it. Hence the claim of seeking "unconditional love" from an animal.

Lots and lots of people have pets that they love and care for, but still understand the boundaries and differences between human and pet.

But there are a lot of dog owners who cannot comprehend the differences and put their pet on an equal pedestal. You don't see this in any other for of pet owner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They’re for the feeble minded or anxious who are unable to meaningfully connect with other humans. The dumb animal is more “on their level” and simpler to interact with. That’s a lot of people nowadays.

Nailed it. Hence the claim of seeking "unconditional love" from an animal.

Lots and lots of people have pets that they love and care for, but still understand the boundaries and differences between human and pet.

But there are a lot of dog owners who cannot comprehend the differences and put their pet on an equal pedestal. You don't see this in any other for of pet owner.

Do you have a pet?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They’re for the feeble minded or anxious who are unable to meaningfully connect with other humans. The dumb animal is more “on their level” and simpler to interact with. That’s a lot of people nowadays.

Nailed it. Hence the claim of seeking "unconditional love" from an animal.

Lots and lots of people have pets that they love and care for, but still understand the boundaries and differences between human and pet.

But there are a lot of dog owners who cannot comprehend the differences and put their pet on an equal pedestal. You don't see this in any other for of pet owner.

Do you have a pet?

Yes, I do. I love them, they bring me joy (and entertainment), but I don't seek validation or "unconditional love" from my pet. I certainly don't think they trump basic courtesy of other humans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They’re for the feeble minded or anxious who are unable to meaningfully connect with other humans. The dumb animal is more “on their level” and simpler to interact with. That’s a lot of people nowadays.

Nailed it. Hence the claim of seeking "unconditional love" from an animal.

Lots and lots of people have pets that they love and care for, but still understand the boundaries and differences between human and pet.

But there are a lot of dog owners who cannot comprehend the differences and put their pet on an equal pedestal. You don't see this in any other for of pet owner.

Do you have a pet?

Yes, I do. I love them, they bring me joy (and entertainment), but I don't seek validation or "unconditional love" from my pet. I certainly don't think they trump basic courtesy of other humans.

I used to have dogs, and I…also never did those things. Weird, huh?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mental illness.

Yep, this. I firmly believe that there will eventually be some kind of diagnosis for unusual attachment to dogs.

[Anonymous]

Judging by the constant posts on this site including this one they and their owners are pretty much the scourge of the earth, so my conclusion is actually that most Americans really dislike dogs. The animosity towards them is enormous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Judging by the constant posts on this site including this one they and their owners are pretty much the scourge of the earth, so my conclusion is actually that most Americans really dislike dogs. The animosity towards them is enormous.

It's not dogs that people hate--it's the owners.

[Anonymous]

Because hoomans suck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like dogs perfectly fine, but I don’t get why it seems to be such a thing for Americans to be so enamored of dogs.
It seems like it’s more acceptable to say that you don’t like children than admit that you don’t care for dogs. This doesn’t seem to be as prevalent in other countries. Why is this?

I mean this is one of a long line of reasons why the rest of the world sucks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They’re for the feeble minded or anxious who are unable to meaningfully connect with other humans. The dumb animal is more “on their level” and simpler to interact with. That’s a lot of people nowadays.

Nailed it. Hence the claim of seeking "unconditional love" from an animal.

Lots and lots of people have pets that they love and care for, but still understand the boundaries and differences between human and pet.

But there are a lot of dog owners who cannot comprehend the differences and put their pet on an equal pedestal. You don't see this in any other for of pet owner.

Do you have a pet?

Yes, I do. I love them, they bring me joy (and entertainment), but I don't seek validation or "unconditional love" from my pet. I certainly don't think they trump basic courtesy of other humans.

I used to have dogs, and I…also never did those things. Weird, huh?

Right. Not all dog owners are emotionally stunted, but a great many are - the people who bring their dogs with them everywhere certainly are.

Then there are the people who so clearly regret getting a dog, as they completely ignore their animal on an obligatory walk while spaced out on their phone. It's sad.

Few dog owners get a dog for the right reasons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like dogs perfectly fine, but I don’t get why it seems to be such a thing for Americans to be so enamored of dogs.
It seems like it’s more acceptable to say that you don’t like children than admit that you don’t care for dogs. This doesn’t seem to be as prevalent in other countries. Why is this?

Why do foreigners like sheep so much?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They’re for the feeble minded or anxious who are unable to meaningfully connect with other humans. The dumb animal is more “on their level” and simpler to interact with. That’s a lot of people nowadays.

Nailed it. Hence the claim of seeking "unconditional love" from an animal.

Lots and lots of people have pets that they love and care for, but still understand the boundaries and differences between human and pet.

But there are a lot of dog owners who cannot comprehend the differences and put their pet on an equal pedestal. You don't see this in any other for of pet owner.

Do you have a pet?

Yes, I do. I love them, they bring me joy (and entertainment), but I don't seek validation or "unconditional love" from my pet. I certainly don't think they trump basic courtesy of other humans.

This resonates with me. I love my cat u conditionally but don't expect unconditional love from him. Actually, it's the same with my kids-- I love them no matter what but I actually do think I have to earn their love (by caring for them, protecting them, etc. -- everything you sign for when you have kids).

I think it's strange to expect/demand unconditional love from a creature who is totally dependent on you.

[Anonymous]

Because most of them are mentally unstable.