Ok, how to begin..? Hopefully I won't be immediately crucified for saying this, but simply put, I do not like dogs. I'm not a dog person and never have been. (Note: I am an avid animal lover) snakes, geckos, cats, gerbils, hamsters, rats pretty much anything but dogs I have either kept before or would be interested in keeping in the future.
My girlfriend had been wanting a dog for some time (we have been living together going on 5 years now.) She had always had dogs in her life growing up and I didn't want to keep her from owning another one to call her own.
Here's the situation. My girlfriend is well aware of my opinions of dogs, however this has never stopped her from trying to convince me to get/let her get one. I'm not sure if the planets aligned just right or if I had a brief lapse of judgement or what but, some crazy how, she convinced me and I gave my ok on purchasing a puppy. Going to pick up the puppy I started having incredible anxiety about the reality of what I had agreed to. I would have this puppy, in my home, for...15 years, give or take...and I don't like dogs. I repeat...15 years...and I don't like dogs. I've never been one for quitting on my pets so you can bet this puppy found its forever home but I wouldn't have been nervous at all buying say...a 10ft long Burmese Python or like 8ft common Boa constrictor, I would probably be super excited! But this tiny little Beagle puppy gave me debilitating anxiety. It literally took everything in me to actually follow through with the purchase of the puppy, seriously one of the most emotionally difficult things I have ever done in my entire life. And I have no real reason why other than...I don't like dogs...
So now, as I am typing this, I have a precious Beagle puppy named Oscar sleeping next to me, and I love him. But I don't like him one bit. That...is a confusing set of emotions...trust me I am aware...but not one I am altogether unfamiliar with. For instance, whenever I owned Guinea Pigs, I loved them while I had them, but I doubt I will ever own Guinea Pigs again because I don't really like them.
THIS IS MY FIRST DOG EVER!!! I'm 26, and honestly never thought I would own one at all. From the second we first picked up the puppy, he was exactly everything I was expecting from a dog. Exactly everything I did NOT want in a pet.
Don't get me wrong, I really want to like this puppy, I just don't, but that's what brought me here. Is the only answer to hopefully liking this dog (or any dog really) simply...spending time with them with an open mind? Because that I have done before with other dogs, and after many puppy dog kisses, plenty of walks, countless hours of cuddles on the couch, and games of fetch on the disc golf course with my friends and previous roommates dogs, I still just don't like them.
I'm worried that I might never like this dog...my own dog. Does anyone have any tips for not dog people as to how to be good dog owners? This is less about dog care so much as owner care. The dog will get exactly what he needs, when he needs it, and then some probably. I don't half-ass my pet care. But is it fair to the dog that half of its humans don't like it? Snakes don't care about your opinion, but dogs can 'sense' your emotions so...I'm pretty sure he knows I'm not his biggest fan.
Any not dog people out there who have "seen the light" so to speak about dogs? Any dog people with advice for people that don't like dogs but want to try to like them? I'm sure in the coming years I'll come to both love and like my new buddy Oscar, but I'm not convinced that it will make me a 'dog person'.
