When did you become a 'dog person'?

[Adina P]

Shoney's recent blog post about how smitten she is with her new pup Ruby and calling herself a 'dog lady' made me wonder... When did you first become or consider yourself a 'dog person'?   Was there a defining moment? 

I for one was NOT a dog person until I met my husband.  He had a border collie that was perfect in every way.  One day he left her with me for a day or weekend or something while he was out of town.  The whole idea of a dog INSIDE my house was still a little nerve wracking, but by then I had chilled out a wee bit.  One day while dog sitting Cass, I came home from work and realized it was so nice to have a living creature home to greet me.  I took her for a drive to a pet store just for fun.  I think that was the start.  Then I got Rosco...

Later our first Christmas card as a family...

Share your 'becoming a dog person' story!

[Becka]

I have never not been a dog person--really I'm an every-kind-of-animal person--but I have to say that Adina, your transformation is remarkable and we are all very lucky that it was! Love that picture of puppy Rosco!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I was born a dog person, it's in my genes, inherited from my mother. 

But Adina, I will not consider you a dog person until I see a photo of you in bed with a dog. (A four-legged dog.) Or a picture of a dog licking your face. :) 

I think that being a "dog person" is different from just liking dogs. I don't think true dog people really think of dogs as something apart from themselves, i.e. animals, lol. For example, I'm always baffled by people who think that dogs smell, lol. I'm baffled by people who cringe at the thought or sight of a dog licking a baby's face. I'm baffled by people who wash their hands after touching the dog; do they wash their hands after they touch their kids? To me, same thing. I can't even imagine thinking that there is something the tiniest bit strange about a dog being inside the house. I think there's something very strange about having a dog anywhere else. Because to me, they're part of the family, and family members live with you. I think true dog people can't live without a dog. I know I can't. 

[Adina P]

Haha...well by your definition, I guess I don't qualify :-(
If my kids played like my dogs did and only bathed once every few weeks...I'd probably wash my hands after touching them ;-)  I don't wash my hands JUST because I pet  my dogs, only before I eat.
You said dog people think of dogs as not-really-animals...but don't you think that treating them not-like-dogs does dogs a disservice?  Treating them like babies or little kids or people..?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Not really, because in many ways, they are like little kids; little kids who never grow up. So it depends on how you think little kids should be treated. They need love, they need affection, they need consistency, they need physical care, they need commitment, they need fairness, they need consequences for undesirable behavior, they need exercise, they need structure, they need guidance on how to live in the world...I think the only real difference is that little human kids also need to be allowed to make some decisions and learn to be independent. Dogs will be forever dependent on us, so they don't need that. 

[Adina P]

Yes to all those things.  But it's still a different relationship in my eyes.  They are not children and they don't look to me as 'mother.'   They don't need a mother figure or look to me as a role model in the same way.  Any dog ever try to mimic you cooking or taking care of babies or other things grown ups do?  TONS of similarities in concept, but still very different.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yes, it's different, but what does that have to do with treating dogs as you do little kids? 

I disagree that dogs don't look at us as "mother". I think they look at us exactly the way they looked at their own mothers, as providers and protectors. 

For that matter, every person's parenting experience is very different. I honestly never thought of myself as a "role model", and my DD never tried to copy the things I did, which was fine with me. I never ever wanted her to be like me, lol. 

[Adina P]

Well role model in the loose way I guess.  I see my daughter do things like I do them (good or bad) and modeling good behaviors does work just like modeling bad behavior helps them learn bad behavior.  Those darn mirror neurons.  Your daughter never pretended to do grown up things she saw? My kids love to pretend to cook.  I wish they would pretend to clean up ;-)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Not the grown up things that I did, lol. Maybe other people. My DD is so different from me, if I hadn't seen her born, I'd have been sure they gave me the wrong baby. Always was, always has been. We share no traits at all except we both love reading, (and I will take credit for that) but even our literary tastes are completely different. When she was in preschool, I was asked if she was adopted more than once.

I didn't "model" anything. I was just me. I mothered the way I wished I had been mothered, lol. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Some other examples/similarities between "parenting" dogs and "parenting" little kids. Maybe this is closer to the kind of thing you meant.

You would really like to sit down and relax after a hard day at work with the TV or that new book, but your child wants you to play with him/read to him/ pay attention to him, so you do. Your dog wants you to pet him/play with him/pay attention to him, so the dog person does. In both cases, you put your own desire aside for the sake of a loved family member.

You are justifiably stressed or worried and really feel like screaming or crying, but you smile and speak calmly so that your child won't be frightened or stressed too. And the dog person also does that for their dogs.

Is that the kind of thing you mean? 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

OMD, I can't believe you said "Karen doesn't think I'm a true dog person" in the Sunday announcement!

Adina, I'm teasing you. I think you're as true a dog person as a slightly OCD Virgo can be. 

[Adina P]

LOL!!!
I was teasing you back...and teasing the discussion.  No worries. 

[Adina P]

"as true a dog person as a slightly OCD Virgo can be"  That is funny!  I'll take it as a compliment.