'Jealous' Woman Praised for Offending Friend With Her Opinions About Dogs

They may be America's favorite pet, but not everyone is a dog person. One woman was so offended by her friend's anti-dog rhetoric, she took to Mumsnet to complain—and ended up going viral.

In her post shared to the site's AIBU (Am I Being Unreasonable?) forum on 6 August, user creamysauce explained she was getting a French Bulldog puppy soon. She had been sharing her excitement with her friend, when her pal said something that surprised her.

She said: "I asked her 'Would you ever get a dog or want to own a pet?'

"She immediately began to burst out laughing and said 'No! I want to enjoy my life.'"

Her friend explained that she doesn't want the responsibility of a pet, as they require a lot of care and planning, and she likes to be spontaneous.

"She said 'I want to enjoy my life, owning a pet- particularly a dog, I wouldn't get the spontaneity back,'" the poster wrote.

"I would be worried about leaving it in the house for too long, paying for this and that, having to take it for walks when I don't feel like it," the poster reported.

Creamysauce now suspects her friend is jealous and trying to talk her out of getting a dog.

"I was a bit offended by her comment but she can be very out there/too honest for my liking," she said. "What do you all think?"

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) estimates that there are 76 million pet dogs in the United States. Unfortunately, an estimated 3.1 million dogs are also relinquished to shelters annually. Common reasons include the cost of pet maintenance, a lack of time, inadequate facilities, or the owner having personal problems.

Although some shelters reported a surge in "pandemic puppies" being surrendered—one Californian shelter said they had double the usual number of arrivals in July 2021—the majority of pets adopted during the pandemic are still in their homes.

However, those shelters that did see an increase in pandemic pets cited owners who were unable, or didn't want to, care for their dog after returning to "normal" life.

Mumsnet users felt creamysauce was taking her friend's comment too "personally," with the post receiving over 650 comments.

"Dogs are HUGE commitments - did you just not want to hear that?" asked Astitch.

"You're being ridiculous," said PurpleMarie. "As someone who owns a dog, everything she said is true. She also didn't volunteer this - you asked her point-blank and she answered with valid reasons."

Countvoncount agreed, writing: "Everything she said is true! Huge responsibility, and if you enjoy being spontaneous, it's limited with a dog."

While ZeroFuchsGiven commented: "She is neither trying to dissuade you or is jealous. She is being honest, if you have not thought about all those things you are not ready to own a pet."