little dogs vs. small children

are they the same? are they to be treated the same?

I've been reading these threads and seeing some comparisons that truly have me , so I am thinking I may be behind on the times....

can someone fill me in?

Re: little dogs vs. small children

they are only the same if the little doggie's outfit is more styling and big pimpin than the kid.



in answer to your question--no they are not. doesn't matter to me if you call them your furbabies or furkids---a pet can be a member of your family but in the end its still NOT a human being. i absolutely love animals and love my kitty and my dog. but neither one should be out with me in stores shopping like they are really my kids.

Re: little dogs vs. small children

My nephew carries dead birds in his mouth and eats his own poop so I think they are very similiar. He cries when I try to carry him in his special purse/cage though.

Re: little dogs vs. small children

OK I'll jump in.

I have little dogs and I have an infant son.

My son is way more prone to be loud, destructive, poop a diaper, or touch something gross and muck it up than any of my dogs (in a public place). I think this is where the comparison comes from. I don't think it even remotely tries to say that babies are equal to dogs.

Love my son more than words can say but that is fact in my world.

Do I think that dogs & children should have the same rights & privileges? Probably not in all situations, but it does not mean that those of us who treat our dogs like children should be ostracised.

My Son has 4 fur-siblings.

Message edited 3/25/2008 10:38:15 AM.

Re: little dogs vs. small children

I REALLY offended someone at the gym when I expressed my opinion after she said she was told that her love for her dog is the equivalent to a mother's love for her child, so for now, I'm going to keep my comments to myself

Re: little dogs vs. small children

I have learned in life that no matter how I feel on the subject

I can never tell a pet owner that a pet isn't equivalent to a child

Re: little dogs vs. small children

Wow! People really do this?

I had a cat. I remember when she was neutered telling the nurse that it was like my baby.

And then I had a baby. While I loved my cat with all my heart, when I had my child, my heart grew a million times bigger. My love for her outshines any love i had for anyone before.

And since we live in a people world where we chose to domesticate animals and call them pets, no, I don't think small dogs and small children should be compared. This is a people world and whether you like it or not, people have more rights, even the little ones.

Re: little dogs vs. small children

Posted by Bxgell2

I REALLY offended someone at the gym when I expressed my opinion after she said she was told that her love for her dog is the equivalent to a mother's love for her child, so for now, I'm going to keep my comments to myself

Re: little dogs vs. small children

I don't think the comparison comes from a place that belittles the love for a child, nor do I think it comes from a place that tries to exaggerate what someone would do for a pet. I think they can be different but on a similar level.

And before I get chewed out my son comes first, with my dogs at a very close second.

Wonder where that leaves DH?

Re: little dogs vs. small children

You're stranded on a deserted island. It's you, small child, small dog, nothing else...who do you eat first?

End of discussion...

Re: little dogs vs. small children

little dog vs small chlild

the dog would TOTALLY kick the child's BUTT...
my money's on the little dog...

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Re: little dogs vs. small children

Posted by MsMBV

OK I'll jump in.

I have little dogs and I have an infant son.

My son is way more prone to be loud, destructive, poop a diaper, or touch something gross and muck it up than any of my dogs (in a public place). I think this is where the comparison comes from. I don't think it even remotely tries to say that babies are equal to dogs.

Love my son more than words can say but that is fact in my world.

Do I think that dogs & children should have the same rights & privileges? Probably not in all situations, but it does not mean that those of us who treat our dogs like children should be ostracised.

My Son has 4 fur-siblings.

Message edited 3/25/2008 10:49:45 AM.

Re: little dogs vs. small children

Re: little dogs vs. small children

Posted by Ophelia

Posted by MsMBV

OK I'll jump in.

I have little dogs and I have an infant son.

My son is way more prone to be loud, destructive, poop a diaper, or touch something gross and muck it up than any of my dogs (in a public place). I think this is where the comparison comes from. I don't think it even remotely tries to say that babies are equal to dogs.

Love my son more than words can say but that is fact in my world.

Do I think that dogs & children should have the same rights & privileges? Probably not in all situations, but it does not mean that those of us who treat our dogs like children should be ostracised.

My Son has 4 fur-siblings.

does your son bite?

does your son emite allergens?

does your son defecate and urinate on the floor or have the potential to do so?

I am in no way saying you cannot love a pet. but IMO...there is NO comparison to a human child and an animal in terms of their place in society.

it's far easier to discipline your child (who reasons -presumably- far better than an animal) in a social situation than it is to discipline a dog.

Loving something has nothing to do with knowing it's place in the world.

Message edited 3/25/2008 10:54:32 AM.

Re: little dogs vs. small children

nm i wasnt even close to what the topic was about

Message edited 3/25/2008 10:56:10 AM.

Re: little dogs vs. small children

Dogs never grow up and say "I HATE YOU!!! You're so mean!"

DC would never say that to *me*, though, since I'm the perfect dad....

I think my dog is trying to enunciate that, though. He keeps dropping lower and lower in the "pack" hierarchy every time we have another DC...

Re: little dogs vs. small children

What about BIG dogs?

Small children, of course, have a higher place in our society. This is how it should be - as we are a civilized society.

That said, I had a dog and it destroyed me to lose him. I don't have any children - yet.

But you must understand that it is human nature to understand everything as it relates to the individual. Through his or her own experience. To that end, I find it funny how the most self-proclaimed open-minded of you are usually quite the opposite and refuse to see the side of the other.

Just an observation.

Re: little dogs vs. small children

Posted by McSullivan

What about BIG dogs?

Small children, of course, have a higher place in our society. This is how it should be - as we are a civilized society.

That said, I had a dog and it destroyed me to lose him. I don't have any children - yet.

But you must understand that it is human nature to understand everything as it relates to the individual. Through his or her own experience. To that end, I find it funny how the most self-proclaimed open-minded of you are usually quite the opposite and refuse to see the side of the other.

Just an observation.

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I am always amused when people tell us we will make great parents because of how we treat our dog. I guess that is true if we can leave our children home alone for hours at a time, if they tell us when they have to use the bathroom and if they just eat whatever is left for them whenever they feel hungry. . .wow I didn't know that being a parent was so easy

Re: little dogs vs. small children

My son does bite..he is teething. He may not emit allergens, but neither does Pyxie . He does not deficate on the floor as he is still in diapers, but I'll tell you, if he poops a diaper he will clear a 15 - 20 foot radius. And believe me, I try really hard to plan grocery and shopping trips around his eating and pooping schedule b/c it is incredibly inconvenient to abandon your cart & go into a gross & usually hazardous public bathroom with a defective changing station (if one at all) to change him.

My son is 10 months old & impossible to discipline at this point.

Not playing devil's advocate here, just trying to demostrate where the comparison comes from. Not that I am more right and dogs should be allowed, but I think that these are the points to which people are alluding when making the comparison.

And I am not bringing my dog into a store where it is not allowed...but I'll tell you soemtimes I see children that should not be in places where their parents bring them....but that is a whole other discussion.....


he bites his teething stick...but I don't think Pathmark shoppers are afraid he'll jump out of his carrier and attack them....

I still think the comparisons are absolutely ludicrous. the idea that dogs and humans should be treated the same is MIND BLOWING.

would you let your son drink from the dogs bowl or sleep in the dogs house? do you put a napkin around Pyxie and sit her at the kitchen table with you at dinner?

I don't even know what else to say....(not specifically towards you...but the topic in general) I can't believe half the stuff I am reading to be totally honest.

Re: little dogs vs. small children

IMO - There's no comparrison.

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Re: little dogs vs. small children