Does the way someone thinks about dogs chance the way you see them?
 

Today at work on of my colleagues said that he finds dogs (and all other animals) disgusting!
Dogs for him are disgusting creatures and won't ever want one. He would never even give a dog water just so he doesn't touch the bowl..
This made me chance the way I see him, and truly I don't think we can ever be friends.
Does the way someone else feels about dogs change the way you feel about them?

nope! I love dogs :) I don't like cats but I love dogs!

YES! I love animals and I cannot be more than a casual acquaintance with someone if they do not respect animals as well. It's different if it's just ignorance, such as MIL who is old school and doesn't really understand puppymills and things like that. But someone such as your co worker who says he thinks dogs are disgusting, I could not be friends or even respect someone like that very much.
And if someone cares for animals very much, they get extra brownie points in my book.

I don't get your post. You love dogs, but if someone told you they hate dogs (including yours), that wouldn't change your perspective on them? :confused:

No.

I love my dog, but I don't expect other people to feel the same. I have friends who have kids they adore, and I can barely tolerate being around them. Kinda the same thing, isn't it?

Well I could never have a partner who didn't love animals, put it that way. And I don't have friends who feel like how the OP described. Dogs are a huge part of my life, so the people who I choose to surround myself with has to feel the same way as I do.

Yes, it does. Anytime I hear of someone I thought was nice being cruel to or neglecting or mistreating a dog, I change how I feel about them. If they just don't like dogs, that's their prerogative but I do wonder a bit about them and why that noble, helpful and longtime companion of mankind who so ably assisted humans in advancing society the world over and prospering in it isn't even worthy of liking in some way.

:thumbup: Yup, how can someone not even find ONE thing to like about dogs?

I read that wrong. I thought you meant would it change the way I feel about dogs, lol. Yes, but I wonder whatever happened in that person's life to make them feel so strongly against another living creature. I may remain friends with them only to try and change their mind... Gosh, I wonder what he thinks of people who love dogs!

I don't trust people who don't like animals. If someone can't be kind or nice to an innocent animal, imagine how horrible they would be to other people. If anyone didn't like my dog, (or any pet), I would not want to have anything to do with them.

I just saw this on my FB stream and thought of this thread/poll.

I can understand someone not liking dogs for whatever reason. I can not understand someone mistreating , abusing or neglecting a dog for any reason. There is a difference, right?

I said it would depend on the reason. I don't expect all people to be "dog people". I'm really not that into cats, but I would hope people wouldn't hold that against me. I mean, I'm not mean to cats. I respect people loving them. They just aren't for me.

As mentioned above..I don't have children. To be honest, unless they are children I'm attached to and love, a lot of children out there in this world get on my nerves lol. Again, I hope that doesn't change how someone feels about me.

You can not like something and still respect and love those who do. Hope I'm explaining it how I mean it. lol (it's late)

Yes, for me it does. I can't be friends with anyone who doesn't like dogs as they are just too much a part of my life. I understand if you aren't crazy about them but to hate them or find them disgusting, there is no way I could be friends with someone like that.

Dogs are everything that is good in this world; they are non judgmental, loyal/faithful, have unconditional love, companionship and compassion.

Why wouldn't a person want these things in life? I just don't trust people who hate dogs or mistreat them. If you are that bad with such a pure and innocent creature how can you show compassion to humans who are often none of these things?

I understand if you were perhaps bit by a dog or had something similar happen, but to just dislike them all for no reason and you never gave them a chance? I don't get it.

I think many non dog people never really gave it a try. They see a hairy, slobbery, noisy creature and it turns them off. They can't look past the physical aspects to see how emotionally rewarding dogs can be.

If a little slobber bothers them how do they get past all the humans they encounter because there are a lot of humans that can be disgusting.

Quite frankly I feel so sorry for non dog people because they are missing out on so much.

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Especially TOY breeds, eh! Cos, as everyone knows, they're not REAL dogs are they.....all yappy & snappy and owned by featherhead females who dress them up and carry them in their handbag :rolleyes: Oh yes, I've had that A LOT over the past few months since we decided to get small dogs as opposed to gundogs (we live in a part of the UK where it's all shooting & hunting) :thumbdown Almost everyone up here has Labradors or springer spaniels which ARE lovely breeds in their own way but not the small companions that I want :)

I can understand folks who may have been bitten being wary but cannot understand ANYONE who actually hates dogs...or any animals come to that :confused: I once worked with a lad who was scared of dogs but after 7 years under my influence he was begrudgingly stroking a neighbour's Labrador :D He'd never been bitten or anything, just grew up in a house where his parents never allowed pets so he never got the chance to realise how much fulfilment they bring to your life :(

As to cats......they are NOT all cold, indifferent, aloof creatures.....I've known some HUGE characters over the years and I always think that if you show them affection & love they return it a thousandfold....just like a dog :wub:

Here's my current boy George.....soft as clarts and quite a chatty wee man at times :D I keep showing him Yorkie puppy videos on YouTube to prepare him for the puppy's arrival later this year :yelrotflm

http://i1060.photobucket.com/albums/...666/005-16.jpg

Wauw! Thanks everyone for all your posts ;)
I respect each and everyone of them.

I understand that everyone has their own way of feeling towards different animals (and children).
I am not really a cat person but it doesn't mean that I find them disgusting. I can be around them just won't have one of my own.
If a person feels like that about dogs, I don't mind. As long as they respect them, specially my dogs.
But finding them disgusting for no reason at all makes me angry.

I love dogs and will always have them around me, if someone wants to be my friend and become closer to me, they must be able to tolerate dogs. They don't have to love them (if they do it's perfect :) ) but they must tolerate and respect them.

That's my point of view :)

About my colleague, I don't know the reason for why he feels that way but it's kinda scary. They way he described his feelings towards dogs is not pleasant at all. If he would ever find a dog in need, he would be the first one to walk away...
When I told him that he doesn't know what he's missing by feeling that way towards dogs, and every other animal in general, he said he knows what's he missing.. the cleaning up after the disgusting creatures...that made me so angry!!
What bothers me more is that he is younger than me, he is still learning how to live in this world and this is how he feels about the most adorable and innocent creatures of this world..

Again, thanks everyone for your input. I appreciate it very much :)

I chose the last one. It doesn't bother me if a person doesn't want a pet themselves, or if they don't love my dogs . . . but I would be bothered if the person doesn't have compassion for animals, or if the person criticized my choices and my love for my dogs.

For instance, people who are compelled to tell me that their children are more important than my dogs. Why do we have to rate living beings on a scale like that?

I chose"depends on the reason" because if someone had a traumatic experience involving a dog, such as they were attacked as a child-or even as an adult-I could see where that would affect their feelings towards dogs. I also agree that disliking or being scared of dogs is a whole different thing than abusing a dog. IMO, refusing to give a thirsty dog water IS a type of abuse.
I agree with Kazzy and Teri. I don't have children and I find that most children either annoy me or I don't know what to say to them. This doesn't mean that I can be or want to be mean to them. I don't. As an ED nurse, if I was unkind to children, I certainly wouldn't do well in my job, if I even still had a job. :rolleyes:
I think that people who dislike dogs can still be nice to them or at least stay away, I wouldn't expect someone who doesn't like dogs to oohh and ahhh over my photos of Huey.

Yes. I'm not sure I could be friends with someone who hates dogs/animals. I love dogs, and they will always be in my life. If someone just didn't mind or didn't care for them enough to want one, I could kinda understand.

The only person I still talk to that doesn't like animals is my sister. I told her there's something wrong with her lol. But she just says she can't get into the idea of cleaning up after them, also a huge part of me thinks it's because she's afraid of them. Didn't realize until last week we were at our mom's house and brought Draco. He kept wanting to sniff her uggs, and she kept backing away, while we were just standing around similarly to the way I'll back up from a pigeon or insect I'm afraid of that no one else seems to notice lol.

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There is a deep psychological reason why people that are deliberately cruel or disrespectful to animals, usually have some deep seated aversion that can "leak" over into the way they feel and relate to other humans. We have someone not only killing dogs in Houston, but doing so horrifically....mutilating the dog before killing it. There are a battery of psychologists, and profilers, working with the police, trying to catch this person, because in their words, this behavior is likely to escalate and this person is quite capable of directing this kind of behavior on to children or other innocents or vulnerable human victims. Does this type of attitude color what I think of this person.....you bet! Do I harbour resentment for my cousin, who was attacked by a rabid dog when she was 5 years old, and HATES dogs and is terrified of them?.....No, I understand where her fear and hatred comes from....and in spite of her fear/hatred of dogs, she would NEVER deliberately hurt one....

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
There is a deep psychological reason why people that are deliberately cruel or disrespectful to animals, usually have some deep seated aversion that can "leak" over into the way they feel and relate to other humans. We have someone not only killing dogs in Houston, but doing so horrifically....mutilating the dog before killing it. There are a battery of psychologists, and profilers, working with the police, trying to catch this person, because in their words, this behavior is likely to escalate and this person is quite capable of directing this kind of behavior on to children or other innocents or vulnerable human victims. Does this type of attitude color what I think of this person.....you bet! Do I harbour resentment for my cousin, who was attacked by a rabid dog when she was 5 years old, and HATES dogs and is terrified of them?.....No, I understand where her fear and hatred comes from....and in spite of her fear/hatred of dogs, she would NEVER deliberately hurt one....

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GREAT analogy!!!!!!! As long as the dislike for dogs is only a dislike and not a bent toward cruelty.....I have no tolerance for cruel people....but we ALL may dislike things that the next person finds absolutely irrestible!....KIDS are a prime example!!!

BABY HATER!!!! :D :D : :hide2: :D :D

Only when they poo and puke and you have to clean up after them!!!!! ;) :D

Haha! But they're so cute when they're little!:D

Oh yeah! Give me my poopybutt dogs anyday!

Gorgeous kitty BTW!

I think there were a few germaphobes on here who were trying to be good owners...

I love my yorkies! I mean, I spoil and protect them to no end! I have relatives that annoy the heck out of me because they look down on me because my yorkies are such a big part of my life. In the last few months, I have little tolerance for one of them because she makes snide comments about my girls.