Why do Americans love dogs so much?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do people even mention children when the subject of pets comes up?

We were all children once. I'd hate to think that my parents would rather have had a dog than me. Some of you posters comparing animals to children should think about that.

Maybe some people should only have pets and some people should have neither!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

Dogs are better than children. Every dog owner knows this.

I hope that after raising your fur baby, he grows up to be a fantastic doctor or teacher or architect for the betterment of our society. Best of luck.

Comparing dogs and kids are silly. My dogs don't need to be doctors etc to make my world a better place.

Doctors help so many people. Your dumb dog only helps one stunted individual aka you so relatively speaking, the dog is worthless.

Forgot to add doctors can also do a lot of harm.

[Anonymous]

I love my dog. She loves me. Her unconditional love delights and comforts our family.
I do agree that dog owners can do better. My girl is a rescue and was hit and yelled at by a prior foster(s) and she is not good with other dogs. When I see another dog who she doesn’t know, I cross the street. But if I can’t do that quickly, I am amazed at how people just trot their dogs over anyway to say “hello” even after I’ve told them not to. Plus, people who don’t pick up after their dogs just suck.

[Anonymous]

I've read this thread and thought about it a lot, and I think I've figured it out.

It's not about loving dogs. As many posters have pointed out. People love dogs all over the world. Dogs are inherently lovable (not to everyone, but to many, many humans).

It's about Americaness. American individuality makes American dog owners more selfish and annoying than dog owners in other places.

In France, yes, people love their dogs. They bring them everywhere and also there are negative externalities from the dogs -- plenty of dog$hit on the street, dog hair in markets, etc. If you hate dogs, this is quite annoying. If you are indifferent to dogs, it might also be annoying, except...

In France they also take care of people, not just dogs. They have a government pension for retirees. They have free and heavily subsidized childcare, plus families who have kids get money from the government for their kids. They have generous unemployment for people who have lost jobs, and job retraining programs for people whose industries go obsolete. In France, there is a cultural imperative to care for people, so the fact that people ALSO care for dogs is not so annoying. (Yes, yes, I'm gliding over aspects of French government and society that aren't so great -- the racism, anti-immigrant stance, the misogyny built into their marital laws and culture, the high taxes and incredibly opaque administrative nonsense that everything requires -- I'm not a Francophile, but on balance, French people are more socialist than Americans, who are more individualist).

In America, we have very little collectivism. It's me, me, me. And when Americans love their dogs, it's my dog, my dog, my dog. This is why in the US, dogs and children are bizarrely pitted against each other for resources like public parks (why??? this is very weird -- there should be public spaces for children and people with dogs). This is why dog owners defy rules about not having dogs in certain places (in France these rules simply do not exist, it's a different set up entirely), and also why people get so angry at dog owners for doing it. It's an individualist culture where we are all pitted agains one another for the same resources. Dog owners are hostile in trying to claim some of those resources for their dogs, and people are hostile in return because when a dog is given a resource, it often means someone else loses a resources.

Many American problems can be traced back to a culture that values the individual over the group. Even the individual dog over the community.

Ok, you can all call me a Marxist idiot now! Enjoy!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've read this thread and thought about it a lot, and I think I've figured it out.

It's not about loving dogs. As many posters have pointed out. People love dogs all over the world. Dogs are inherently lovable (not to everyone, but to many, many humans).

It's about Americaness. American individuality makes American dog owners more selfish and annoying than dog owners in other places.

In France, yes, people love their dogs. They bring them everywhere and also there are negative externalities from the dogs -- plenty of dog$hit on the street, dog hair in markets, etc. If you hate dogs, this is quite annoying. If you are indifferent to dogs, it might also be annoying, except...

In France they also take care of people, not just dogs. They have a government pension for retirees. They have free and heavily subsidized childcare, plus families who have kids get money from the government for their kids. They have generous unemployment for people who have lost jobs, and job retraining programs for people whose industries go obsolete. In France, there is a cultural imperative to care for people, so the fact that people ALSO care for dogs is not so annoying. (Yes, yes, I'm gliding over aspects of French government and society that aren't so great -- the racism, anti-immigrant stance, the misogyny built into their marital laws and culture, the high taxes and incredibly opaque administrative nonsense that everything requires -- I'm not a Francophile, but on balance, French people are more socialist than Americans, who are more individualist).

In America, we have very little collectivism. It's me, me, me. And when Americans love their dogs, it's my dog, my dog, my dog. This is why in the US, dogs and children are bizarrely pitted against each other for resources like public parks (why??? this is very weird -- there should be public spaces for children and people with dogs). This is why dog owners defy rules about not having dogs in certain places (in France these rules simply do not exist, it's a different set up entirely), and also why people get so angry at dog owners for doing it. It's an individualist culture where we are all pitted agains one another for the same resources. Dog owners are hostile in trying to claim some of those resources for their dogs, and people are hostile in return because when a dog is given a resource, it often means someone else loses a resources.

Many American problems can be traced back to a culture that values the individual over the group. Even the individual dog over the community.

Ok, you can all call me a Marxist idiot now! Enjoy!

You idea that you have "figured it out" is wrong totally wrong. What do you say about the tons of organizations and local governments whose sole purpose is to help humans? How can you say with wide sweaping generations that we have "very little collectivism?" When there is a natural disaster neighbors pull together.

How can you call dog owners in America more selfish than any other group? Even within Americans there are varying degrees. Lots of people defy rules not just dog owners. Heck sometimes the rules do need to be bent a little!

the part where you say "dog owners are hostle in trying to claim those resources and someone else loses one?" Please explain. How is having a dog park for example mean that someone else is losing? If kids have a playground how am I as a dog owner losing out? I think playgrounds are great for kids!

Anyway you are 1,000 percent wrong on your thoughts. Go back to the drawing board!

[Anonymous]

My dog is kind of like a permanent preschooler. He loves to cuddle with me, he flips out with excitement when he sees me, and he's enthusiastic with his expressions of love for me. My kids have outgrown that stage, and now act grumpy a lot, get annoyed when I hug them, and are in no hurry to leave their friends when I pick them up from school. I feel like my dog fulfills my nurturing sense in many ways now that my babies are older, while being much, much less work for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

Dogs are better than children. Every dog owner knows this.

I hope that after raising your fur baby, he grows up to be a fantastic doctor or teacher or architect for the betterment of our society. Best of luck.

Comparing dogs and kids are silly. My dogs don't need to be doctors etc to make my world a better place.

Doctors help so many people. Your dumb dog only helps one stunted individual aka you so relatively speaking, the dog is worthless.

Forgot to add doctors can also do a lot of harm.

You’re right. Let’s ban doctors and put the fur babies in charge. You’re working so hard to raise them!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've read this thread and thought about it a lot, and I think I've figured it out.

It's not about loving dogs. As many posters have pointed out. People love dogs all over the world. Dogs are inherently lovable (not to everyone, but to many, many humans).

It's about Americaness. American individuality makes American dog owners more selfish and annoying than dog owners in other places.

In France, yes, people love their dogs. They bring them everywhere and also there are negative externalities from the dogs -- plenty of dog$hit on the street, dog hair in markets, etc. If you hate dogs, this is quite annoying. If you are indifferent to dogs, it might also be annoying, except...

In France they also take care of people, not just dogs. They have a government pension for retirees. They have free and heavily subsidized childcare, plus families who have kids get money from the government for their kids. They have generous unemployment for people who have lost jobs, and job retraining programs for people whose industries go obsolete. In France, there is a cultural imperative to care for people, so the fact that people ALSO care for dogs is not so annoying. (Yes, yes, I'm gliding over aspects of French government and society that aren't so great -- the racism, anti-immigrant stance, the misogyny built into their marital laws and culture, the high taxes and incredibly opaque administrative nonsense that everything requires -- I'm not a Francophile, but on balance, French people are more socialist than Americans, who are more individualist).

In America, we have very little collectivism. It's me, me, me. And when Americans love their dogs, it's my dog, my dog, my dog. This is why in the US, dogs and children are bizarrely pitted against each other for resources like public parks (why??? this is very weird -- there should be public spaces for children and people with dogs). This is why dog owners defy rules about not having dogs in certain places (in France these rules simply do not exist, it's a different set up entirely), and also why people get so angry at dog owners for doing it. It's an individualist culture where we are all pitted agains one another for the same resources. Dog owners are hostile in trying to claim some of those resources for their dogs, and people are hostile in return because when a dog is given a resource, it often means someone else loses a resources.

Many American problems can be traced back to a culture that values the individual over the group. Even the individual dog over the community.

Ok, you can all call me a Marxist idiot now! Enjoy!

You idea that you have "figured it out" is wrong totally wrong. What do you say about the tons of organizations and local governments whose sole purpose is to help humans? How can you say with wide sweaping generations that we have "very little collectivism?" When there is a natural disaster neighbors pull together.

How can you call dog owners in America more selfish than any other group? Even within Americans there are varying degrees. Lots of people defy rules not just dog owners. Heck sometimes the rules do need to be bent a little!

the part where you say "dog owners are hostle in trying to claim those resources and someone else loses one?" Please explain. How is having a dog park for example mean that someone else is losing? If kids have a playground how am I as a dog owner losing out? I think playgrounds are great for kids!

Anyway you are 1,000 percent wrong on your thoughts. Go back to the drawing board!

I’m a new poster, I live in Baltimore, there is a park near me and they are using a portion of it to build a sports field for kids rec sports and certain people are up in arms because that’s the field they like to run their dogs off leash on (illegally) and want it to be a dog park instead.

A dog park instead of a children’s sports field.

So yes, it’s no wonder there is animosity between families with kids (and sometimes they have dogs too!) and single 25 year olds with their dog who think the city should be set up with nothing but bars and dog parks

[Anonymous]

Yes, I do judge you if I learn you don't like dogs.

I also judge you if you don't like children.

You'll live.

[Anonymous]

I’m an American and I don’t like dogs. I don’t think I’ve ever said that to anyone except my spouse and I wouldn’t reveal that info anywhere except an anonymous message board.

I’m a good person. I care deeply about others. I work in a “helping profession” where I my job is basically helping people. I would never harm an animal and would never wish harm on one. I sometimes think dogs are cute and I’m happy for my friends and family who have/love dogs. I just don’t like them. And don’t want to pet them or be around them. I want them to be well cared for and loved and I want what’s best for the dogs but I don’t personally want anything to do with them myself.

I feel like many people have a feeling that you’re a bad person if you don’t like dogs. I like people—I like to help people, I like children, I like hanging out w elderly people. But liking people and doing good things for people is not good enough. You must love dogs or you are looked down upon in this country.

[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?

Please. I just returned from Europe and whole big ass dogs were sitting at tables in restaurants slurping from bowls and plates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m an American and I don’t like dogs. I don’t think I’ve ever said that to anyone except my spouse and I wouldn’t reveal that info anywhere except an anonymous message board.

I’m a good person. I care deeply about others. I work in a “helping profession” where I my job is basically helping people. I would never harm an animal and would never wish harm on one. I sometimes think dogs are cute and I’m happy for my friends and family who have/love dogs. I just don’t like them. And don’t want to pet them or be around them. I want them to be well cared for and loved and I want what’s best for the dogs but I don’t personally want anything to do with them myself.

I feel like many people have a feeling that you’re a bad person if you don’t like dogs. I like people—I like to help people, I like children, I like hanging out w elderly people. But liking people and doing good things for people is not good enough. You must love dogs or you are looked down upon in this country.

Not liking dogs is not as uncommon as you think. I have a severe allergy and people sometimes quietly disclose to me they do not like dogs after I tell them about my allergy.

[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?

Went to a hotel this weekend without a dog and yet was placed in a room clearly where a dog had been. Asked to be moved and was moved to a cleaner room but by the stray hairs here and there, it was evident that a dog had been there. We have allergies. So frustrating

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m an American and I don’t like dogs. I don’t think I’ve ever said that to anyone except my spouse and I wouldn’t reveal that info anywhere except an anonymous message board.

I’m a good person. I care deeply about others. I work in a “helping profession” where I my job is basically helping people. I would never harm an animal and would never wish harm on one. I sometimes think dogs are cute and I’m happy for my friends and family who have/love dogs. I just don’t like them. And don’t want to pet them or be around them. I want them to be well cared for and loved and I want what’s best for the dogs but I don’t personally want anything to do with them myself.

I feel like many people have a feeling that you’re a bad person if you don’t like dogs. I like people—I like to help people, I like children, I like hanging out w elderly people. But liking people and doing good things for people is not good enough. You must love dogs or you are looked down upon in this country.

You don’t owe anybody this toadie apologist statement.

I hate dogs. Period.

[Anonymous]

Agree it’s Anglo Saxon and European culture. Dogs were integral in the agrarian economy with livestock and upper class sporting pursuits. A good sporting or hunting dog, a posh lap dog, a herding dog to keep the livestock together and a loyal guard dog to protect the livestock were all common. Outside European culture, in China dogs are popular with the elite and younger educated class but less common elsewhere.

Dogs seem to be really unpopular in Indian , middle eastern and African cultures.