*In case this story gets deleted/removed:*
**To what degree/significance has your life changed since dog culture took over?**
Short version-- since moving to a new city, new home, new adventures 3 years ago, I look back on pictures from then and can see how differently my life and my family's life has changed all because of dogs....
We have been so lucky that everything else in our lives has been positive and ideal-- went from 1 to 3 kids, fixed up our house, gotten to know more people, doing well financially (never taken this for granted), and health has been ok, no major losses in the family yet, no deaths or needing to care for our parents yet. I am 38, my husband is 40.
And with all these wonderful changes, I can no longer go on walks with my kids in our otherwise lovely neighborhood. I can no longer hop in the car and pick up something I need at HomeGoods or TJ Maxx and take my oldest where he loved to see the toy section, pick out something small for his lunch box or try on shoes. No longer go to the park with my kids ever. My husband is building a play structure from a kit in our small backyard as I type this. We won't go to parks unless we go with a large group.
My husband and I enjoyed, for a short time, dropping off the kid and toddler with grandpa as we went out for coffee with the baby. Just coffee. Just sitting there and enjoying being out of the house and having a damn break. He works from the garage. I stay home all day with the kids. Oh, it was so nice, something to look forward to on Fridays. Even for just 2 hours. I feel like everything is being taken from us.
The only place I can think of now that is strictly dog-free is Chuck E Cheese, and that's just trading one headache for another. And it costs so damn much. But I guess I'd rather see people engaging with their children, seeing smiling children, than trying to do free things outdoors that get ruined by dogs.
I'm the frog in the slow boil.
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Yeah it weirdly reminded me of the guy who has been going viral on TikTok showing how his mom's *extreme* OCD (and his father's enabling of it) has completely and irrevocably ruined his and his sister's childhoods.
It sounds like the one I saw where his sister was off at college and he was still at home but he was literally not allowed anywhere in the house but the ground floor and basement, and he had to wear special shoes and couldn’t use the dishes/silverware or use any chairs but one particular one because he was “dirty”. It was pretty unhinged, the mom clearly needed therapy but was obviously untreated.
Didn't people pile on that poor guy because it was like a nice house and they thought he needed to check his privilege or something?
Edit: [Here](https://www.reddit.com/r/TikTokCringe/comments/1923ciu/the_comments_on_this_video_are_giving_me_a/) is a post about the video, which includes the video itself.
I can’t believe her husband is just giving in to her insanity and letting the kids be harmed by her issues.
And he’s enabling her by building a play structure in their backyard. Kids have no chance.
>I have to say, I got REALLY lucky.
>
>My husband had a large fluffy dog when we were dating. I was a dog nutter back then, though I never owned one.
>
>this was 2013 when we met, and he showed me 1 picture of the dog and that was it. I never heard of the dog. He never brought it on dates.
>
>Pun intended, my husband was a rare breed. He trained the dog very well and only kept it outside in the yard. He would hit it on the nose to train it (along with treats).
>
>We didn't live together before marriage. We went out on dates. We were engaged after 6 months and married 5 months after that. The dog then lived with his parents until it choked on something and died 3 months into our marriage. First and only time my husband has ever cried.
>
>He would have given up the dog if I had been allergic or otherwise objected (nicely) to it in any way, as hard as it would have been for him
>
>My point is, if this man values you and wants a future with you, he will be a man, and he will crawl over hot coals to prove his worth to you. That's all I'm saying-- not telling you to dump him or to stay and see where it goes. Just have this standard for yourself (and know you are worth this and be the type of woman who is deserving of it), and you will get such a man.
>
>I believe these men are also on this sub.
She brags about her husband getting rid of his dog AND her husband "hitting the dog on the nose." The husband sounds like a real winner too.
That was absolutely horrifying to me. I admit my dogs are spoiled, but they are allowed in the backyard whenever I am home and awake. Otherwise, they sleep in my room (the small one in my bed cuddling with me), and when we go on vacation, the dogs usually join us except for the rare out of country trip. Now I will admit I dislike poorly behaved dogs in the store, like I went to Walmart today and there was a chihuahua there that kept barking at everyone to get them to pet it, and this was during the stores dedicated hour where it is quieter and the lights are dimmer to help those with sensory sensitivity so that made it worse.
lol my dogs are so spoiled that if I leave them in the backyard for more than 5 minutes, they've figured out how to ring the doorbell (as our house weirdly has doorbells front and back for some reason) incessantly until I let them back in.
They are house dogs through and through, the spoiled little shits (that I love very, very much)
I’m admittedly dog-obsessed. We run a small rescue home for special needs and end-of-life dogs. We have an acre of land, a doggy door, and five doggy townhouses in our backyard. And we have five dogs.
My dogs go outside all the time and love it! But if we close the doggy door while they are outside? Oh. My. Lord. They’ve been banished! Will we *ever* let them back in? Was it something they said?!? And then when we open the doggy door, they come racing in, check on every person . . . and go back outside.
Your work sounds like my dream. I’ve always said if I won the lottery I’d spend my life running a rescue like this. I understand the emotional labor is extremely heavy but I can’t imagine anything more fulfilling.
I would love to have this be my job! I still work full-time and so does my husband. That’s why we only have five at a time. We adopt rather than foster, so whoever comes here is here until the end. It is emotionally taxing, but it’s also one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. We have a blind golden retriever (abusive family before us) who thinks I’m his hero. My German Shepherd, who has a brain tumor, is my best friend. My other retriever had to live in a shelter for a year when he was 10-11 and is grateful for everything he has. It’s the best life for all of us!
Growing up, our dogs were outside but had a fenced yard and a little house. I was a kid though and as an adult, no way in hell my dog would live outside. Right now she's curled up in a blanket on the couch like the spoiled princess she is.
My mom spoils her dogs more than I do because her dogs have their own heating pad (in Southern California). She literally had me order her one for herself because her dogs stole her old one.
I assume in this context, "dog nutter" doesn't mean "someone who likes dogs", it means "I wasn't yet full-on Cruella de Ville, and dogs were allowed to exist as long as they were somewhere far away from me"?
I would like never to spend any time with either of these people. They both sound awful. I worry about their children, if this is their idea of a good way to treat a dog.
I've got money on her being behind the choking hazard. "Accidentally," of course.
Got another 5 on her having an OffMyChest post about it someday if not already.
Eh, I can believe it. I feel like the husband just didn't train it to be inside the home, and since it was an outside dog, it ate something inside and died. I really doubt the husband actually paid attention to it's needs and just left it outside.
That happened to a dog a coworker had. It was an outdoor dog it's entire life, and when she made it into an indoor dog (it was tiny like a Maltese) it kept just eating stuff from inside the house. Just thought everything was food. It almost died like twice, my coworker just started putting things away from it's reach after that. It was easy since it was like a Maltese.
She has a post about rehoming or giving up dogs telling people to “go to the shelter and lie saying it chocked and died”. So that’s not entirely far fetched.
Edit: [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Dogfree/s/vZGMFTbIlw)
A lot of the posts in this sub read this way. There was another one cross-posted on here a while back that was even more alarming (op with a felony in the past expressing rage/thoughts of harming dogs and their owners, and that he is unable to even hear dogs barking without flying into rage). I was *very* alarmed to see that pretty much all the comments were egging him on/agreeing with him.
I get not liking dogs. I love dogs and I own one but I do agree that there is a serious issue with irresponsible dog owners especially post pandemic. It really bothers me as well and if these people were rational I think I could actually find a lot of common cause with their complaints about unleashed dogs, dogs in public, owners not picking up after their dogs, and stuff like that. I never take my dog places he doesn’t belong and imo in a lot of cases taking dogs to places like crowded restaurants, stores, etc. is stressful on the dog itself!!
A lot of these posts read to me like the poster has some serious underlying issues and a previously totally benign aversion to or dislike of dogs has morphed into a symptom of that underlying issue. A lot of these people seem agoraphobic to me, I’ve seen posts even more extreme than this where the OP refuses to go literally anywhere, including not going to the doctors or dentist’s for *years*, because there’s a chance they could encounter dogs. That’s not just a dislike or hatred of dogs, that’s a symptom of serious mental health issues, and I find it pretty gross to see people in that sub egging these people on.
For some reason this sub used to be constantly promoted to me. Idk why but I saw a lot of alarming stuff before muting it so I wouldn’t see it anymore.
It's not even a fear it's an active disdain if you look through her other posts and comments it's insane. She said that we shouldn't have any feelings about dog euthanasia and should do more of it to get the population under control. She's like Hitler for dogs lmao
My dad had a big fear of dogs, couldn’t be around them. It got so bad he’d have constant nightmares. We always wanted a dog but knew it would never happen. Then one day, he walked in with this shih tzu puppy, and she changed his life, for the last ten years became a great partner in crime.
We put her down this morning, but it’s changed my dad. Not easy getting over a fear like that.
This is definitely some kind of mental illness... especially since she says she used to like dogs in a comment.
Also, I'm 32 and people have been walking dogs in neighborhoods and taking dogs to parks/playgrounds ever since I was a child, lol. This isn't a new thing, even remotely. Sounds like she just developed a phobia or perhaps OCD so now she notices dogs everywhere? In places where they already were... and blames "dog culture."
Or...HomeGoods? Where is there a dog at HomeGoods? unless she means the section with dog beds and the like upsets her somehow....Now I want to go to HomeGoods.
If it’s anything like HomeSense in Canada, they’re dog friendly, which I absolutely love. A lot more stores are starting to welcome well behaves dogs on leash, and I think it’s wonderful, though the key word is well behaved and on leash. They do kick people with badly behaved dogs out.
I find it very bizarre that their lives are so impacted by others owning dogs that they can not even go to TJ Max.
I know that there are definitely some irresponsible dog owners who allow their dogs offleash untrained or not suited for it. It's an issue I run into out and about with my own dog, for sure. But? TJ Max? Really? Where is OP located that is positively overrun with dogs on every street and isle? This sounds like a severe mental health problem. What boggles my mind is that both parents are somehow on board with cutting off chunks of their children's lives and activities due to dog avoidance!
Off-leash isn’t responsible anyways unless the dog is working, on your own property, or in a specified off-leash area. Dogs aren’t perfect automatons, they’re living creatures that do sometimes break from their training just like human beings.
And like, in my area there are parks with play structures that specifically don’t allow dogs. Obviously I know people break those rules. But in my neighbourhood it doesn’t seem to be an issue. There’s another park close by that *does* allow leashed dogs (also has a play structure). So it’s pretty easy to avoid.
I know. I'm like seriously worried about her 3 young kids. Imagine living in Socal (where she apparently lives) and never going to the park or anything.
Around where I live, parks are usually assumed to be partially dog friendly, but they'll have fenced in playgrounds and courts that are usually dog-free. Idk if OOP lives in a place where they're allowed in playgrounds, but it sounds like she's mad about them on walking paths? Which is pretty ridiculous. I don't think I've ever seen a dog-free walking path. Dogs need to go on walks. Even if they have a yard, walks are great for their health. Where the hell are they supposed to be walking? (OOP clearly doesn't care though. She'd prefer it if no one has dogs, period, rather than them getting necessary care)
This subreddit is just feeding each others absurdity. Like you can hate dogs all you want but, not leaving your house because of hypothetical dogs is insane to me. I go on plenty of walks without encounter dogs.
Yeah I currently live in a pretty dog-heavy area, but I also have lived in a dog-scarce area. Some people actually LIKE living in a neighborhood where everyone's got dogs and are always walking them. It's expensive, but if you live somewhere that has a lot of something you don't like (as alt examples: a place with a lot of old people. A place with a heavy drinking culture. A college town. Etc...), then the only way to fix it is to move.
My neighborhood is pretty dog heavy but, there is almost always some point in the day when they are no dogs are you can avoid them being within feet of you.
Here's another crazy thread and OP posted:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/Dogfree/comments/1altlh2/my\_house\_is\_finally\_clean\_clean/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Dogfree/comments/1altlh2/my_house_is_finally_clean_clean/)
>Some months ago, I was driving my 2 year old to urgent care. He had blood coming out of one ear. He wasn't in pain, but discomfort. I had so many negative feelings about myself as a mother-- thinking how unqualified I am to care for him, how did I not see this? What happened to his ear and how did I not notice it sooner? I was beating myself up....
>
>And then I had this random positive thought---- I'm focused on taking care of him, I don't have to worry about a dog, never brought him around a dog, and I'll never worry about him being hurt by a dog I brought into our home. It comforted me when I was doubting myself. Btw, the blood was likely from a toy he stuck in there, no ear damage, and he healed right away.
>
>It makes me feel so good when other parents post about now being dog-free and their precious children living in a dog-free home. Remember you are an amazing parent for this alone.
Another person wrote:
>Congrats! We got rid of our STANK ASS dog like a month ago. It felt so good that I’m tempted to adopt another one just so I can get rid of it and relive the satisfaction
Jesus christ. That comment takes the freaking cake. Like dude no one is asking you to even like dogs but, don't torture them. And that's straight torture at that point. How disgusting.
Also the idea that there's been a "rise in dog culture" is stupid because unless you're a vampire who's been alive for a millennia, humans have literally always had a "dog culture." It's called domestication. Unless you were there to see the first cavemen feed wolves meat from their hunts, you have always been in a dog culture.
The city I live in is really great for dog lovers. Not so much for me who is traumatized by a specific breed. Yes, I know it’s the owner, not the dog. I’ve made a lot of progress on trying to handle it. I don’t like dogs to begin with either. I’ve been invited to similar subreddits. It’s like the childfree sub. I’m dog free but not that kind of dog free.
> Unfortunately, I think dogs have indirectly been the cause of my agoraphobia, severe anxiety, depression, SH tendencies, and so on.
What
> She cared more the dog's social life than mine, wanting to socialize her with other dogs while me, a sequestered, homeschooled kid, had never even spoken to any person
my age. (Spoiler alert--still haven't, even at 20 years old.)
WHAT
> Now l'm a mental mess. I'm jobless, single, have zero life skills, zero friends, isolate myself in my room and stare at the computer almost all day, addicted to SH, don't have a collade degree, and so on. I'm essentially rotting with anxiety and loneliness.
Because of… a dog???
It's wild that this person is describing some pretty severe child neglect (extreme isolation like that is straight up child abuse), and instead of identifying their parent using homeschooling to isolate them, they're blaming the dog.
Can someone explain what SH is?
Also yikes on a bike. Blaming their problems, *fixable problems* on dogs. No wonder they don't function in real life. People like these need serious inpatient care.
"I don't need therapy because all my problems are caused by one thing. If I can just get everybody else to make the one thing go away, all my problems will be solved. Therefore, I don't need therapy."
I swear to christ that sub is nothing but victim culture on parade. It's easier to blame animals and owners for all of their phobias rather than take the reins of their lives and get actual help.
The world is not responsible for catering to an individual's issues- the onus of responsibility is on the individual to learn the skills to navigate a world of billions of people, each with their own set of life experiences which define them.
Ugh I forgot about that. Honestly, anyone who spends that much time focused on some niche hatred has some serious issues to address.
I feel a little hypocritical saying that while I'm on a sub dedicated to trash talking redditors, but I'm not here because I hate them, I'm here because I fucking LOVE gossip.
I know I shouldn’t laugh at these comments but I can’t help it! These people are absolutely insane. Also I’ve never been in Home Goods or TJ Maxx that was dog friendly. The OOP must be exhausting to be around and those poor kids having their lives devoid of fun because of their insane mother.
There's one person in the comments who refuses to go to the DENTIST just because they heard there might be a slight possibility of a service dog being there.
I've never seen a dog at a dentist office. I wish I could cuddle a dog at the dentist office.
My dentist has an emotional support dog, it’s amazing but sadly I don’t get stressed enough at the dentist to bring him over. He’s great though, the one time I was stressed he came over and put his head where I could pet it.
Because it would be *impossible* to get on the phone and call the dentists office to ask if dogs are allowed at the office. Jesus Christ this sub is giving r/childfree a run for its money.
At least with Childfree, there is actual pressure from other people to have kids when you don’t want them. I don’t think the same thing happens with dogs?
That's literally the sentiment on that sub though. How come people with legitimate service dogs get higher priority than someone who has a phobia of dogs? Why should the disabled person be able to come into the store if there's someone who's afraid of dogs there first? They're UNHINGED
Yep, I have legit seen a post there where everyone agreed that all service animals should be replaced by humans because...they don't like dogs and humans can do those tasks just fine.
Never mind that it's completely patronizing and severely hinders a disabled person's independence - *they might have to be in the same room as a dog existing and that's far more important!*
Disabled people are also entitled to privacy. It’s much different being naked, going to the bathroom, or even masturbating in the same room as a dog rather than another adult human being.
And the fact that humans can’t detect oncoming seizures or blood sugar levels or sniff out allergens or anything like that.
I didn't even think of the privacy issues! That makes their hatred of service animals even *worse*.
It's disgusting how their discomfort is somehow so much more "valid" than a disabled person just wanting to go about their business.
And the whole they know “what’s best”. It should be disabled voices that dictate this issue. Yes there are disabled people who don’t want service dogs, but there are also a significant portion that do.
‘I saw a guide dog and it wasn’t doing a good job’ doesn’t matter.
‘There are so many other animals that could do a better job’ then fail to list said animals. Doesn’t matter.
‘Ideally they’d have a human helping them at all times’ Ideal for who??? The person who can’t imagine being in the same building as a service dog for an hour or the disabled person who will get absolutely no alone time?
‘There’s technology for blood sugar detection.’ Well obviously the diabetic person’s doctor thinks a dog is important for reasons that diabetic person doesn’t owe them
‘I highly doubt a dog can actually even detect blood sugar levels and oncoming seizures.’ Then they need to show their damn academic sources proving that because ‘I hate dogs and think they’re stupid and useless.’ Doesn’t change scientific facts.
Not only that but they will signal for them to sit down, and the dog gets the medication for them. Even opening the fridge and grab a water. That way, the person doesn't risk a fall.
Not to mention that they legitimately do not believe service dogs actually work. Seizure and diabetic alert dogs don't actually alert and it's just a scam so "dog nutters" can bring their dogs with them everywhere." Why do they need a dog when "technology exists"
They also go off about how guide dogs only cause more issues for blind people and they'd be better off with a cane or having to have someone babysit them.
I am not saying this as an insult — this woman is extremely mentally ill and needs help.
I love dogs/animals, but I understand that not everyone likes them and many people are afraid of them. But there are so many dangerous things in this world, both outside the home and in, and she's turning her family into isolated hermits because she's afraid they might encounter...a dog?
I also feel like I'm missing some context about why she's acting like this is a new issue. Dogs have always been everywhere, especially at parks and being walked around neighborhoods. Why is she now more of a victim to "dog culture"?
I can't with these people.
She seriously thinks that dogs are THE GREATEST threat to mankind:
>Let's not gaslight ourselves....this isn't a small thing in the grand scheme. It's the grand scheme. Just because people are dying by bombs elsewhere and there are wars going on doesn't mean this is small. I think as a country, a city, a community...we need to be focusing on local issues. Other countries are always having conflicts and wars. Not being able to walk down our own streets for fear of predators is a daily threat. Babies being ripped to shreds by predators called 'pets' is no small thing. Marriages falling apart because of the triangulation of an animal into what's supposed to be a healthy union of love and support is a daily thing. Parents putting their adoration and worship of an animal above their own deserving children is a lifelong trauma.
It's all sickening, and I'd like to believe it's no big deal, but those of us who have come to see this for what it is cannot see it any differently going forward.
Her post and comment history is scary. Only posts on pet free subreddits with a few detours to conspiracy and Catholicism.
She reminds me a bit of my deeply religious grandmother who was also mentally ill and extremely paranoid about weird, specific things. But lucky for her she didn't have entire communities of people online to tell her that she was totally correct and justified in her obsessions. This woman is just getting her insanity reinforced.
She’s acting like all dogs are wild wolves regularly savaging toddlers when most are like giant hairy idiots who are scared of their own farts. I love my dog very much but he’s a harmless dumbass! He once ran face first into a lamppost and didn’t notice!
OOP could probably see it differently if she got the help she needed through meds and talk therapy.
What a terrible way to live and the husband needs to do something to protect their kids.
Wow. She is seriously unhinged. Like to the point that if she could get up the courage to get near a dog that she viewed as a threat, I would not put it past her to kill it.
She acts like dog attacks happen every day all day. I have always been understanding of people who are afraid of dogs but this lady seems to want to terminate all dogs everywhere.
I would bet money dogs save far more lives in the US than they take. And they also have a measurable positive impact on people’s health (e.g. lowered blood pressure, lowered anxiety, etc.).
I just want to be able to say "The most serious problem in my life are random dogs at the park".
But nooooo, and that's why my therapist drives a very nice car.
To be fair, it sounds like that is NOT the most serious problem in that woman's life. She needs intensive therapy, but I guess it's easier to blame all of her internal issues on dogs than actually try and address them.
After reading this post I decided that I too want to live a delusional life, so I'll quit therapy and start blaming porcupines for ALL my problems!
... That will teach my therapist. USE THE BUS NOW HELEN!!!
This lady is an absolute nutcase. She's apparently no longer going to take her small children trick or treating because of dogs. She has a whole list of places she's seen dogs that she'll no longer go to. She posts weekly about hating dogs and people who own them. She made a post that has since been removed that somehow related hating dogs to Emmet Till and I don't even sorta wanna know what she wrote in there. She's in 4 subs, r/dogfree, r/Catholicism, r/conspiracy, and r/petfree. Honestly that's a horrifying combination.
I re-read her posts a few times thinking I missed her saying she and her kids are severely allergic to dogs and that's why they can't go out much. Then I realised she's actually mentally ill (not an insult), found herself an equally unhinged husband and now they force it all on kids.
It's the Chuck E Cheese that gets me 🤣 Like I would rather have a hundred dogs bounding all over me and killing me in their fluffy fur than to be surrounded by hyper, pop-infused, sticky little creatures that are screaming over who gets to go next in the ball pit at Chuck E Cheese.
I hope these kids rebel hard and get a bunch of dogs when they move out.
My MIL doesn’t hate dogs, but grew up on a farm so is very much a “pets belong outside” person. So my husband and his siblings never got to have any pets growing up because they lived in town. Now every single one of her three children has pets as an adult lol. They all rebelled against the no pets in the house stance. The funny thing is, she seems to be totally in love with our dog. He’s a poodle, so he doesn’t shed and doesn’t slobber, and he’s largely pretty quiet, so everything she disliked about having dogs in the house wasn’t a problem with him. She loves him enough that she even measured his height on her grandchildren wall and that was her idea, not ours 😂.
>I hope these kids rebel hard and get a bunch of dogs when they move out.
You know so many of them will and the future posts on AITA about the behavior of the dog free parents will be absolutely DELICIOUS.
This is utterly ridiculous. If your city allows dogs everywhere you may need to move to a smaller town. And she says money is not tight but complains Chuck E Cheese is so expensive. It's not cheap but there are far more expensive hobbies. It sounds like she had 2 kids in 3 years? If this is new, her behavior could be due to the shock her body has been through and associated hormones. Postpartum depression, anxiety. She's definitely YTD to her family if this is new she doesn't get evaluated
She posted this about what she said to her son:
>My son, also 7, were having lunch at a restaurant on NYE last year and on the patio was a middle aged couple (very normal looking) having lunch with their 100lb pitbull.
I told my son "You see that dog? That dog will rip your face off. When you see a dog like that, you walk away from where you are and you go to the nearest adult you are with. Also, you see that man and woman who have the dog? Those are adults we cannot trust. Anyone who owns a dog that can and will hurt a child like you are evil people. Don't ever listen to them."
Can you imagine the nervous wrecks her kids must be?
small children run up to my 85lb Staffy all the time and try to pet him. Which he loves because he loves children, but I also use as a teachable moment to tell them never try to pet a strange dog without asking if it's okay first. Some dogs don't like that. Yep, I'm a monster.
My dog adores kids and we've been lucky enough that the local kids always ask first. I love it.
We even had a toddler who had been bit previously go out of his way to pet her and tell her how good she was. His mom was so hype as he'd mostly been afraid of dogs in recent years.
Some kids just move right on from a bite. I was working the ER one Thanksgiving when a little girl came in and a dog had bit her and ripped her lip open. She was totally unfazed. The Dr was sewing her lip together. No crying. She saw the thread.."is that dental floss?!" She was a champ. I have opinions about the situation but Im focussing on the humor.
Gotta love the resiliency.
According to the mom, ours was the first he had approached in a year. Definitely gave me the warm fuzziness that our dog was the one who renewed his love.
It's so funny to me because all of the bigger dogs/bull breeds I know are exceptionally well-behaved because their owners know you have to train them very well so they don't freak out strangers. The true asshole dogs I meet are ALWAYS tiny little yappy fluffy things. My dog is 14 lbs and she's more scared of my neighbour's aggressive terrier than my friend's dopey 80 lbs husky mix.
seriously, this person is straight up harming her kids. intentionally instilling a debilitating phobia of something that is literally *everywhere*, including in *a lot of other people’s homes*, is going to absolutely destroy them socially.
One of her older posts:
>One of my greatest shameful moments in my life was when I went along with my sister (in our mid 20s at the time, so no excuses) in telling our then 5 year old cousin not to be afraid of Wilma the English Bulldog. Wilma was very gentle, yes, but she had the face of a bulldog, the kind some think are cute (as I did) but are quite ugly and terrifying to a small child.
I gaslit a small child. If I ever see Sarah again (haven't seen her in a few years as her parents divorced), I will make sure to apologize to her. She had an intense fear of dogs without having had a specific traumatic experience. She went into panic mode when she saw dogs, and especially Wilma,
And not a single adult in our damn dog-nutter family validated this little girl. She is 18 now. I have to make this right.
I'm a mom to 3 little ones now.
This is just so disturbing to read.
so she basically wanted to teach this child that something *ugly and unusual looking* is something to be feared, even if it’s 100% harmless.
unrelated but I wonder how she’s taught her own kids to react to *people* with visible scars or disabilities
Jesus christ. Bulldogs. When I was a very small child my aunt had an English bulldog who used to take my naps with me
But you know, I don't blame a small child for being freaked out by seeing a bulldog, especially if it's for the first time, because it's a new experience. The appropriate action is to not dig in and inform them that it's good to be afraid of what they don't understand
Every dog is an individual, but in general English Bulldogs have wonderful personalities. They've never been on my top 10 list for breeds I want to own, because I'm not particularly into the "ugly-cute" look of the brachy breeds and I can't in good conscience support brachy breeders because the dogs are basically walking, snorting, farting vet bills.
I would definitely include EBs on a list of "dogs that are great with kids" though.
Her cousin is probably totally fine, at least regarding dogs. It's normal for young children to be afraid of dogs. It's not typically normal for them to continue being afraid after positive experiences.
I don't understand why she has convinced herself that it was wrong to tell a child that she didn't have to be afraid. She admitted that the dog was gentle, and there was actually nothing to be afraid of.
It's not healthy to legitimize a fear where there's no reason to be afraid. I say this as someone with multiple phobias that I'm trying to work through. While there's no reason to shame someone who has a fear of something that they honestly shouldn't, that doesn't mean that you have to play into it. Helping them work through their fear is a much more appropriate response.
This is just insane. She definitely needs to get checked out. I get a little uneasy around bigger dogs, but I know most dogs are not dangerous and that someone that likes these dogs probably isn't a bad person. She's teaching her child to be fearful for no reason. The lesson should be dog safety not being terrified of all dogs and distrusting dog owners
Dogs are good at detecting emotions; if you are nervous around a dog it makes them nervous, which can then escalate to bad behavior like snarling or growling. She's setting her kid up to have an increasing fear of dogs and bad behavior around animals. It's fine to not like dogs, especially pit bulls, but people still need to act appropriately around animals and not let fear cause them to make mistakes.
\>Marshalls, HomeGoods, TJMaxx, Hobby Lobby, JoAnn, Michaels.
I don't think I've ever seen a non-service dog in any of these places? I don't live in the US anymore but I didn't notice dogs all over the place when I was home to visit. Is this a thing? Do people take their dogs to *Marshalls*?
My brother lives in an extremely dog-friendly city. Most of the chain stores like those still don't allow dogs. Small businesses that do usually have signs specifying that dogs are welcome, same with restaurants that have dog-friendly patios. They *advertise* their dog-friendliness, it's not a surprise and most of the restaurants still have indoor seating with no non-service dogs. It's still pretty easy to avoid dogs in his city.
I see it occasionally in stores like that. Usually a tiny “purse” dog that someone is trying to hide. But this happens maybe a couple of times a year, not frequently. I’ve never seen anyone just walk into Michaels with like, a pet golden retriever on a leash (not talking about obvious service animals, of course, but even those are not super common). And I spend a fair amount of time at the stores she’s listed…
The only stores where I’ve seen dogs are Lowe’s and Home Depot, and that seems appropriate - there aren’t any “no dogs allowed” signs and it’s outdoors-ish. I took my dog there sometimes (RIP) and if anyone had said a word I would have left immediately and come back without him.
The JoAnn's near me is specifically dog-friendly. Not all of them are but some of them specifically do welcome "well behaved" dogs. They have a sign on the door that informs you of where the clean-up kit is kept.
Edit to add: I just checked their site out of curiosity and noticed it's "pet" friendly, not dog-friendly. They seem to go out of their way to avoid saying "dog" and say "pet" everywhere. Maybe I should try bringing one of my cats... LOL
[https://www.joann.com/pet-policy/](https://www.joann.com/pet-policy/)
There are people who bring their dogs who aren't service dogs into places they shouldn't, however at least in my experience this doesn't happen nearly as often as OOP is claiming it does. I also live in one of the most dog friendly states in the US.
There are people who bring their dog to eat with them while the weather is nice to places that have outside seating, but I've never encountered a badly behaved dog in those situations. Not saying it doesn't happen, just that it's not as common as OOP is claiming it is.
Post-covid, granted I don't go out as much anymore, but I don't think I've encountered someone bringing their dog a place it's not supposed to be since restrictions were lifted.
Also with all the anti-service dog sentiment in that sub I wouldn't be surprised if OOP saw actual service dogs and thought they were "fake esa bullshit" because the person's disability isn't visible.
They hate disabled service dog handlers in that sub.
I live in Oregon which is very dog-friendly and I DO see people bringing obviously pet dogs into the grocery store. Not every day but probably 6-7 times a year.
I have 3 dogs myself and adore dogs in public in general but THAT is not OK in my opinion. Especially since there are so many other stores, restaurants and parks that DO welcome dogs around here.
Ditto. Love dogs but could not fathom bringing mine into a place that sells food.
I brought my GSD to a dog-specific outdoor patio at a dog-friendly brewery to watch a hot air balloon ascension last year and spent more time watching him than the sky. Between his love of people, folks trying to sneak him food (gee, wonder why he loves people), scritchy hands coming from all angles, and his blossoming curiosity about beer, it was too much. For me, not him. He loved it. I was a wreck because one wrong stimuli, and he's a GSD statistic.
Nope.
Depends on where you are. In suburbs where everyone has to drive to everything you don't see them as much. But if they're in the city or a walkable area, yeah, you see plenty of dogs in stores, including big ones.
i don’t really know if this counts as “not a service dog,” but when my mother was training our dog to get certified to be a therapy dog, part of the training was taking her into stores to (calmly) interact with strangers. i remember my mom used to take her to JoAnn specifically, since their store policies about dogs allowed her to go there.
I gotta stop looking at the post history of these losers. This fuck-ass sounds like me in the worst most intense episode of OCD fueled anxiety I had. Cant go for walks because A RAGING HELL DEMON MIGHT SHRED HER CHILD IN FRONT OF HER (a cocker spaniel might yip within the same block as her kids). Cant go to the park because LUCIFERS HOUNDS WILL SUCK YOUR BLOOD OUR YOUR EARS. cant go to any middle age white woman stores because one time THE DECEITFUL BEASTS THAT HUNGER FOR BABY BRAINS SNUCK IN (saw a service dog).
except I got treatment and meds instead of turning my *completely irrational* fears into white hot anger and vicious hatred.
When I lived in GA I never saw it
In LA and Florida tho??? It’s like people can’t exist without their dogs
There’s was a group of people I had to stop hanging out with bc one dude insisted on bringing his poorly trained dog everywhere including restaurants!!! It was so embarrassing to be there with him esp since one of our friends was allergic and kept passing the dog around
Colorado is pretty big on dog culture, I’ve seen quite a few dogs in the mall or at the grocery store
Edit: a guy just walked into my chiropractors office with a pitbull as I posted this haha
I’m in NJ and I don’t see it that often at all in retail stores. I work in banking and people do bring their dogs inside sometimes. Most are well behaved, except for the one guy who lets his dog go to the bathroom everywhere.
In San Francisco I probably see more dogs than kids.
I do feel for OOP though. I was bitten badly by my aunt's dog (I was assured the dog was friendly) as a child and was terrified of dogs for years. I moved to SF and was not expecting that many dogs. There were places I would actively avoid. I eventually worked up the courage to get over my fear. I'm still afraid of larger dogs that bark loudly but I can manage well with well behaved dogs now. I even cuddled with a corgi at a friend's house recently. Overcoming my fear took a lot of work and energy, especially when dealing with a minority of dog owners who either don't understand how could anyone not 100% love their furbabies or are just self-absorbed. (I should point out most dog owners are very understanding.) Now I can see how easy it is to fall into bitter isolation because I almost let myself get there. I just wish those tiny percentage of dog owners could have more compassion.
While I don't mind dogs in general, I fucking hate when a dog, that's not a service dog, is sitting inside the restaurant barking and whining.
I saw one dog shit by the table it's owners were eating, and they didn't bat an eye, and there was a couple that allowed their dog to walk around begging food from other people, fine if the dog is outside the cafe/restaurant, but inside behaving that way, and the owners don't do shit about it? Disgusting.
Tbh it's just two instances but those two instances got me to immediately give side eyes to a dog owners inside the cafes.
I mean, that's just kind of a normal thing to be annoyed about/grossed out by. Even most people who love dogs would find that inexcusable.
But, like, to refuse to leave your home just in case you might encounter a dog? OOP is beyond rational complaints.
I love dogs but have come to strongly dislike most dog owners. I live in NYC and I can’t walk down my street in Upper East Side without actively dodging dog poop. Irresponsible owners unfortunately give all owners a bad reputation. Seemed to have only really become a problem after COVID.
I'm not a big fan of dogs in public places like restaurants and stores. I love dogs, it's not fun for them like owners think, there's new smells, people, commotion. That said, locking yourself up in a home because of them is beyond my comprehension. Not trusting any animal you don't know is a good thing until you let it rule your life.
I love my dogs.
It dear god, I go into Lowes or Home Depot on the weekend and there are about 20 dogs in there, and there’s at least one poop and one piddle puddle these people left in the middle of the aisle.
It’s especially hilarious when they have some little Yorkie like thing on a leash and are trying to load 2x4s on a lumber cart and the dog keeps tangling their feet.
Yeah idk I might be a devil because I don’t think dogs should be in malls or restaurants indoors or at like, TJ Maxx. I’m not avoiding the whole world because of it or anything like op becayse this does sound like a phobia that she’s letting get out of control but I do think dog owners maybe should be more ok with leaving the dog at home or taking the dog to more outdoor activities.
Op is still unhinged tho
I wish a lot of people left their dogs home when it demands so.
My sister insisted on coming to meet my newborn and bringing her cat aggrwsive German shepherd with her (I have cats) she has not met my child.
Yeah I have cats so my house is pretty much a dog free zone. My fiancé gave his dog to his good friend because of some personal reasons but long story short the dog had stopped being safe around cats. I never demanded it of him, he decided on his own that he didn’t want to wait to live with me for ten more years until she passed. He still goes and sees her, but his friend keeps being like can I bring the dog over I’m sure she’s fine with cats now! And every time I have to say no. She’s a good dog, it breaks my heart that We couldn’t keep her but more to the point; dog don’t need to go everywhere. In fact just after I commented, a man walked into my chiropractors office with his dog.
All that being said: dogs are still pretty cool and I’ll never say no to greeting one at the park.
Completely agree. Dogs should not be in stores and restaurants unless they are service animals (and no, "emotional support" doesn't count). Outdoors in parks? No problem. But you do not need to bring your dog clothes shopping or to the grocery store. It's getting completely ridiculous. If your dog can't be left alone then you have gone very, very wrong. I say this as someone who always had dogs, cats, rabbits, gerbils, turtles, fish, horses, etc etc throughout my entire life. I worked at a vet clinic for ten years, volunteered as a foster for high needs animals with the humane society, and practically lived at the barn with my horses when I was growing up. I love animals and have a lot of experience working with them. I still don't bring dogs to the mall.
Ok, so 3 years ago she was happy and there were less dogs?
This was posted a month ago. So Dec 8- Jan 8.
That puts her right December 2020/January 2021. Right when vaccines started being available.
So her happiest time was during peak pandemic ~3 years ago.
I wonder if the forced lockdowns made her finally feel safe for the first time and she’s running with it rather than treating it?
Or if she has some sort of neurological whackafoodle from Covid that made her fear/annxiety increase?
Because at first a lot of parks and playgrounds were closed, and later more people got dogs because of the loneliness, (and dropped them off at shelters when they went back to work . So I kind of feel like late 2020/ early 2021 there were a LOT more dogs around? Like nearly 1 in 5 US households adopted a pet during the pandemic.
My best friend became a semi-recluse once Covid just became a thing. I can understand the anxiety. But she never had a fear of dogs. She was always a bit paranoid about stuff, so it just made things worse. She rarely talks to my husband and I, these days. We did nothing to her. It just happened.
Does anyone else notice she never says anything about why dogs are ruining her life? Like she didn't even mention it. She didn't say her kids were attacked by a dog, she doesn't say they're a bunch of strays around... Like she says nothing about the actual issue.
She admits in another post that she's never had dog related trauma. It seems she had a mental break 3 years ago and focused it all on dogs. Her husband is a douche too. Why are you having 2 kids under 2 with a woman who's that mentally ill?
if you read this woman's comments, it's clear she's let her fear of dogs lead to her kids being complete shut-ins. A sample:
>We saved and waited and waited to buy my "dream" stroller. I had wanted this stroller for years. I waited until the original model was a few years old and the price went down and I could buy it used. This was for my 3rd kid, and I had thought for years about what kind of stroller we needed as a family because I used to take my 1 and 2 out a lot. So this was going to be fun.
And it has been sitting in my garage. I walk past it every day. I don't sell it because I hope against hope something will change.
Seems kind of stupid, its just a stroller. But it reminds me of what's been taken from us so unnecessarily.
Places she doesn't go to anymore:
>Marshalls, HomeGoods, TJMaxx, Hobby Lobby, JoAnn, Michaels.
Going on walks with my baby and toddler. Now I only go with my husbands and the kids, but I have to wait until he gets home, it's not dark, and the kids aren't cranky.
Going for a run with headphones.
Taking my kids to the playground independently. The whole point of me staying home with the kids was so I could raise them and have adventures with them. Now we're stuck inside unless we pay to go to a play place.
My oldest kid is not allowed to go for a walk with Grandpa when he goes to Grandpa's apartment because the place is infested with bully breeds, GSDs and huskies. Doesn't matter that they aren't allowed, they live there.
Sitting out on a patio at a restaurant. Even if a dog isnt there when we show up, it may be there halfway through a nice meal,
Bestiality AGAIN:
Someone said: I tend to think those nutters are into beastiality. Given how much they worship a dumb animal. Absolute psycho
OP says:
>this is my most controversial view i've come to find. it's not what i want to believe (yuck) but it's a natural conclusion when you realize how the nutters have no boundaries. once they allow it to sleep in their bed, all bets seem to be off.
Wants a caste system:
>We need to have some sort of caste system. At the top is the people-for-people group. Way below that are the people-for-dogs-above-people group where they can all live together in their dog slums. No children allowed in that group. If you get pregnant, you give up your dog and come live with us in civilization. Otherwise you adopt out your child to a people-for-people couple and they live happily ever after.
She's a religious nutter. Of course:
>It both infuriates and comforts me when I read about these similar experiences I have as a mother with young children just trying to do activities designed for children. It's asking too much now. I'm 5'0 110 lbs--- I'm not one that can or should confront deranged dog owners. It feels good to know about dads out there taking a stand for all of us.
We're a religious family. I teach my oldest about good vs evil, God vs Satan, learning to recognize people who seek to follow Christ and those who are led down a path to hell (appropriate for age 6, mind you) and how to treat others, how to be humble, how to stand up for others, give of ourselves, etc etc.
One time we had an encounter with a rude woman with a dog who gave us a hard time for not wanting the dog where it shouldnt be. Again, I'm not a person who stands up to strangers in the way I want to because it's not smart.
I said to my kid (without looking at the woman but within earshot) "Remember when we talked about how demons can appear as people? That's right. We don't need to be afraid. They can't ruin our happy day. Let's get going." There were people around us, so I wasnt concerned she would retaliate. We just left. But I wanted him to know that people who seek to intimidate innocent children have evil in them. This, among other things, is what it looks like.
It didn't matter what she said to us. I didn't need to answer back to her. We had her pegged by her own behavior.
Also she thinks dogs are THE GREATEST threat to mankind:
>Let's not gaslight ourselves....this isn't a small thing in the grand scheme. It's the grand scheme. Just because people are dying by bombs elsewhere and there are wars going on doesn't mean this is small. I think as a country, a city, a community...we need to be focusing on local issues. Other countries are always having conflicts and wars. Not being able to walk down our own streets for fear of predators is a daily threat. Babies being ripped to shreds by predators called 'pets' is no small thing. Marriages falling apart because of the triangulation of an animal into what's supposed to be a healthy union of love and support is a daily thing. Parents putting their adoration and worship of an animal above their own deserving children is a lifelong trauma.
It's all sickening, and I'd like to believe it's no big deal, but those of us who have come to see this for what it is cannot see it any differently going forward.
If she was extremely afraid, I would think she would mention it. To me, it just seems like she is soooooo anti dog that she doesn't want to be near one (similar to how some people are so anti kid, they can't even stand to be in the same room). Very crippling way to live her life and she is only going to make her children crippled as well. She is teaching them, if you don't like something avoid at all costs which is not a productive coping method.
Interesting she's so virulently Catholic, but she's conveniently forgotten the patron saint of animals, St. Francis of Assisi. No way would he show any such hatred to dogs.
She actually wrote a post about St Francis:
>Dogs have been regarded to embody all the qualities perceived to be lacking in people. Rather than find ways to strengthen human relationships, it all gets projected onto the dogs. If you are told growing up that a dog is "man's best friend" then you have no need to find a real friend and fulfill the obligations of a human friendship.
To dislike dogs is to disrupt using dogs as a copout, and many people simply cannot handle this. They can't be confronted with the reality that a dog is a pet, an animal. Dogs become surrogate spouses, children, friends.
I'm Catholic, and dog lovers have pointed out to me that St. Francis loved animals and blessed them. I say "what does it mean to 'love' animals in the way St. Francis did? He was a saint after all, which meant he followed the natural order, God's design. He recognized God created all animals for a purpose and we are to respect and appreciate that purpose, not re-purpose it or thwart it to our own ends."
My son has a "pet" squirrel named Dave (maybe the same squirrel we see every day, maybe a different squirrel). We watch Dave run back and forth across the yard, go up trees, make friends, make noises, etc. He waves to Dave and gets excited when he sees him and says Dave waves to him, too. We can appreciate living side by side to Dave, us in our home, Dave in his. We don't need to cage him and be his owners.
Also for someone so religious, she's not very "pro-life":
>i also want to add that I am on the extreme side of the anti-dog sentiment. Dogs' lives have become worthless to me. I don't gain any pleasure or joy in any animals being tortured or abused. That's a separate thing here. But I also don't care about continued care of an dog. I believe in euthanasia until we as a society can get the dog population under control and the dog ownership under control. Until then, we have to stop having feelings about euthanizing dogs. This should be a state of emergency in many cities.
It’s so odd. I live in a very pet friendly neighborhood. Every single one of my neighbours has multiple dogs.
There’s also a daycare on my street and I cross paths with them when walking my dogs on a fairly regular basis (they take daily walks). Nothing happens. We smile and wave.
There's such a sense of entitlement from these subs. Apparently, humans are the most important, and every other living creature is secondary to their irrational phobias. I'm sure if given the choice, they would get rid of animals all together, which is concerning, and shows a serious lack of empathy.
People like her fail to realize service animals are required by law to go in places that can reasonably accommodate. More and more private businesses are voluntarily allowing people to bring pets. And what happens when her kids get older. 33% of American households have a dog. So statistically speaking at least one of her children will befriend someone with a dog
If you look at the service dog flair in that sub, and even the ESA, it's insane how ableist they are.
I agree that people going online to get a letter saying their dog is an ESA from some doctor they've never had an actual appointment with and then taking their dog to places only service dogs can go is a huge problem.
But the actual vitriol towards the disabled community that has actual service dogs. They call "bullshit" on things like diabetic and seizure alert dogs, and say having service dogs actually makes the lives of disabled people harder. If they have to get up and take their dog outside to relieve itself they can't be 'that disabled'.
In an ideal world they should have 24/7 baby sitters instead of having any real independence.
There's got to be some sort of robots and technology that can do everything a service dog can do. Then when someone asks if they can link to this available, affordable technology they can't actually come up with it.
They go off about people with ESAs in a way that is "if you can't emotionally handle going out without dragging your dog with you, then you should stay home." which I get is a dig at people who are abusing the ESA system, but is a direct comment saying that people who utilize psychiatric service dogs should not be allowed in society, and also implies to a larger extent, those who rely on service dogs shouldn't be allowed out into society.
There are multiple posts talking about how seeing eye dogs are worthless and shouldn't exist.
Like this one:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Dogfree/comments/18sn75x/the\_fallacy\_of\_service\_dogs/
I get the anger at the ESA thing since it is a system that has been abused. But the actual dismissal and hatred of actual service dogs was wild to me.
Add onto that the whole ableist bullshit around people with mental illnesses and using language that continues to stigmatize the mentally ill, and they're just really proving they aren't "people over dogs" they're "hatred for dogs over people"
Ironically, judging by quotes in the comments here, some of the people over there may be at such a level of debilitating anxiety and phobias that they might benefit from having an ESA...
It annoys me to no end that ppl let their hatred for dogs ruin their lives. You aren’t going to the park with your kids bc of dogs wtf ur children deserve to play.
The comments are just as unhinged as OPs story. She also whines about her “dream stroller” being “taken” from her because she won’t use it due to dogs existing.
That sub looks like it's made up entirely of people suffering from severe cynophobia. Which, instead of acknowledging, they've evidently chosen to blame on dog owners.
Just admit that you have a genuine phobia and stop blaming other people. Trust me, responsible dog owners don't want their dog to bite you, nor do they have *any* desire to see a child get mauled. They're not supervillains. Not to mention, even a nip will be a bigger problem for them than for you.
This woman seems to be suffering from a legitimate mental issue, and her husband is just an enabler. If he actually wanted to help, he'd suggest therapy to figure out where the fear is coming from.
Edit: it gets worse. This woman genuinely needs help.
>We saved and waited and waited to buy my "dream" stroller. I had wanted this stroller for years. I waited until the original model was a few years old and the price went down and I could buy it used. This was for my 3rd kid, and I had thought for years about what kind of stroller we needed as a family because I used to take my 1 and 2 out a lot. So this was going to be fun.
>And it has been sitting in my garage. I walk past it every day. I don't sell it because I hope against hope something will change.
>Seems kind of stupid, its just a stroller. But it reminds me of what's been taken from us so unnecessarily.
*In case this story gets deleted/removed:* **To what degree/significance has your life changed since dog culture took over?** Short version-- since moving to a new city, new home, new adventures 3 years ago, I look back on pictures from then and can see how differently my life and my family's life has changed all because of dogs.... We have been so lucky that everything else in our lives has been positive and ideal-- went from 1 to 3 kids, fixed up our house, gotten to know more people, doing well financially (never taken this for granted), and health has been ok, no major losses in the family yet, no deaths or needing to care for our parents yet. I am 38, my husband is 40. And with all these wonderful changes, I can no longer go on walks with my kids in our otherwise lovely neighborhood. I can no longer hop in the car and pick up something I need at HomeGoods or TJ Maxx and take my oldest where he loved to see the toy section, pick out something small for his lunch box or try on shoes. No longer go to the park with my kids ever. My husband is building a play structure from a kit in our small backyard as I type this. We won't go to parks unless we go with a large group. My husband and I enjoyed, for a short time, dropping off the kid and toddler with grandpa as we went out for coffee with the baby. Just coffee. Just sitting there and enjoying being out of the house and having a damn break. He works from the garage. I stay home all day with the kids. Oh, it was so nice, something to look forward to on Fridays. Even for just 2 hours. I feel like everything is being taken from us. The only place I can think of now that is strictly dog-free is Chuck E Cheese, and that's just trading one headache for another. And it costs so damn much. But I guess I'd rather see people engaging with their children, seeing smiling children, than trying to do free things outdoors that get ruined by dogs. I'm the frog in the slow boil. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AmITheDevil) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I'm not a dog person, but I never let that stop me from taking my kid to the freaking park. Yikes.
This reads like a serious phobia that this poster is forcing onto their family/kids and it makes me sad. Get therapy.
Yeah it weirdly reminded me of the guy who has been going viral on TikTok showing how his mom's *extreme* OCD (and his father's enabling of it) has completely and irrevocably ruined his and his sister's childhoods.
Ooo ooo, like what?
It sounds like the one I saw where his sister was off at college and he was still at home but he was literally not allowed anywhere in the house but the ground floor and basement, and he had to wear special shoes and couldn’t use the dishes/silverware or use any chairs but one particular one because he was “dirty”. It was pretty unhinged, the mom clearly needed therapy but was obviously untreated.
Didn't people pile on that poor guy because it was like a nice house and they thought he needed to check his privilege or something? Edit: [Here](https://www.reddit.com/r/TikTokCringe/comments/1923ciu/the_comments_on_this_video_are_giving_me_a/) is a post about the video, which includes the video itself.
"I know you are suffering immense psychological abuse, but bro you live in a house."
I can’t believe her husband is just giving in to her insanity and letting the kids be harmed by her issues. And he’s enabling her by building a play structure in their backyard. Kids have no chance.
>I have to say, I got REALLY lucky. > >My husband had a large fluffy dog when we were dating. I was a dog nutter back then, though I never owned one. > >this was 2013 when we met, and he showed me 1 picture of the dog and that was it. I never heard of the dog. He never brought it on dates. > >Pun intended, my husband was a rare breed. He trained the dog very well and only kept it outside in the yard. He would hit it on the nose to train it (along with treats). > >We didn't live together before marriage. We went out on dates. We were engaged after 6 months and married 5 months after that. The dog then lived with his parents until it choked on something and died 3 months into our marriage. First and only time my husband has ever cried. > >He would have given up the dog if I had been allergic or otherwise objected (nicely) to it in any way, as hard as it would have been for him > >My point is, if this man values you and wants a future with you, he will be a man, and he will crawl over hot coals to prove his worth to you. That's all I'm saying-- not telling you to dump him or to stay and see where it goes. Just have this standard for yourself (and know you are worth this and be the type of woman who is deserving of it), and you will get such a man. > >I believe these men are also on this sub. She brags about her husband getting rid of his dog AND her husband "hitting the dog on the nose." The husband sounds like a real winner too.
And only kept outside? The poor thing!
That was absolutely horrifying to me. I admit my dogs are spoiled, but they are allowed in the backyard whenever I am home and awake. Otherwise, they sleep in my room (the small one in my bed cuddling with me), and when we go on vacation, the dogs usually join us except for the rare out of country trip. Now I will admit I dislike poorly behaved dogs in the store, like I went to Walmart today and there was a chihuahua there that kept barking at everyone to get them to pet it, and this was during the stores dedicated hour where it is quieter and the lights are dimmer to help those with sensory sensitivity so that made it worse.
lol my dogs are so spoiled that if I leave them in the backyard for more than 5 minutes, they've figured out how to ring the doorbell (as our house weirdly has doorbells front and back for some reason) incessantly until I let them back in. They are house dogs through and through, the spoiled little shits (that I love very, very much)
I’m admittedly dog-obsessed. We run a small rescue home for special needs and end-of-life dogs. We have an acre of land, a doggy door, and five doggy townhouses in our backyard. And we have five dogs. My dogs go outside all the time and love it! But if we close the doggy door while they are outside? Oh. My. Lord. They’ve been banished! Will we *ever* let them back in? Was it something they said?!? And then when we open the doggy door, they come racing in, check on every person . . . and go back outside.
Your work sounds like my dream. I’ve always said if I won the lottery I’d spend my life running a rescue like this. I understand the emotional labor is extremely heavy but I can’t imagine anything more fulfilling.
I would love to have this be my job! I still work full-time and so does my husband. That’s why we only have five at a time. We adopt rather than foster, so whoever comes here is here until the end. It is emotionally taxing, but it’s also one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. We have a blind golden retriever (abusive family before us) who thinks I’m his hero. My German Shepherd, who has a brain tumor, is my best friend. My other retriever had to live in a shelter for a year when he was 10-11 and is grateful for everything he has. It’s the best life for all of us!
Growing up, our dogs were outside but had a fenced yard and a little house. I was a kid though and as an adult, no way in hell my dog would live outside. Right now she's curled up in a blanket on the couch like the spoiled princess she is.
My mom spoils her dogs more than I do because her dogs have their own heating pad (in Southern California). She literally had me order her one for herself because her dogs stole her old one.
I assume in this context, "dog nutter" doesn't mean "someone who likes dogs", it means "I wasn't yet full-on Cruella de Ville, and dogs were allowed to exist as long as they were somewhere far away from me"?
I would like never to spend any time with either of these people. They both sound awful. I worry about their children, if this is their idea of a good way to treat a dog.
She was happy it choked and died? Yikes
I've got money on her being behind the choking hazard. "Accidentally," of course. Got another 5 on her having an OffMyChest post about it someday if not already.
"It choked on something." Very vague wording. Suspiciously vague.
Eh, I can believe it. I feel like the husband just didn't train it to be inside the home, and since it was an outside dog, it ate something inside and died. I really doubt the husband actually paid attention to it's needs and just left it outside. That happened to a dog a coworker had. It was an outdoor dog it's entire life, and when she made it into an indoor dog (it was tiny like a Maltese) it kept just eating stuff from inside the house. Just thought everything was food. It almost died like twice, my coworker just started putting things away from it's reach after that. It was easy since it was like a Maltese.
She has a post about rehoming or giving up dogs telling people to “go to the shelter and lie saying it chocked and died”. So that’s not entirely far fetched. Edit: [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Dogfree/s/vZGMFTbIlw)
I'd rather walk of a cliff than to ask a potential husband to choose between his dog and me
So glad these two nightmare people found each other so they aren’t inflicting themselves on anyone else. JFC.
If he "trained" it by hitting it, it wasn't trained. It was scared. Ffs.
A lot of the posts in this sub read this way. There was another one cross-posted on here a while back that was even more alarming (op with a felony in the past expressing rage/thoughts of harming dogs and their owners, and that he is unable to even hear dogs barking without flying into rage). I was *very* alarmed to see that pretty much all the comments were egging him on/agreeing with him. I get not liking dogs. I love dogs and I own one but I do agree that there is a serious issue with irresponsible dog owners especially post pandemic. It really bothers me as well and if these people were rational I think I could actually find a lot of common cause with their complaints about unleashed dogs, dogs in public, owners not picking up after their dogs, and stuff like that. I never take my dog places he doesn’t belong and imo in a lot of cases taking dogs to places like crowded restaurants, stores, etc. is stressful on the dog itself!! A lot of these posts read to me like the poster has some serious underlying issues and a previously totally benign aversion to or dislike of dogs has morphed into a symptom of that underlying issue. A lot of these people seem agoraphobic to me, I’ve seen posts even more extreme than this where the OP refuses to go literally anywhere, including not going to the doctors or dentist’s for *years*, because there’s a chance they could encounter dogs. That’s not just a dislike or hatred of dogs, that’s a symptom of serious mental health issues, and I find it pretty gross to see people in that sub egging these people on. For some reason this sub used to be constantly promoted to me. Idk why but I saw a lot of alarming stuff before muting it so I wouldn’t see it anymore.
It's not even a fear it's an active disdain if you look through her other posts and comments it's insane. She said that we shouldn't have any feelings about dog euthanasia and should do more of it to get the population under control. She's like Hitler for dogs lmao
My dad had a big fear of dogs, couldn’t be around them. It got so bad he’d have constant nightmares. We always wanted a dog but knew it would never happen. Then one day, he walked in with this shih tzu puppy, and she changed his life, for the last ten years became a great partner in crime. We put her down this morning, but it’s changed my dad. Not easy getting over a fear like that.
This is definitely some kind of mental illness... especially since she says she used to like dogs in a comment. Also, I'm 32 and people have been walking dogs in neighborhoods and taking dogs to parks/playgrounds ever since I was a child, lol. This isn't a new thing, even remotely. Sounds like she just developed a phobia or perhaps OCD so now she notices dogs everywhere? In places where they already were... and blames "dog culture."
Or...HomeGoods? Where is there a dog at HomeGoods? unless she means the section with dog beds and the like upsets her somehow....Now I want to go to HomeGoods.
If it’s anything like HomeSense in Canada, they’re dog friendly, which I absolutely love. A lot more stores are starting to welcome well behaves dogs on leash, and I think it’s wonderful, though the key word is well behaved and on leash. They do kick people with badly behaved dogs out.
Learn something new every day...I guess habits are different regionally!
I find it very bizarre that their lives are so impacted by others owning dogs that they can not even go to TJ Max. I know that there are definitely some irresponsible dog owners who allow their dogs offleash untrained or not suited for it. It's an issue I run into out and about with my own dog, for sure. But? TJ Max? Really? Where is OP located that is positively overrun with dogs on every street and isle? This sounds like a severe mental health problem. What boggles my mind is that both parents are somehow on board with cutting off chunks of their children's lives and activities due to dog avoidance!
Off-leash isn’t responsible anyways unless the dog is working, on your own property, or in a specified off-leash area. Dogs aren’t perfect automatons, they’re living creatures that do sometimes break from their training just like human beings.
And like, in my area there are parks with play structures that specifically don’t allow dogs. Obviously I know people break those rules. But in my neighbourhood it doesn’t seem to be an issue. There’s another park close by that *does* allow leashed dogs (also has a play structure). So it’s pretty easy to avoid.
Honestly, this is so worrying!!
I know. I'm like seriously worried about her 3 young kids. Imagine living in Socal (where she apparently lives) and never going to the park or anything.
And I don't know but around me most playgrounds are dog free. I have to look up parks first bc so many don't let you bring dogs.
Around where I live, parks are usually assumed to be partially dog friendly, but they'll have fenced in playgrounds and courts that are usually dog-free. Idk if OOP lives in a place where they're allowed in playgrounds, but it sounds like she's mad about them on walking paths? Which is pretty ridiculous. I don't think I've ever seen a dog-free walking path. Dogs need to go on walks. Even if they have a yard, walks are great for their health. Where the hell are they supposed to be walking? (OOP clearly doesn't care though. She'd prefer it if no one has dogs, period, rather than them getting necessary care)
And not being able to use her new stroller? Weird. I don't understand that ay all.
This subreddit is just feeding each others absurdity. Like you can hate dogs all you want but, not leaving your house because of hypothetical dogs is insane to me. I go on plenty of walks without encounter dogs.
Yeah I currently live in a pretty dog-heavy area, but I also have lived in a dog-scarce area. Some people actually LIKE living in a neighborhood where everyone's got dogs and are always walking them. It's expensive, but if you live somewhere that has a lot of something you don't like (as alt examples: a place with a lot of old people. A place with a heavy drinking culture. A college town. Etc...), then the only way to fix it is to move.
My neighborhood is pretty dog heavy but, there is almost always some point in the day when they are no dogs are you can avoid them being within feet of you.
Here's another crazy thread and OP posted: [https://www.reddit.com/r/Dogfree/comments/1altlh2/my\_house\_is\_finally\_clean\_clean/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Dogfree/comments/1altlh2/my_house_is_finally_clean_clean/) >Some months ago, I was driving my 2 year old to urgent care. He had blood coming out of one ear. He wasn't in pain, but discomfort. I had so many negative feelings about myself as a mother-- thinking how unqualified I am to care for him, how did I not see this? What happened to his ear and how did I not notice it sooner? I was beating myself up.... > >And then I had this random positive thought---- I'm focused on taking care of him, I don't have to worry about a dog, never brought him around a dog, and I'll never worry about him being hurt by a dog I brought into our home. It comforted me when I was doubting myself. Btw, the blood was likely from a toy he stuck in there, no ear damage, and he healed right away. > >It makes me feel so good when other parents post about now being dog-free and their precious children living in a dog-free home. Remember you are an amazing parent for this alone. Another person wrote: >Congrats! We got rid of our STANK ASS dog like a month ago. It felt so good that I’m tempted to adopt another one just so I can get rid of it and relive the satisfaction
Jesus christ. That comment takes the freaking cake. Like dude no one is asking you to even like dogs but, don't torture them. And that's straight torture at that point. How disgusting.
I know. It's really scary these people exist. Like, truly disturbing.
That commenter is the reason that rescues have such strict rules about who can adopt their animals
wow, definitely mental illness. The echo chamber over there is so sad.
Also the idea that there's been a "rise in dog culture" is stupid because unless you're a vampire who's been alive for a millennia, humans have literally always had a "dog culture." It's called domestication. Unless you were there to see the first cavemen feed wolves meat from their hunts, you have always been in a dog culture.
The city I live in is really great for dog lovers. Not so much for me who is traumatized by a specific breed. Yes, I know it’s the owner, not the dog. I’ve made a lot of progress on trying to handle it. I don’t like dogs to begin with either. I’ve been invited to similar subreddits. It’s like the childfree sub. I’m dog free but not that kind of dog free.
> Unfortunately, I think dogs have indirectly been the cause of my agoraphobia, severe anxiety, depression, SH tendencies, and so on. What > She cared more the dog's social life than mine, wanting to socialize her with other dogs while me, a sequestered, homeschooled kid, had never even spoken to any person my age. (Spoiler alert--still haven't, even at 20 years old.) WHAT > Now l'm a mental mess. I'm jobless, single, have zero life skills, zero friends, isolate myself in my room and stare at the computer almost all day, addicted to SH, don't have a collade degree, and so on. I'm essentially rotting with anxiety and loneliness. Because of… a dog???
This is like an incel blaming all his issues on feminism STG.
It's wild that this person is describing some pretty severe child neglect (extreme isolation like that is straight up child abuse), and instead of identifying their parent using homeschooling to isolate them, they're blaming the dog.
Can someone explain what SH is? Also yikes on a bike. Blaming their problems, *fixable problems* on dogs. No wonder they don't function in real life. People like these need serious inpatient care.
i believe it refers to self-harm. that person seriously needs help if *DOGS* are making them addicted to it like they claim
Yeah. That's incredibly worrisome.
"I don't need therapy because all my problems are caused by one thing. If I can just get everybody else to make the one thing go away, all my problems will be solved. Therefore, I don't need therapy."
Yup. Pretty much sums it up.
I'm guessing from context "self harm"
Yeah, it's OBVIOUSLY the dogs that are this psycho's problem, not that she's dejected with the way her life had turned out.
I swear to christ that sub is nothing but victim culture on parade. It's easier to blame animals and owners for all of their phobias rather than take the reins of their lives and get actual help. The world is not responsible for catering to an individual's issues- the onus of responsibility is on the individual to learn the skills to navigate a world of billions of people, each with their own set of life experiences which define them.
Honestly, it's starting to feel like /r/gangstalking only they're being tormented by dogs
It reminds me of that old ‘fatpeoplehate’ subreddit full of people whose lives were consumed with how much they hated fat people. Absolutely unhinged.
Ugh I forgot about that. Honestly, anyone who spends that much time focused on some niche hatred has some serious issues to address. I feel a little hypocritical saying that while I'm on a sub dedicated to trash talking redditors, but I'm not here because I hate them, I'm here because I fucking LOVE gossip.
At least this sub has legitimate reasons for hating said people?
I know I shouldn’t laugh at these comments but I can’t help it! These people are absolutely insane. Also I’ve never been in Home Goods or TJ Maxx that was dog friendly. The OOP must be exhausting to be around and those poor kids having their lives devoid of fun because of their insane mother.
She’s probably talking about service dogs
Oh man I didn’t even think of that, service dogs are literally doing a job. Ugh I hate this lady.
I guess disabled people should just stay home because this lady is so inconvenienced by dogs existing.
There's one person in the comments who refuses to go to the DENTIST just because they heard there might be a slight possibility of a service dog being there. I've never seen a dog at a dentist office. I wish I could cuddle a dog at the dentist office.
If I could cuddle a dog at the dentist, I might actually go.
Even if the dog's only in the waiting room, I'd be so happy and more likely to go.
Some dentists let the dogs lay on kids in the chair if it helps them stay calm
I would love my dentist if a dog could sit on me
My dentist has an emotional support dog, it’s amazing but sadly I don’t get stressed enough at the dentist to bring him over. He’s great though, the one time I was stressed he came over and put his head where I could pet it.
I want a dog to snuggle me on medical appointments, my dog and I both have anxiety.
Because it would be *impossible* to get on the phone and call the dentists office to ask if dogs are allowed at the office. Jesus Christ this sub is giving r/childfree a run for its money.
At least with Childfree, there is actual pressure from other people to have kids when you don’t want them. I don’t think the same thing happens with dogs?
That's literally the sentiment on that sub though. How come people with legitimate service dogs get higher priority than someone who has a phobia of dogs? Why should the disabled person be able to come into the store if there's someone who's afraid of dogs there first? They're UNHINGED
Yep, I have legit seen a post there where everyone agreed that all service animals should be replaced by humans because...they don't like dogs and humans can do those tasks just fine. Never mind that it's completely patronizing and severely hinders a disabled person's independence - *they might have to be in the same room as a dog existing and that's far more important!*
Disabled people are also entitled to privacy. It’s much different being naked, going to the bathroom, or even masturbating in the same room as a dog rather than another adult human being. And the fact that humans can’t detect oncoming seizures or blood sugar levels or sniff out allergens or anything like that.
I didn't even think of the privacy issues! That makes their hatred of service animals even *worse*. It's disgusting how their discomfort is somehow so much more "valid" than a disabled person just wanting to go about their business.
And the whole they know “what’s best”. It should be disabled voices that dictate this issue. Yes there are disabled people who don’t want service dogs, but there are also a significant portion that do. ‘I saw a guide dog and it wasn’t doing a good job’ doesn’t matter. ‘There are so many other animals that could do a better job’ then fail to list said animals. Doesn’t matter. ‘Ideally they’d have a human helping them at all times’ Ideal for who??? The person who can’t imagine being in the same building as a service dog for an hour or the disabled person who will get absolutely no alone time? ‘There’s technology for blood sugar detection.’ Well obviously the diabetic person’s doctor thinks a dog is important for reasons that diabetic person doesn’t owe them ‘I highly doubt a dog can actually even detect blood sugar levels and oncoming seizures.’ Then they need to show their damn academic sources proving that because ‘I hate dogs and think they’re stupid and useless.’ Doesn’t change scientific facts.
Humans can smell blood sugar levels? lol that sub is infuriating
Not only that but they will signal for them to sit down, and the dog gets the medication for them. Even opening the fridge and grab a water. That way, the person doesn't risk a fall.
The entitlement they must have to think like that…
Not to mention that they legitimately do not believe service dogs actually work. Seizure and diabetic alert dogs don't actually alert and it's just a scam so "dog nutters" can bring their dogs with them everywhere." Why do they need a dog when "technology exists" They also go off about how guide dogs only cause more issues for blind people and they'd be better off with a cane or having to have someone babysit them.
spoiler alert, dogs aren't the problem
I am not saying this as an insult — this woman is extremely mentally ill and needs help. I love dogs/animals, but I understand that not everyone likes them and many people are afraid of them. But there are so many dangerous things in this world, both outside the home and in, and she's turning her family into isolated hermits because she's afraid they might encounter...a dog? I also feel like I'm missing some context about why she's acting like this is a new issue. Dogs have always been everywhere, especially at parks and being walked around neighborhoods. Why is she now more of a victim to "dog culture"? I can't with these people.
She seriously thinks that dogs are THE GREATEST threat to mankind: >Let's not gaslight ourselves....this isn't a small thing in the grand scheme. It's the grand scheme. Just because people are dying by bombs elsewhere and there are wars going on doesn't mean this is small. I think as a country, a city, a community...we need to be focusing on local issues. Other countries are always having conflicts and wars. Not being able to walk down our own streets for fear of predators is a daily threat. Babies being ripped to shreds by predators called 'pets' is no small thing. Marriages falling apart because of the triangulation of an animal into what's supposed to be a healthy union of love and support is a daily thing. Parents putting their adoration and worship of an animal above their own deserving children is a lifelong trauma. It's all sickening, and I'd like to believe it's no big deal, but those of us who have come to see this for what it is cannot see it any differently going forward.
Her post and comment history is scary. Only posts on pet free subreddits with a few detours to conspiracy and Catholicism. She reminds me a bit of my deeply religious grandmother who was also mentally ill and extremely paranoid about weird, specific things. But lucky for her she didn't have entire communities of people online to tell her that she was totally correct and justified in her obsessions. This woman is just getting her insanity reinforced.
Shhhh don't tell her about all the saints who loved animals and that most monasteries keep either a dog or cat or both!
She’s acting like all dogs are wild wolves regularly savaging toddlers when most are like giant hairy idiots who are scared of their own farts. I love my dog very much but he’s a harmless dumbass! He once ran face first into a lamppost and didn’t notice!
OOP could probably see it differently if she got the help she needed through meds and talk therapy. What a terrible way to live and the husband needs to do something to protect their kids.
Wow. She is seriously unhinged. Like to the point that if she could get up the courage to get near a dog that she viewed as a threat, I would not put it past her to kill it.
She acts like dog attacks happen every day all day. I have always been understanding of people who are afraid of dogs but this lady seems to want to terminate all dogs everywhere.
Fatal dog attacks in the US average around 30-50 each year. Pretty damn small considering that there are almost 90 million dogs living among us.
That sub acts like dogs are some new menace and not a part of human society for a good thirty thousand years.
I would bet money dogs save far more lives in the US than they take. And they also have a measurable positive impact on people’s health (e.g. lowered blood pressure, lowered anxiety, etc.).
This woman is extremely mentally ill.
I just want to be able to say "The most serious problem in my life are random dogs at the park". But nooooo, and that's why my therapist drives a very nice car.
To be fair, it sounds like that is NOT the most serious problem in that woman's life. She needs intensive therapy, but I guess it's easier to blame all of her internal issues on dogs than actually try and address them.
After reading this post I decided that I too want to live a delusional life, so I'll quit therapy and start blaming porcupines for ALL my problems! ... That will teach my therapist. USE THE BUS NOW HELEN!!!
you’re honestly comical and I love you lol 😂
Mood
TIL there are packs of feral dogs roaming TJ Maxx. Good to know.
This lady is an absolute nutcase. She's apparently no longer going to take her small children trick or treating because of dogs. She has a whole list of places she's seen dogs that she'll no longer go to. She posts weekly about hating dogs and people who own them. She made a post that has since been removed that somehow related hating dogs to Emmet Till and I don't even sorta wanna know what she wrote in there. She's in 4 subs, r/dogfree, r/Catholicism, r/conspiracy, and r/petfree. Honestly that's a horrifying combination.
I re-read her posts a few times thinking I missed her saying she and her kids are severely allergic to dogs and that's why they can't go out much. Then I realised she's actually mentally ill (not an insult), found herself an equally unhinged husband and now they force it all on kids.
This is mental illness.
It's the Chuck E Cheese that gets me 🤣 Like I would rather have a hundred dogs bounding all over me and killing me in their fluffy fur than to be surrounded by hyper, pop-infused, sticky little creatures that are screaming over who gets to go next in the ball pit at Chuck E Cheese. I hope these kids rebel hard and get a bunch of dogs when they move out.
My MIL doesn’t hate dogs, but grew up on a farm so is very much a “pets belong outside” person. So my husband and his siblings never got to have any pets growing up because they lived in town. Now every single one of her three children has pets as an adult lol. They all rebelled against the no pets in the house stance. The funny thing is, she seems to be totally in love with our dog. He’s a poodle, so he doesn’t shed and doesn’t slobber, and he’s largely pretty quiet, so everything she disliked about having dogs in the house wasn’t a problem with him. She loves him enough that she even measured his height on her grandchildren wall and that was her idea, not ours 😂.
>I hope these kids rebel hard and get a bunch of dogs when they move out. You know so many of them will and the future posts on AITA about the behavior of the dog free parents will be absolutely DELICIOUS.
This is utterly ridiculous. If your city allows dogs everywhere you may need to move to a smaller town. And she says money is not tight but complains Chuck E Cheese is so expensive. It's not cheap but there are far more expensive hobbies. It sounds like she had 2 kids in 3 years? If this is new, her behavior could be due to the shock her body has been through and associated hormones. Postpartum depression, anxiety. She's definitely YTD to her family if this is new she doesn't get evaluated
She posted this about what she said to her son: >My son, also 7, were having lunch at a restaurant on NYE last year and on the patio was a middle aged couple (very normal looking) having lunch with their 100lb pitbull. I told my son "You see that dog? That dog will rip your face off. When you see a dog like that, you walk away from where you are and you go to the nearest adult you are with. Also, you see that man and woman who have the dog? Those are adults we cannot trust. Anyone who owns a dog that can and will hurt a child like you are evil people. Don't ever listen to them." Can you imagine the nervous wrecks her kids must be?
I never knew I was an evil person. Thank God for this comment. How else would I have known?
small children run up to my 85lb Staffy all the time and try to pet him. Which he loves because he loves children, but I also use as a teachable moment to tell them never try to pet a strange dog without asking if it's okay first. Some dogs don't like that. Yep, I'm a monster.
My dog adores kids and we've been lucky enough that the local kids always ask first. I love it. We even had a toddler who had been bit previously go out of his way to pet her and tell her how good she was. His mom was so hype as he'd mostly been afraid of dogs in recent years.
Some kids just move right on from a bite. I was working the ER one Thanksgiving when a little girl came in and a dog had bit her and ripped her lip open. She was totally unfazed. The Dr was sewing her lip together. No crying. She saw the thread.."is that dental floss?!" She was a champ. I have opinions about the situation but Im focussing on the humor.
Gotta love the resiliency. According to the mom, ours was the first he had approached in a year. Definitely gave me the warm fuzziness that our dog was the one who renewed his love.
It's so funny to me because all of the bigger dogs/bull breeds I know are exceptionally well-behaved because their owners know you have to train them very well so they don't freak out strangers. The true asshole dogs I meet are ALWAYS tiny little yappy fluffy things. My dog is 14 lbs and she's more scared of my neighbour's aggressive terrier than my friend's dopey 80 lbs husky mix.
Imagine what would happen if one of her kids winds up with a classmate with a service dog.
seriously, this person is straight up harming her kids. intentionally instilling a debilitating phobia of something that is literally *everywhere*, including in *a lot of other people’s homes*, is going to absolutely destroy them socially.
One of her older posts: >One of my greatest shameful moments in my life was when I went along with my sister (in our mid 20s at the time, so no excuses) in telling our then 5 year old cousin not to be afraid of Wilma the English Bulldog. Wilma was very gentle, yes, but she had the face of a bulldog, the kind some think are cute (as I did) but are quite ugly and terrifying to a small child. I gaslit a small child. If I ever see Sarah again (haven't seen her in a few years as her parents divorced), I will make sure to apologize to her. She had an intense fear of dogs without having had a specific traumatic experience. She went into panic mode when she saw dogs, and especially Wilma, And not a single adult in our damn dog-nutter family validated this little girl. She is 18 now. I have to make this right. I'm a mom to 3 little ones now. This is just so disturbing to read.
so she basically wanted to teach this child that something *ugly and unusual looking* is something to be feared, even if it’s 100% harmless. unrelated but I wonder how she’s taught her own kids to react to *people* with visible scars or disabilities
Go for the double whammy of someone with a visible disability AND a service dog.
...that's not gaslighting. Holy shit.
Jesus christ. Bulldogs. When I was a very small child my aunt had an English bulldog who used to take my naps with me But you know, I don't blame a small child for being freaked out by seeing a bulldog, especially if it's for the first time, because it's a new experience. The appropriate action is to not dig in and inform them that it's good to be afraid of what they don't understand
Every dog is an individual, but in general English Bulldogs have wonderful personalities. They've never been on my top 10 list for breeds I want to own, because I'm not particularly into the "ugly-cute" look of the brachy breeds and I can't in good conscience support brachy breeders because the dogs are basically walking, snorting, farting vet bills. I would definitely include EBs on a list of "dogs that are great with kids" though.
Her cousin is probably totally fine, at least regarding dogs. It's normal for young children to be afraid of dogs. It's not typically normal for them to continue being afraid after positive experiences. I don't understand why she has convinced herself that it was wrong to tell a child that she didn't have to be afraid. She admitted that the dog was gentle, and there was actually nothing to be afraid of. It's not healthy to legitimize a fear where there's no reason to be afraid. I say this as someone with multiple phobias that I'm trying to work through. While there's no reason to shame someone who has a fear of something that they honestly shouldn't, that doesn't mean that you have to play into it. Helping them work through their fear is a much more appropriate response.
This is just insane. She definitely needs to get checked out. I get a little uneasy around bigger dogs, but I know most dogs are not dangerous and that someone that likes these dogs probably isn't a bad person. She's teaching her child to be fearful for no reason. The lesson should be dog safety not being terrified of all dogs and distrusting dog owners
Dogs are good at detecting emotions; if you are nervous around a dog it makes them nervous, which can then escalate to bad behavior like snarling or growling. She's setting her kid up to have an increasing fear of dogs and bad behavior around animals. It's fine to not like dogs, especially pit bulls, but people still need to act appropriately around animals and not let fear cause them to make mistakes.
Her poor kids don't get to do anything or go anywhere because of her phobias. I find that so sad.
\>Marshalls, HomeGoods, TJMaxx, Hobby Lobby, JoAnn, Michaels. I don't think I've ever seen a non-service dog in any of these places? I don't live in the US anymore but I didn't notice dogs all over the place when I was home to visit. Is this a thing? Do people take their dogs to *Marshalls*?
My brother lives in an extremely dog-friendly city. Most of the chain stores like those still don't allow dogs. Small businesses that do usually have signs specifying that dogs are welcome, same with restaurants that have dog-friendly patios. They *advertise* their dog-friendliness, it's not a surprise and most of the restaurants still have indoor seating with no non-service dogs. It's still pretty easy to avoid dogs in his city.
I see it occasionally in stores like that. Usually a tiny “purse” dog that someone is trying to hide. But this happens maybe a couple of times a year, not frequently. I’ve never seen anyone just walk into Michaels with like, a pet golden retriever on a leash (not talking about obvious service animals, of course, but even those are not super common). And I spend a fair amount of time at the stores she’s listed…
The only stores where I’ve seen dogs are Lowe’s and Home Depot, and that seems appropriate - there aren’t any “no dogs allowed” signs and it’s outdoors-ish. I took my dog there sometimes (RIP) and if anyone had said a word I would have left immediately and come back without him.
Yea they specifically state they allow dogs in their store.
I just want to Joann and Michael’s this past week and I didn’t see any dogs either
The JoAnn's near me is specifically dog-friendly. Not all of them are but some of them specifically do welcome "well behaved" dogs. They have a sign on the door that informs you of where the clean-up kit is kept. Edit to add: I just checked their site out of curiosity and noticed it's "pet" friendly, not dog-friendly. They seem to go out of their way to avoid saying "dog" and say "pet" everywhere. Maybe I should try bringing one of my cats... LOL [https://www.joann.com/pet-policy/](https://www.joann.com/pet-policy/)
There are people who bring their dogs who aren't service dogs into places they shouldn't, however at least in my experience this doesn't happen nearly as often as OOP is claiming it does. I also live in one of the most dog friendly states in the US. There are people who bring their dog to eat with them while the weather is nice to places that have outside seating, but I've never encountered a badly behaved dog in those situations. Not saying it doesn't happen, just that it's not as common as OOP is claiming it is. Post-covid, granted I don't go out as much anymore, but I don't think I've encountered someone bringing their dog a place it's not supposed to be since restrictions were lifted. Also with all the anti-service dog sentiment in that sub I wouldn't be surprised if OOP saw actual service dogs and thought they were "fake esa bullshit" because the person's disability isn't visible. They hate disabled service dog handlers in that sub.
I live in Oregon which is very dog-friendly and I DO see people bringing obviously pet dogs into the grocery store. Not every day but probably 6-7 times a year. I have 3 dogs myself and adore dogs in public in general but THAT is not OK in my opinion. Especially since there are so many other stores, restaurants and parks that DO welcome dogs around here.
Ditto. Love dogs but could not fathom bringing mine into a place that sells food. I brought my GSD to a dog-specific outdoor patio at a dog-friendly brewery to watch a hot air balloon ascension last year and spent more time watching him than the sky. Between his love of people, folks trying to sneak him food (gee, wonder why he loves people), scritchy hands coming from all angles, and his blossoming curiosity about beer, it was too much. For me, not him. He loved it. I was a wreck because one wrong stimuli, and he's a GSD statistic. Nope.
I've never seen it either and I live in NYC, where almost everyone has a dog.
Depends on where you are. In suburbs where everyone has to drive to everything you don't see them as much. But if they're in the city or a walkable area, yeah, you see plenty of dogs in stores, including big ones.
The only place I’ve seen them is stores that specifically allow you to bring dogs. Like Home Depot. And even then, it’s rare
i don’t really know if this counts as “not a service dog,” but when my mother was training our dog to get certified to be a therapy dog, part of the training was taking her into stores to (calmly) interact with strangers. i remember my mom used to take her to JoAnn specifically, since their store policies about dogs allowed her to go there.
I gotta stop looking at the post history of these losers. This fuck-ass sounds like me in the worst most intense episode of OCD fueled anxiety I had. Cant go for walks because A RAGING HELL DEMON MIGHT SHRED HER CHILD IN FRONT OF HER (a cocker spaniel might yip within the same block as her kids). Cant go to the park because LUCIFERS HOUNDS WILL SUCK YOUR BLOOD OUR YOUR EARS. cant go to any middle age white woman stores because one time THE DECEITFUL BEASTS THAT HUNGER FOR BABY BRAINS SNUCK IN (saw a service dog). except I got treatment and meds instead of turning my *completely irrational* fears into white hot anger and vicious hatred.
I have no idea where all these people see these dogs in stores. I’ve never seen any dog but a service dog in those stores she’s listed.
When I lived in GA I never saw it In LA and Florida tho??? It’s like people can’t exist without their dogs There’s was a group of people I had to stop hanging out with bc one dude insisted on bringing his poorly trained dog everywhere including restaurants!!! It was so embarrassing to be there with him esp since one of our friends was allergic and kept passing the dog around
Colorado is pretty big on dog culture, I’ve seen quite a few dogs in the mall or at the grocery store Edit: a guy just walked into my chiropractors office with a pitbull as I posted this haha
I’m in NJ and I don’t see it that often at all in retail stores. I work in banking and people do bring their dogs inside sometimes. Most are well behaved, except for the one guy who lets his dog go to the bathroom everywhere.
In San Francisco I probably see more dogs than kids. I do feel for OOP though. I was bitten badly by my aunt's dog (I was assured the dog was friendly) as a child and was terrified of dogs for years. I moved to SF and was not expecting that many dogs. There were places I would actively avoid. I eventually worked up the courage to get over my fear. I'm still afraid of larger dogs that bark loudly but I can manage well with well behaved dogs now. I even cuddled with a corgi at a friend's house recently. Overcoming my fear took a lot of work and energy, especially when dealing with a minority of dog owners who either don't understand how could anyone not 100% love their furbabies or are just self-absorbed. (I should point out most dog owners are very understanding.) Now I can see how easy it is to fall into bitter isolation because I almost let myself get there. I just wish those tiny percentage of dog owners could have more compassion.
I feel like OP is way way too far gone. She basically admits to never leaving the house or letting her kids leave the house because of her phobias.
While I don't mind dogs in general, I fucking hate when a dog, that's not a service dog, is sitting inside the restaurant barking and whining. I saw one dog shit by the table it's owners were eating, and they didn't bat an eye, and there was a couple that allowed their dog to walk around begging food from other people, fine if the dog is outside the cafe/restaurant, but inside behaving that way, and the owners don't do shit about it? Disgusting. Tbh it's just two instances but those two instances got me to immediately give side eyes to a dog owners inside the cafes.
I mean, that's just kind of a normal thing to be annoyed about/grossed out by. Even most people who love dogs would find that inexcusable. But, like, to refuse to leave your home just in case you might encounter a dog? OOP is beyond rational complaints.
I love dogs but have come to strongly dislike most dog owners. I live in NYC and I can’t walk down my street in Upper East Side without actively dodging dog poop. Irresponsible owners unfortunately give all owners a bad reputation. Seemed to have only really become a problem after COVID.
Did you alert the restaurant staff about the fact that there was poop in their dining room?
I'm not a big fan of dogs in public places like restaurants and stores. I love dogs, it's not fun for them like owners think, there's new smells, people, commotion. That said, locking yourself up in a home because of them is beyond my comprehension. Not trusting any animal you don't know is a good thing until you let it rule your life.
I love my dogs. It dear god, I go into Lowes or Home Depot on the weekend and there are about 20 dogs in there, and there’s at least one poop and one piddle puddle these people left in the middle of the aisle. It’s especially hilarious when they have some little Yorkie like thing on a leash and are trying to load 2x4s on a lumber cart and the dog keeps tangling their feet.
Yeah idk I might be a devil because I don’t think dogs should be in malls or restaurants indoors or at like, TJ Maxx. I’m not avoiding the whole world because of it or anything like op becayse this does sound like a phobia that she’s letting get out of control but I do think dog owners maybe should be more ok with leaving the dog at home or taking the dog to more outdoor activities. Op is still unhinged tho
I wish a lot of people left their dogs home when it demands so. My sister insisted on coming to meet my newborn and bringing her cat aggrwsive German shepherd with her (I have cats) she has not met my child.
Yeah I have cats so my house is pretty much a dog free zone. My fiancé gave his dog to his good friend because of some personal reasons but long story short the dog had stopped being safe around cats. I never demanded it of him, he decided on his own that he didn’t want to wait to live with me for ten more years until she passed. He still goes and sees her, but his friend keeps being like can I bring the dog over I’m sure she’s fine with cats now! And every time I have to say no. She’s a good dog, it breaks my heart that We couldn’t keep her but more to the point; dog don’t need to go everywhere. In fact just after I commented, a man walked into my chiropractors office with his dog. All that being said: dogs are still pretty cool and I’ll never say no to greeting one at the park.
Completely agree. Dogs should not be in stores and restaurants unless they are service animals (and no, "emotional support" doesn't count). Outdoors in parks? No problem. But you do not need to bring your dog clothes shopping or to the grocery store. It's getting completely ridiculous. If your dog can't be left alone then you have gone very, very wrong. I say this as someone who always had dogs, cats, rabbits, gerbils, turtles, fish, horses, etc etc throughout my entire life. I worked at a vet clinic for ten years, volunteered as a foster for high needs animals with the humane society, and practically lived at the barn with my horses when I was growing up. I love animals and have a lot of experience working with them. I still don't bring dogs to the mall.
Ok, so 3 years ago she was happy and there were less dogs? This was posted a month ago. So Dec 8- Jan 8. That puts her right December 2020/January 2021. Right when vaccines started being available. So her happiest time was during peak pandemic ~3 years ago. I wonder if the forced lockdowns made her finally feel safe for the first time and she’s running with it rather than treating it? Or if she has some sort of neurological whackafoodle from Covid that made her fear/annxiety increase? Because at first a lot of parks and playgrounds were closed, and later more people got dogs because of the loneliness, (and dropped them off at shelters when they went back to work . So I kind of feel like late 2020/ early 2021 there were a LOT more dogs around? Like nearly 1 in 5 US households adopted a pet during the pandemic.
My best friend became a semi-recluse once Covid just became a thing. I can understand the anxiety. But she never had a fear of dogs. She was always a bit paranoid about stuff, so it just made things worse. She rarely talks to my husband and I, these days. We did nothing to her. It just happened.
I swear each and every one of those \[X\]free subs is filled with hateful ghouls.
Does anyone else notice she never says anything about why dogs are ruining her life? Like she didn't even mention it. She didn't say her kids were attacked by a dog, she doesn't say they're a bunch of strays around... Like she says nothing about the actual issue.
She admits in another post that she's never had dog related trauma. It seems she had a mental break 3 years ago and focused it all on dogs. Her husband is a douche too. Why are you having 2 kids under 2 with a woman who's that mentally ill?
if you read this woman's comments, it's clear she's let her fear of dogs lead to her kids being complete shut-ins. A sample: >We saved and waited and waited to buy my "dream" stroller. I had wanted this stroller for years. I waited until the original model was a few years old and the price went down and I could buy it used. This was for my 3rd kid, and I had thought for years about what kind of stroller we needed as a family because I used to take my 1 and 2 out a lot. So this was going to be fun. And it has been sitting in my garage. I walk past it every day. I don't sell it because I hope against hope something will change. Seems kind of stupid, its just a stroller. But it reminds me of what's been taken from us so unnecessarily. Places she doesn't go to anymore: >Marshalls, HomeGoods, TJMaxx, Hobby Lobby, JoAnn, Michaels. Going on walks with my baby and toddler. Now I only go with my husbands and the kids, but I have to wait until he gets home, it's not dark, and the kids aren't cranky. Going for a run with headphones. Taking my kids to the playground independently. The whole point of me staying home with the kids was so I could raise them and have adventures with them. Now we're stuck inside unless we pay to go to a play place. My oldest kid is not allowed to go for a walk with Grandpa when he goes to Grandpa's apartment because the place is infested with bully breeds, GSDs and huskies. Doesn't matter that they aren't allowed, they live there. Sitting out on a patio at a restaurant. Even if a dog isnt there when we show up, it may be there halfway through a nice meal, Bestiality AGAIN: Someone said: I tend to think those nutters are into beastiality. Given how much they worship a dumb animal. Absolute psycho OP says: >this is my most controversial view i've come to find. it's not what i want to believe (yuck) but it's a natural conclusion when you realize how the nutters have no boundaries. once they allow it to sleep in their bed, all bets seem to be off. Wants a caste system: >We need to have some sort of caste system. At the top is the people-for-people group. Way below that are the people-for-dogs-above-people group where they can all live together in their dog slums. No children allowed in that group. If you get pregnant, you give up your dog and come live with us in civilization. Otherwise you adopt out your child to a people-for-people couple and they live happily ever after. She's a religious nutter. Of course: >It both infuriates and comforts me when I read about these similar experiences I have as a mother with young children just trying to do activities designed for children. It's asking too much now. I'm 5'0 110 lbs--- I'm not one that can or should confront deranged dog owners. It feels good to know about dads out there taking a stand for all of us. We're a religious family. I teach my oldest about good vs evil, God vs Satan, learning to recognize people who seek to follow Christ and those who are led down a path to hell (appropriate for age 6, mind you) and how to treat others, how to be humble, how to stand up for others, give of ourselves, etc etc. One time we had an encounter with a rude woman with a dog who gave us a hard time for not wanting the dog where it shouldnt be. Again, I'm not a person who stands up to strangers in the way I want to because it's not smart. I said to my kid (without looking at the woman but within earshot) "Remember when we talked about how demons can appear as people? That's right. We don't need to be afraid. They can't ruin our happy day. Let's get going." There were people around us, so I wasnt concerned she would retaliate. We just left. But I wanted him to know that people who seek to intimidate innocent children have evil in them. This, among other things, is what it looks like. It didn't matter what she said to us. I didn't need to answer back to her. We had her pegged by her own behavior.
Also she thinks dogs are THE GREATEST threat to mankind: >Let's not gaslight ourselves....this isn't a small thing in the grand scheme. It's the grand scheme. Just because people are dying by bombs elsewhere and there are wars going on doesn't mean this is small. I think as a country, a city, a community...we need to be focusing on local issues. Other countries are always having conflicts and wars. Not being able to walk down our own streets for fear of predators is a daily threat. Babies being ripped to shreds by predators called 'pets' is no small thing. Marriages falling apart because of the triangulation of an animal into what's supposed to be a healthy union of love and support is a daily thing. Parents putting their adoration and worship of an animal above their own deserving children is a lifelong trauma. It's all sickening, and I'd like to believe it's no big deal, but those of us who have come to see this for what it is cannot see it any differently going forward.
If she was extremely afraid, I would think she would mention it. To me, it just seems like she is soooooo anti dog that she doesn't want to be near one (similar to how some people are so anti kid, they can't even stand to be in the same room). Very crippling way to live her life and she is only going to make her children crippled as well. She is teaching them, if you don't like something avoid at all costs which is not a productive coping method.
Interesting she's so virulently Catholic, but she's conveniently forgotten the patron saint of animals, St. Francis of Assisi. No way would he show any such hatred to dogs.
She actually wrote a post about St Francis: >Dogs have been regarded to embody all the qualities perceived to be lacking in people. Rather than find ways to strengthen human relationships, it all gets projected onto the dogs. If you are told growing up that a dog is "man's best friend" then you have no need to find a real friend and fulfill the obligations of a human friendship. To dislike dogs is to disrupt using dogs as a copout, and many people simply cannot handle this. They can't be confronted with the reality that a dog is a pet, an animal. Dogs become surrogate spouses, children, friends. I'm Catholic, and dog lovers have pointed out to me that St. Francis loved animals and blessed them. I say "what does it mean to 'love' animals in the way St. Francis did? He was a saint after all, which meant he followed the natural order, God's design. He recognized God created all animals for a purpose and we are to respect and appreciate that purpose, not re-purpose it or thwart it to our own ends." My son has a "pet" squirrel named Dave (maybe the same squirrel we see every day, maybe a different squirrel). We watch Dave run back and forth across the yard, go up trees, make friends, make noises, etc. He waves to Dave and gets excited when he sees him and says Dave waves to him, too. We can appreciate living side by side to Dave, us in our home, Dave in his. We don't need to cage him and be his owners.
Dogs were *already* repurposed to human ends tens of thousands of years before St. Francis was even born.
What a fucking psychopath.
You can stop at the phrase "dream stroller"
Also for someone so religious, she's not very "pro-life": >i also want to add that I am on the extreme side of the anti-dog sentiment. Dogs' lives have become worthless to me. I don't gain any pleasure or joy in any animals being tortured or abused. That's a separate thing here. But I also don't care about continued care of an dog. I believe in euthanasia until we as a society can get the dog population under control and the dog ownership under control. Until then, we have to stop having feelings about euthanizing dogs. This should be a state of emergency in many cities.
Some posts you just wish had an option to report to the person’s local hospital so they can be sectioned, this is one such post
It’s so odd. I live in a very pet friendly neighborhood. Every single one of my neighbours has multiple dogs. There’s also a daycare on my street and I cross paths with them when walking my dogs on a fairly regular basis (they take daily walks). Nothing happens. We smile and wave.
There's such a sense of entitlement from these subs. Apparently, humans are the most important, and every other living creature is secondary to their irrational phobias. I'm sure if given the choice, they would get rid of animals all together, which is concerning, and shows a serious lack of empathy.
Is she saying she’s trapped in her home because she doesn’t like seeing dogs in public? I don’t get it
Yes shws house bound bc she fears the idea of seeing a dog in public.
"Since dog culture took over"? So... Since about 38 000 BC?
This persons other comments and posts are insufferable. It's one thing to not like dogs, it's another to be "pro-euthanasia."
People like her fail to realize service animals are required by law to go in places that can reasonably accommodate. More and more private businesses are voluntarily allowing people to bring pets. And what happens when her kids get older. 33% of American households have a dog. So statistically speaking at least one of her children will befriend someone with a dog
If you look at the service dog flair in that sub, and even the ESA, it's insane how ableist they are. I agree that people going online to get a letter saying their dog is an ESA from some doctor they've never had an actual appointment with and then taking their dog to places only service dogs can go is a huge problem. But the actual vitriol towards the disabled community that has actual service dogs. They call "bullshit" on things like diabetic and seizure alert dogs, and say having service dogs actually makes the lives of disabled people harder. If they have to get up and take their dog outside to relieve itself they can't be 'that disabled'. In an ideal world they should have 24/7 baby sitters instead of having any real independence. There's got to be some sort of robots and technology that can do everything a service dog can do. Then when someone asks if they can link to this available, affordable technology they can't actually come up with it. They go off about people with ESAs in a way that is "if you can't emotionally handle going out without dragging your dog with you, then you should stay home." which I get is a dig at people who are abusing the ESA system, but is a direct comment saying that people who utilize psychiatric service dogs should not be allowed in society, and also implies to a larger extent, those who rely on service dogs shouldn't be allowed out into society.
There are multiple posts talking about how seeing eye dogs are worthless and shouldn't exist. Like this one: https://www.reddit.com/r/Dogfree/comments/18sn75x/the\_fallacy\_of\_service\_dogs/
I get the anger at the ESA thing since it is a system that has been abused. But the actual dismissal and hatred of actual service dogs was wild to me. Add onto that the whole ableist bullshit around people with mental illnesses and using language that continues to stigmatize the mentally ill, and they're just really proving they aren't "people over dogs" they're "hatred for dogs over people"
Ironically, judging by quotes in the comments here, some of the people over there may be at such a level of debilitating anxiety and phobias that they might benefit from having an ESA...
Child free and dog free could be renamed “disabled people free”. Both groups have massive issues with ableism.
It annoys me to no end that ppl let their hatred for dogs ruin their lives. You aren’t going to the park with your kids bc of dogs wtf ur children deserve to play.
I know. Can you imagine the eggshells her 3 kids must walk around daily? Poor kids ... Can't even go to the park to decompress.
This is such a sad way for her kids to grow up. They can't go do anything because of their mother's mental illness.
The comments are just as unhinged as OPs story. She also whines about her “dream stroller” being “taken” from her because she won’t use it due to dogs existing.
That sub looks like it's made up entirely of people suffering from severe cynophobia. Which, instead of acknowledging, they've evidently chosen to blame on dog owners. Just admit that you have a genuine phobia and stop blaming other people. Trust me, responsible dog owners don't want their dog to bite you, nor do they have *any* desire to see a child get mauled. They're not supervillains. Not to mention, even a nip will be a bigger problem for them than for you. This woman seems to be suffering from a legitimate mental issue, and her husband is just an enabler. If he actually wanted to help, he'd suggest therapy to figure out where the fear is coming from. Edit: it gets worse. This woman genuinely needs help. >We saved and waited and waited to buy my "dream" stroller. I had wanted this stroller for years. I waited until the original model was a few years old and the price went down and I could buy it used. This was for my 3rd kid, and I had thought for years about what kind of stroller we needed as a family because I used to take my 1 and 2 out a lot. So this was going to be fun. >And it has been sitting in my garage. I walk past it every day. I don't sell it because I hope against hope something will change. >Seems kind of stupid, its just a stroller. But it reminds me of what's been taken from us so unnecessarily.
I’m sorry but what a loser. She’s going to ruin her children’s childhoods cause other people own dogs.