Weasels Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 (edited) No big deal to me, it's just a term of endearment, I'm more interested in how they're treated then what they're called. :) Agree :) I don't use it but I it doesn't bother me. I do sometimes call mine kids, in my mind that's referring to them being very young rather than being some sort of faux-humans. I also call them the wiggles, the kelps, trouble-monkeys, roggles and innumerable individual nicknames. Doesn't reflect anything about how I treat them, it's just me having fun with descriptive language. E - I also call my OH "squid-socks". I have no idea what that means. Edited February 20, 2014 by Weasels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benshiva Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 It makes my skin crawl. You're not alone. They are my dogs. I love them with every fibre of my being, but they are my dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lululove Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I don't mind the term. I have no place to judge even if I did, I am more than guilty of giving my dogs baby names. Hank gets called: Hankie, Hankie-Pankie, hankiedoodle, hankerchief, Mr. Handsome, hanky schpanks, stanky hanky (reserved for when I catch him rolling in poo), hankmeister, are-you-the-good-boy?-ARE-YOU-THE-GOOD-HANKIE? *usually accompanied by tail thumping*, president Hankie for when he's acting like a goodie 2 shoes.... Odie's list is probably triple that. So yeah. I ain't gonna judge! I'm a sensible owner, my dogs are well behaved, as long as you treat the dog right you can refer to them as whatever you want IMO :D Please tell me you sing to him "Hankiedoodle went to town, riding on a pony..." Hahahahsha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 (edited) I love my dogs endlessly and I'll call them names or talk to them as a way of being affectionate, but I still believe that they deserve to be treated like a dog and not in a "it's just a dog way" but because I believe dogs are amazing creatures in their own right. I don't think it's right or fair or does justice to them to assume they are like miniature humans and treat them as such. Aside from that dogs generally love affection and calling them cute names and being affectionate to them - as long as it's done at the right time - can be a great thing (I still don't like the terms furbabies or kids, but even when working my dog i will sweet talk to her and say things like "that's my good baby" "what a puppy star" "you're the best puppy" etc lol) Edited February 20, 2014 by huski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rozzie Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 It makes my skin crawl. You're not alone. They are my dogs. I love them with every fibre of my being, but they are my dogs. +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I ask the dogs wheres your dad? but I also ask the kids that so the dogs respond. I don't call them my kids and they are more than the dogs, they are the Whippets. Or as my husband says, they are not just dogs they are whippets :) I don't really care what they get called as long as they are trained and treated appropriately. Lots of people tell me their dog is their baby. Sometimes that mean they are over indulged, badly trained little shits, sometimes it means they are dogs who are loved dearly. I don't really care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Fur babies, skin kids - they're both terms I find off putting. But then, I find the thought of people having dogs sleep with them in bed off putting and I think that this can be a form of anthropomorphism in many situations too. It's all only opinions though. Each to their own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Personally I hate the term but probably because it appears to go hand in hand with the average numpty that knows stuff all about canine behaviour, nutrition and exercise requirements. I couldn't care less what people refer to their dogs as, so long as they understand what a dog needs to be happy, healthy and well adjusted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinchy Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 The only people I know in real life who call their dogs fur-babies actually think that their dogs are their children and treat them the same. Naughty spoiled and untrained:( Spoken to like humans and laughed and cuddled and ignored when they bark and jump and carry on for hours on end. Erk. Fur-babies just reminds me of these dogs. It's not a term I use. My children are my children and dogs are dogs. Love them all though❤️. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I ask the dogs wheres your dad? but I also ask the kids that so the dogs respond. I don't call them my kids and they are more than the dogs, they are the Whippets. Or as my husband says, they are not just dogs they are whippets :) I don't really care what they get called as long as they are trained and treated appropriately. Lots of people tell me their dog is their baby. Sometimes that mean they are over indulged, badly trained little shits, sometimes it means they are dogs who are loved dearly. I don't really care. Don't tell Sess that, she's a PrinSess :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I don't mind the term, so long as the person using it doesn't actually treat their dog like a child. It's probably only used as a term of affection most of the time. As above. I think the term Other Half for a partner is far worse. Makes it sound like one is not a complete person without the other. Rather diminishing as opposed to term of affection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agility Dogs Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Mildly annoying. It's even more annoying to be told that because we don't have kids we have dogs. I have dogs because I want dogs and I have kids because the world doesn't need any more grumpy turds like me. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julesluvscavs Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Ive referred to mine as furbabies on some occasions.. and i'm not offended if friends say it to me when asking about them MEH.. Yes i do over spoil them at times and get a bit antha whatever that word is from time to time. My dogs, my choice If a marketing business said it, it wouldn't bother me personally. Each to their own of course Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brintey Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I dont use it but Im not offended by it - I find human-like clothes on dogs far creepier. Of course dogs arent children. However to me they are family and I'll happily refer to them as my family or my family members. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julesluvscavs Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I dont use it but Im not offended by it - I find human-like clothes on dogs far creepier. Of course dogs arent children. However to me they are family and I'll happily refer to them as my family or my family members. oh you would think im creepy then , i occasionally put something nice on my cavs for special occasions . not all the time :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brintey Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I think its just me Jules... for some reason I keep thinking of that horror movie character Chucky when I see the human clothes on the dogs! That said some of those dog Halloween costumes you see on Facebook are really creative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julesluvscavs Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 (edited) Britney, i do understand some people arn't into it. I wouldn't say i go silly with it :) I never put clothes on my past bigger dogs they wouldn't looked good dressed up ;-) Edited February 20, 2014 by Jules❤3Cavs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hankodie Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I don't mind the term. I have no place to judge even if I did, I am more than guilty of giving my dogs baby names. Hank gets called: Hankie, Hankie-Pankie, hankiedoodle, hankerchief, Mr. Handsome, hanky schpanks, stanky hanky (reserved for when I catch him rolling in poo), hankmeister, are-you-the-good-boy?-ARE-YOU-THE-GOOD-HANKIE? *usually accompanied by tail thumping*, president Hankie for when he's acting like a goodie 2 shoes.... Odie's list is probably triple that. So yeah. I ain't gonna judge! I'm a sensible owner, my dogs are well behaved, as long as you treat the dog right you can refer to them as whatever you want IMO :D Please tell me you sing to him "Hankiedoodle went to town, riding on a pony..." Hahaha I actually do! Usually while I'm brushing him because he loves it. This is reminding me of that one hilarious thread where everyone admitted what songs they sing to their pets :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I don't really care. I don't think it necessarily correlates with people treating them like actual children, although I wouldn't necessarily know as I don't think I've ever seen/heard the term other than on here anyway. I would be surprised if I saw it in marketing. I don't necessarily put that much stock in names anyway. I called my first dog Mr Darcy; yet this did not actually cause me to mistake him for a Jane Austen character. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halfthewords Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I used to work for a woman who ran a rescue, and she referred to the dogs as "kids." It bothers me so much! I don't refer to mine as much other than "puppies" and various other pet names, but"fur kids" is definitely not on that list. I am guilty of putting clothes on them though... as in their Weatherbeeta coats :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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