whooooosh

Yeah, I think this attitude that you can’t dislike dogs is actively harmful, both as an unnecessary social stigma and to dogs themselves. Like, this cultural idea that you should just have and enjoy having dogs contributes to bad dog ownership, because people end up owning dogs that they don’t properly care for because they think it’s what they’re supposed to do, or that it’ll all be sunshine and roses.

Dogs are needy pets! They need physical, mental, and social stimulation to be happy, if in varying amounts by breed/individual, and not to mention training. You gotta be prepared to (and ideally enjoy) providing these things.

I’m about as far away on the dog opinion spectrum from you as it gets - I love em big, goofy, and slobbery, and if I was independently wealthy I’d be some weirdo that lived in a mansion with an entire pack. That said, it is okay not to like dogs.

As a dog owner, that’s absolutely fair. It’s not your responsibility to deal with other people’s dogs.

We do bring our dog places, but they have to be 1) explicitly dog friendly (and still not just randomly in stores, even if they allow dogs, and definitely not restaurants? breweries with outdoor spaces though, sure) and 2) we do things like go for big hikes or doggie play dates beforehand, so our dog is happy to just sit underneath our table or right beside us and people watch. If he ever starts getting disruptive (barking/crying, won’t stay still) then we pack it up and go - that means he’s not having a good time (and we’re not either if he’s not just chilling) and there’s no reason others should have to deal with that too. Fortunately this is rare, but this is how the dog owner social contract should go I think.

And absolutely he can’t just approach people and is never off leash outside of his specific home spaces (our home, specific family homes). Are people just bringing their dogs to your home and setting them loose or something? Like that’s wild and outrageously rude, our dog never goes to someone else’s private space without 110% knowledge that they’re good with it, and even then he gets tons of stuff to ensure a successful visit (again, lots of activity beforehand + things like his gates, crate, toys, etc. to keep him occupied and safely away from things that could just potentially be issues).

If you’re someone who just really doesn’t like dogs, the only time and place our dog should ever occupy your attention at all is if you’re physically in our house. Which like, he’s very social and friendly, but still very much a dog, and while we’d do everything we could to make you comfortable, we’d probably just not meet you in our house most of the time.