I don’t like animals. I know everyone thinks I’m a terrible person for that but I had bad experiences with them when I was young and I don’t want to be around them. Every time I visit someones house they have animals that want to be all over me and lick me and rub their wet noses into me and I hate it.
Not everyone likes animals and you should put yours away when you have visitors because I don’t want to have to ask and look like a huge dick because you won’t restrain your beasts.
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Common courtesy to do so if the visitor doesn’t like animals, sure.
Then again worth remembering you are stepping into their home. The animals live there.
So, you have a problem, and decide to make it everyone else’s issue instead of speaking up.
How hard is it to say “I had a scare with animals when I was younger, so I am not comfortable with them jumping all over me. Can you put them in a separate room for a bit?”
It’s their house.
Don’t go over to their homes then 🤷♀️it’s their place, not yours
We can hang out at your house. You don’t like my animals, you aren’t welcome to begin with.
It should be common courtesy to decline an invitation to visit someone if you know they have pets and you can’t handle that.
Remember, there’s a VERY good chance that they like their pets a lot more than they like you.
Upvoted because this is absolutely an unpopular opinion.
Everyone should constantly accommodate me even when I’ve said nothing.
Fuck off with that shit
You should ask. I’m very clear with people that I have pets and if they ask I will have them somewhere else for the duration of the visit. However, this is where my pets live and if you don’t ask I’m going to assume it’s something you’ve considered and are fine with.
You’re the one with the problem, ergo you should be the one doing the legwork to find a solution. No one can read your mind.
You can try being polite as people view their dogs as family. Explain your fear prior to accepting the invite. They can’t or won’t put their dog away, well that’s on you to show up or not.
In the rare instance somebody doesn‘t like my adorable cats, they stay out of the room we‘re in. It’s not a big deal.
My logic is anything someone else wants to do in their house is up to them. I don’t expect them to disrupt their home for me. If I don’t like how they do things that is up to me to meet them somewhere else. If a worker is in the home however it should be common courtesy to remove the animal for both liability purposes and also so they can do their job
I have a dog, I never had dogs growing up, and only have one because my husband got him before we got married, although of course we now absolutely consider him our dog, (tbh I would still say I’m not a “dog” person in general just a “my dog” person) and I always ask if people are ok with him when they come round. He’s quite little and super friendly, so he’s not exactly intimidating, but he loves to come and sit on people’s laps, so if people are happy with dogs he’s delighted. However, I know that not everyone is comfortable around dogs so I’ll always offer to put him in another room, and if people say they’re happy with dogs but seem a bit unsure around him, I’ll make sure he stays on my lap.
I agree with the idea that it’s polite to ask guests if they’re ok with dogs (or other animals).
Happy to be downvoted for this, but I don’t think it’s unreasonable as a host to check in that your guests are comfortable around animals and/or not allergic to them, rather than making them speak up when they might worry it’s rude to do so and so might sit there in discomfort.
An actual unpopular opinion. Most people will put their pets away if you ask politely. If they won’t, don’t go in. That’s all you can do.
If I have someone over who is there for work (utilities, repair, etc), I will always offer to put up my dog. If you are over to visit, this is my dog’s home as much as it is mine. He’s well behaved, but if you don’t want to be around him, you don’t need to come over. We can meet out somewhere else or not at all. You look like a “huge dick” by making demands in someone else’s home as a guest.
Agree to a point. My bff has dogs that are huge and jump, they don’t listen, and i have to stand there while they repeat 100x, “ok get down now, get down, no jumping, get down, go lay down” annoying af. Especially when an owner makes zero attempt to physically curb the dog but rather just stands there and talks at them. I love animals and have cats. I put them upstairs for gatherings but my cats stay hidden with guests normally. I feel that it is the pets home but good manners are important. Another friend with a huge dog had my arm bleeding after repeated jumping and one once ruined an awesome sweater.
Early in my career I would have to do residential HVAC.
I don’t care if that pitbull is a “good dog” I’m going back to the truck and grabbing the 24″ pipe wrench.
I have met too many good dogs.
Didn’t think this would be such an unpopular opinion before reading the comments! I adore my dog, but I always ask a guest if they’re alright with dogs. Many people have had bad experiences with dogs, and it’s not gonna’ hurt him to be put in the bedroom for an hour or two.
Use your words, homie.
NO ONE is obligated to put THEIR pets away in THEIR home for your comfort. It is the pet(s) and owners home. Not yours.
Finally. An unpopular opinion.
If I have someone who is coming to do some work I will put my dog in a different room in my house so they can work without being bothered. But if you are just coming over to visit he’ll be out to visit with you. He’s trained to assist me with some health issues so people understand when visiting.
I don’t like children. Are you going to put your children away when I come over?
Ah yes, the Classic dichotomy of the person who doesn’t like animals, to whom animals flock to and smother with unrequited and always unconditional love. My favorite as an animal care business owner.
I actually agree with you if the dog isn’t trained… or especially if it’s large. I’ve had numerous experiences where I was wearing shorts and a dog jumped all over me and scratched up my exposed legs or borderline knocked me over. I remember one time I was wearing white sweatpants and my friends dog jumped up on me and streaked dirt down my pants.
I’m honestly kind of surprised reading the comments, I grew up with dogs and we always put them out back or in another room when guests came over, especially for my Grammy because she could get knocked down so easy.
Now I live on my own and have two cats, it’s less trouble because they usually hide when people come over, but I know some of my friends are scared of cats or have allergies and I never mind putting them in another room for the duration of the visit.
I think a lot of people have covid dogs with attachment anxiety and they arent as easy to stick in another room, but I travel too much now to own a dog so I don’t know what it looks like or feels like to have a dog on my own as an adult. I know as a kid I felt my dogs were family, but the way I was raised I always thought it was normal to put animals away, especially if they’re not well trained
If it’s an old dog who’s gonna bark a little and chill at my feet or on the couch? I don’t mind! But I do have PTSD from violence and a dog jumping all over me feels super stressful, even aside from the dirtiness component.
I love animals and my dog is a beautiful perfect princess attached to my hip. But still, I completely agree with you. A lot of people are afraid of my big dog, no one wants to feel awkward with a dog sniffing or getting in their face, no one wants to be put in the position of trying to nudge someone’s animal off of them. It’s perfectly simple to just put my dog away when people are over so it’s a stress free time for everyone.
I used to put my (indoor) cat in another room when cat-fearing people came.
Somehow she squirreled her way out the window, onto the porch roof, into a planter and followed a cat-loving guest in.
We hadn’t realized she’d gotten out until she perched herself on the chair of the cat-fearing person to stare at her.
Oops.
Depends on how the animals behave. I am completely fine with dogs rushing up to sniff me or even bark a bit because I’m a new person. However I have had instances where large dogs have straight up jumped onto me or even bite me. If your pets do that, just dont invite people over.
I don’t usually put my dogs up but when I expect company I have them confined to my living room and then ask if they are ok with dogs. If they are, then I let my dogs out to sniff them. If they don’t then I just leave them in the confined main room and we go to another part of the house. The dogs can chill in the room, which is big and their safe place. I don’t want to over simulate a guest with dogs jumping and barking. I love both dogs and my friends and will compromise
I agree but understand that it’s their home so I just stopped visiting. When the person eventually asks me why I stopped visiting I will tell them that their house was too overwhelming because of the dogs. They won’t stay off me, they won’t listen, and they growl at me when I try to get them off me.” Their house had bad fleas and heavy smell of dog piss from 4 obnoxious chihuahua mixes. I don’t miss visiting.
I love animals, but I know most people grossly overestimate their animal handling skills. I don’t think it should be common, but I think people should also be less defensive about their animals and be willing to accept somebody isn’t comfortable with them. Of course, they’d have to be aware of it first though. No one can guess what you’re thinking.
I actually agree to a point. It’s that persons house so they can do whatever they want but I wish pet owners didn’t get offended when I ask. I used to have a friend who’s a pet owner, they dog growls and intimidates me every time I’m there and I’d be lying if I didn’t feel scared going to their house. Most of the time, I asked them if they would keep their dog outside or we can go to my house instead but they agree to keeping the dog outside and insist we go to their house. Unfortunately, the dog always ends up back in the house which sucks.
I agree. I love animals but I do NOT like when people’s pets (dogs almost exclusively) come up to me and jump up on me and lick me. It’s gross. Animals should always be put away when new people come over, its not hard as a host to do this and ask “is it okay if I let x pet out to say hi?”
It is sad this is unpopular. I love pets but I also believe in being a good host and recognize that my guests’ comfort matters. I always ask if my guests have pet aversions and offer to have them hang out in different spot temporarily if needed
Especially if the animal is poorly trained/not trained.
This unpopularopinon is so fitting for this r/ .
Score one upvote for the animals who provided the material.
I’ve put my dogs outside on plenty of occasions when entertaining. Not always, depends on the situation. They don’t always need to be in the middle of everything. And they entertain themselves well enough on their own so they don’t even know they’re missing anything.
I love animals… i have always had pets and volunteer at a dog rescue org. BUT I think a lot of people forget that not everyone feels this way. They let their dogs get away with really terrible behavior in the name of “It’S mY hOUse”
Also people that completely disregard the discomfort of their guests need to work on their hosting skills.
Also leave your dog at home. Especially at festivals.
Up to the pet owner. I put my pets away. My little dog will be all up on people looking for attention and despite being 10lbs sheds like a husky. My cats don’t want you in their presence anyways they get put in another room for their stress mostly.
Some pet owners are a little more self aware than others.
This is largely cultural. One of the biggest culture shocks for me when I moved to the US, that I had no reason to think about previously, was the way dogs are centered or how much they come up in social life, social spaces, or as a huge factor in dating or character judgments of people.
In the US, I quickly realized that the baseline assumption is that everyone loves dogs. However, where I’m from, the working cultural assumption is that some people do, some don’t, and social space and social life automatically align with that assumption. For example, since it isn’t assumed everyone does, and since centering dogs isn’t a huge part of the culture, people automatically either ask guests how they feel about dogs or sequester them if they are indoor pets before visitors arrive. Taking dogs to restaurants, work, etc as another example, is unheard of. There aren’t any signs saying not to do it, simply because culturally no one would even think of it, so it’s not even a rule.
No one argues about this or frames it as choosing between their dog and their friends and family. No one gets upset about this, as it’s a social given to ask or accommodate the people you care about for a few hours regarding this. This is not an unpopular opinion in that context, quite the opposite. People would be more confused and horrified by the idea of someone saying, “well don’t come to my house if you don’t like dogs because it’s their house,” as this is simply outside of cultural norms and values.
In the US though, it’s a much touchier subject precisely because the relationship people have to dogs is very different and they do take up a lot more social space and significance. I’m not arguing about the rightness or wrongness of it, simply stating that it’s a noticeably different orientation, so much so that when I moved, it was one of the starkly different social norms I had to adjust to, when previously there was no reason to think about dogs and dog etiquette in social life very often.
My cat hates everyone and disappears when people come over.
I work in social services and frequently go to people’s homes. I LOVE animals, but some of them are too much. I had a Great Dane puppy jump on me that I had to hold down the ENTIRE visit. I was bitten by a little dog. I’ve been scratched or bitten by a few cats. Jumped on by a ton of dogs. And I can’t stand it when the entire meeting is someone yelling at their dogs. It’s stressful and hard to focus on what I’m there to do.
Yes!!!
This is especially true for poorly trained dogs.
I had a dog eating my ear during dinner.
Will not go back to that house unless that dog is kept in another room.
I don’t get the hostility towards OP. I had 3 dogs and I do agree with this unless there is no where to put them for a little bit where they’ll still be happy and comfortable.
It’s for the dogs protection as well as the guests. If it were a visit that lasts more than half a day or goes onto the next day then I’d prioritize my dogs comfort a little more, maybe ask the guest to stay out of certain areas at different times so the space is shared. If I welcomed someone into our space then I’d hope they’d be reasonable about it knowing I loved those dogs and it was their home, too.
As a dog owner, if new people are coming to my house, I always ask if they’re cool with dogs. I have 3, they are a lot and they certainly aren’t everyone’s cup of tea! I typically just put them away if a service person is here for something, but sometimes they hear them in the other room and say “It’s ok, you can let em out!”
OP, never hesitate to let a host know that you’re uncomfortable with dogs! Certain situations (like a party where literally everyone’s dogs are attending) May be inappropriate to ask.
But in general, as a host, I absolutely don’t want to inflict my dogs on any one
I won’t let anyone else touch or handle my animals. I keep my animals away from everyone else. And I don’t want to interact with yours. Any dogs I have are always taught not to touch me unless I signal for them thats it’s ok to approach . All that being said. Keep your damn dog off me if you want to keep it.
My house my rules if you ask I’ll put them away but if you come into my house and don’t say anything I’m going to leave them out
If you have a problem with critters, you should inform your host.
Agreed but you should let them know first; if you are aware that someone has pets and you ask to come over without telling them you are afraid of/allergic to/dislike animals they are usually going to
assume you are going to be okay with it. Plus some animals get stressed (and as a result, destructive) if put away for too long so this should be something you discuss beforehand so you can come to a compromise.
I feel like you’d then have about a dozen other issues I’d have to deal with once I placed the dogs in another room.
Pets aren’t ornaments to be moved and put out of the way. They are part of the family. Yes, as a guest, you have every right to request that they be moved, but to assume that pets should be removed from your presence automatically is indeed a very unpopular opinion. Besides, only an idiot would let a dog slobber all over them without reply. You have a mouth and hands for a reason. You tell the dog to stop, and if you have to, then move it.
Most pets aren’t any more beastly than us supposedly “civilised” humans.
then don’t go to their house? lmao
a true unpopular opinion
No it’s their house. You are just visiting. Don’t come over because my cat is laying on the couch or our bed
Nah.
But on the other side of things, I don’t think it’s reasonable to judge someone who refuses to enter a home with pets.
How about you don’t go places you will be uncomfortable. It’s their home and you’re the guest. Novel concept I know.
I like this opinion because I also think pets should be put away. 1. So they avoid people that don’t like them and 2. So nothing bad happens to them because people leave doors open, don’t watch where they’re going, and sometimes animals get overwhelmed.
If you ask politely then they MIGHT put their dogs away. but they don’t have to, their critters live there and you don’t. you are a guest.
I suppose the unpopular part of your opinion is to require all pets to be locked up anytime someone visits. That said, ultimately you’re an adult who is too scared to ask for what they need… and that is actually a very popular sentiment.
My cats are terrified of people. They put themselves away. :b
I can follow this. I have a reactive dog. He goes in his kennel immediately before any one enters the home and only comes out when every one is comfortable. The dog, us, our guests. If someone says no, then he stays in. Simple.
I also dislike going to people’s homes when their pets don’t have manners. Jumping? Face directly into my face? No thank you.
I’m with you!!! Solidarity.
I always ask my first time guests if it’s ok to let my dog greet with them. No awkward moments and simply convenient
I absolutely agree and don’t know why this is an unpopular opinion. When I was younger I was scared of dogs, I was always so appreciative when someone put them away when I came over (although I didn’t expect it, I know it’s the dogs home too.)
Now I’m older and absolutely love dogs, I have two of my own. I have no qualms in putting them away If I know people are coming over who don’t like dogs, because I know how it feels. It’s really not that deep. People on reddit act like you’re asking them to lock their human child away or something. It’s a dog, it will be fine.
It is common courtesy. Common courtesy isn’t common though.
I agree. 100%.
And I hate when pet owners say, “Oh, he’s just being friendly. He’s just trying to say hi! ” or “oh, he’s harmless!”
Yeah, I DON’T CARE. GET IT AWAY FROM ME.
I’m severely allergic to cats and dogs and I had a good friend that I just couldn’t stay long at their place. 15-30min and then my eyes would start swelling up 1hr and I couldn’t see. So they understood that I didn’t visit often and if I did we stayed outside.
Thumbs up for a actual unpopular opinion.
You ain’t a dick for not wanting to be around animals, but you are a dick for for expecting it to be a default societal norm simply because you have trauma linked to it.
90% of people won’t mind putting their animals up for a bit while some company is over if you simply ask and maybe even explain why.
I respect your opinion, but I disagree so much.
You know I have a dog and still choose to come over. To me, it’s implied consent that you’re okay with being around a dog. If that’s not the case, it’s on you to say something.
Hurrayy an actual unpopular opinion gj OP.
It’s also my dog’s house so I could put you in a different room called “outside” if you’d like hehehe
I have two dogs and a small house. There is nowhere I can put away my dogs, as one of them can open doors.
I understand why some people do not like dogs, so if they do not like dogs I will not invite them to my house, and we will meet up somewhere else instead. If they do have to go to my house, I’ll try to give the dogs a quick walk and let them say hi outside, so they’ll be less manic
Their lives are short and they deserve some dignity in their home. I love my pets.
No! My cats like to make friends with my people, so I don`t put them away.
My pets live here, not guests 🤷♀️ I feel like most owners wouldn’t mind, if you ask. Don’t assume.