Do you or don’t you like dogs? Quick survey.

Probably more than people, to be honest.

Dogs are the cutest and friendliest animals on Earth. Dogs are not only adorable; they are also loyal to their owners. When you are away, dogs are always on their best behavior and when you return, he or she will be excited to see you.

I love dogs. Currently have two and can't imagine life without at least one. They are great company and help keep me fit.

Yes I love dogs, I love all animals, but what I cannot get my head round is these people that have dogs and leave their poo everywhere this really infuriates me. I’ve always had both dogs and cats all of my life and still own some

I am not a dog person per se. I do not really like the fawning of dogs, they seem( for the most part) indiscriminate in that regard, and hence I prefer cats as they take zero nonsense from anyone and bestow attention on their own terms. I love their independence! I am not planning on being a pet owner again had cats when my children were small and shared a home with my daughters dogs but I now do not want the responsibility that pet ownership brings

I have to say I prefer dogs to be on a lead at all times. However, when we walk out after our evening meal we often see an XL bully. It is on a lead and muzzled but we always go on a different street as soon as we see it. Really scared by that one.

I don't mind well behaved dogs. The owners are often worse than the dogs. So for the purpose of the survey the answer would be "no".

DD moves into her new home next week.

The first thing she intends to do is to rip up all the carpets and put them in a skip because she is revolted by the idea that the current owner's pets would, in her words 'have been sitting on them and thereby effective wiping their bottoms on them'.

She reckons that, since this has been happening for over 6 years, even shampooing the carpets will not be enough, to throughly clean them and remove any trace of the animals and their excretia.

I love dogs but must admit it depends on the owners. Had 4 dogs over the last 50 years and haven't gone more than 6 months without one. Recently lost my 2nd Weimaraner at nearly 15 and I'm devastated. All my dogs have lived to a good age. Hope to get a new rescue when I feel ready. There's a huge hole in my heart to fill.

Love them. But can no longer have one as i can't afford the vet fees 😥

CariadAgain

Not for me. One of the very first things that happened when I moved to West Wales was an offer of a puppy and it didn't take long to click why. Dogs.....dogs....yet more dogs....there's loads more dogs than normal in this area.

I'm from an area where there are many fewer dogs and barking is not accepted (I had one incidence of a dog barking near my home in over 20 years living there and that's the norm for there).

Moving here....and it took some doing and some time before nearby barking dogs stopped barking (for whatever reason) and then all the barking they triggered in other nearby dogs stopped too. It's been normal for a while now/hopefully the nearby barking has stopped for good - (normal meaning =no barking whatsoever).

It would help if the amount of dogmess around went to normal levels (ie virtually non-existent) too - but this area does have a lot of dog mess on the streets (because there are so many dogs here and a noticeable number of dog-owners are antisocial about it and leave it there).

So - nope I've pretty much gone from indifferent to dogs in my last area to actively disliking them now (as they are allowed to be a nuisance here).

Therd are a lot of 'puppy farms' in Wales and illegal dog breeding is still a problem.
I have two friends who have adopted rescue dogs, one was a puppy, one of a litter found in dreadful conditions by the RSPCA and I know that the mother was adopted by an RSPCA officer top.
The other was a female dog being used for breeding, poor thing, but at least she has a happier life now.

I absolutely LOVE doggies! One of my bestest friends who lives over the road from me is Winston, he's a Golden Retriever and absolutely gorgeous! We're over each other like a rash!

I've always had dogs as the home feels empty without them. Never had any problems til we had 2 spaniels and then I became allergic. It's probably due to them shedding all year rather than twice a year like other dogs we've had. I'm OK as long as I take an allergy pill most days and open the windows when vacuuming. Mine are great with people and children and well trained so no problem.

No, especially poorly trained dogs and ignorant dog owners who have no control over their dog.

CarS

I've never had a dog and probably never would because if I did I would do it properly. I understand how people love them and will happily sit and stroke other peoples according to their temperament. Here comes the BUT. Dogs that bark all night are a nuisance and strange dogs running off the leash in public places and jump all over peopIe I find scary. Some breeds should be outbred as they can have off days because they were bred that way. Also three dogs together revert to a pack and would probably eat you. People first, dogs second always.

And thus spoke someone who has never had a dog but knows more about how dog owners should behave. And I totally agree with everything you’ve said. If only many dog owners understood that having a dog is a great responsibility, not just for the owner but also the dog and society in general.

Not for me. One of the very first things that happened when I moved to West Wales was an offer of a puppy and it didn't take long to click why. Dogs.....dogs....yet more dogs....there's loads more dogs than normal in this area.

I'm from an area where there are many fewer dogs and barking is not accepted (I had one incidence of a dog barking near my home in over 20 years living there and that's the norm for there).

Moving here....and it took some doing and some time before nearby barking dogs stopped barking (for whatever reason) and then all the barking they triggered in other nearby dogs stopped too. It's been normal for a while now/hopefully the nearby barking has stopped for good - (normal meaning =no barking whatsoever).

It would help if the amount of dogmess around went to normal levels (ie virtually non-existent) too - but this area does have a lot of dog mess on the streets (because there are so many dogs here and a noticeable number of dog-owners are antisocial about it and leave it there).

So - nope I've pretty much gone from indifferent to dogs in my last area to actively disliking them now (as they are allowed to be a nuisance here).

I've never had a dog and probably never would because if I did I would do it properly. I understand how people love them and will happily sit and stroke other peoples according to their temperament. Here comes the BUT. Dogs that bark all night are a nuisance and strange dogs running off the leash in public places and jump all over peopIe I find scary. Some breeds should be outbred as they can have off days because they were bred that way. Also three dogs together revert to a pack and would probably eat you. People first, dogs second always.

Lahlah65, training dogs goes best if we work with the breeds instincts. My Labrador loves retrieving, especially from water. I can introduce all kinds of training to play in this way. I accept he’s expected to do all kinds of things, like sit, stay, away, come, sit down which are natural behaviours but on command (request). He loves 1-1 attention, as do most dogs. So he enjoys ‘training’ in the field and as he’s had to think, he’s a much more relaxed boy

Goodness, decreasing contact with your son because they’ve added a puppy to their lives.

No I don,t and my son has recently bought a puppy . We won,t see so muvh of them now which is sad.

I am afraid of dogs after my son was attacked by a neighbour's dog, which hd been locked in a hot house all day. It got out, jumped two fences and went for a group of children, who were playing in the garden. My son ended up in hospital.
It went to court, she denied everything, until her lawyer saw the ten children and their parents, who had been calledas witnesses. She eventually pleaded guilty.
My son was traumitised for life.

However, dogs seem to like me. Our former Parsh Priest had two rather large and boisterous Dobermanns, who followed me everywhere like lambs! 🤣

🤔
Man has been domesticating animals for thousands of years, over 20,000 in all probability. It began as a two-way process for the benefit of wolves and humans.

I agree that many dogs are kept in unsuitable accommodation, the most recent tragedy involving that young woman in Bristol being a case in point. A huge dog on the list of banned breeds, unregistered and kept in a small flat.

I know that people will say well, this is the owners not the dog. But dogs don’t come without owners. I equally don’t understand people who buy breeds of dogs with genetic modifications, like broad chests and short noses that mean that they can’t breathe properly. I don’t know how anyone can call themselves an animal lover and buy into a system that causes active distress to animals.

I think I’m increasingly confused about the whole business of keeping pets. I certainly don’t dislike dogs- although I dislike the behaviour of some dogs, sometimes. I really do understand the benefit of companion animals - I have enjoyed that myself. And I absolutely remember the joy of cuddling up to cats and dogs as a child. I wanted my children to have that experience too. And they loved their pet rabbits too. And I would never rule out having a cat or dog again - especially as a rescue. I have personal experience of seeing rescue animals recover, and live their best lives and it’s a wonderful thing to see.

But it’s essentially exploitative. All of the animals we keep as pets are forced into unnatural modes of behaviour. A good dog is a well trained dog apparently. That essentially means trained to behave unnaturally.

I’ve probably really thrown fat in the fire now. But I found it an interesting question and the more I thought about it, the harder it seemed it to answer. Sorry, probably all much too deep for Sunday morning!!

I’m very conflicted about this. I grew up with dogs and kept dogs myself for years. But I have become increasingly uncomfortable around them. I’ve had several incidents where dogs have reacted unexpectedly to me, the last time when I was walking through a pub to get to the door went to the accommodation where we were staying. A big German Shepherd lunged towards me with a great volley of barking. Luckily his owners had hold of him. They were apologetic and a loss to explain his apparently unexpected behaviour. I think he was startled - they were in a relatively quiet corner and the only reason to walk across, it was to get to the accommodation entrance. And I tend to walk quite quickly. But I was genuinely frightened, and nervous about having to walk past him again when I came back down. Similar things have happened to me a couple of times walking past dogs in footpaths.
I’m tired of watching dogs in pubs etc, unable to settle and panting (which we all know is a sign of distress in a dog). For every dog that genuinely likes being there, there is a dog that doesn’t. I don’t know why people insist on taking them out to places where they’re clearly not enjoying themselves.

I think dog owners should be licensed not the dogs. They should be told the maximum number of dogs and size suitable for their accommodation and, in some circumstances refused a licence.

I was attacked by two muzzled dogs about ten years ago. Because of the muzzles my only injury was a badly bruised arm, but the attack occurred because the dogs wee too strong for the woman walking them to properly control them. I was walking quietly along a local popular footpath by myself and did nothing out of the ordinsry.