It just doesn’t make sense.
I used to be a very pro-dog person but the older I get and the more dogs I spend time around, the less it makes sense to me that we keep them as pets. They’re a sensory nightmare for me personally, but on top of that they don’t seem to add much to the world.
I’ve been house-sitting for a friend this last week and their dog is a very untrained 3yo lab mix who is a complete nightmare. Follows me around the house all day, is always just STARING at me, constantly tries to lick me or get up in my face like it’s never been fed or had any affection before.
I hate dealing with untrained dogs, especially larger ones. I used to be a professional dog walker and I realized all we’re doing with dogs is giving them exercise while they piss & shit all over the place, and the reason they need the exercise is because they are trapped in our houses all day. Bringing a living being into your home just to treat it like furniture with more complex needs and leave it home alone all day is insane to me.
And outside of service pets, what are people really getting out of their relationship with their pets? It’s never felt like companionship to me, just another being you’re responsible for keeping alive who can’t even have a conversation with you and won’t live more than a decade and a half at most.
Idk, I’ve never identified as dog-free and I’m okay with trained dogs, but this latest dog experience may have pushed me over the edge.