Mother Slams Woman As 'Rude' For Fawning Over Her Puppy But Not Her Infant
In modern society, many people are beginning to prefer dogs over kids.
Regina Burgahova / Shutterstock As a woman was going for her morning jog, she came across a family walking their puppy. When the friendly pup approached the woman, insisting on pets and kisses, she gladly obliged, gushing over what a cute dog she was.
However, the dog’s owners were less than impressed by the woman’s reaction, given that she neglected to give another one of their family members the same attention. Now, the woman is wondering if she was in the wrong, despite showering the couple’s puppy with love.
The woman offended the couple by giving more attention to their dog than their baby.
Sharing her story to the subreddit, r/AITA, the 24-year-old woman revealed that while she was on her morning jog at the park, she passed a couple with their infant in a stroller and their small dog.
The woman claimed that the pup was one of the “most adorable” she’d ever seen in her life. “The puppy locked eyes with me, and that was it — wagging her tail, tongue out, smiling, trying to pull the husband in my direction,” the woman wrote. “I paused my jog and ran over to ask if I could say hello, and they said, of course, the puppy wouldn’t have allowed me not to.”
Photo: Dukiph / Shutterstock
The woman knelt down to the dog’s level and spent several minutes “in heaven,” cuddling, petting, and asking the dog’s owners questions about her. “She also happened to be the same breed as the dog I grew up with who passed away a few weeks ago, a golden retriever who was my best friend, so this was especially comforting for me,” the woman added.
After a couple of minutes, she noticed that the wife appeared to be annoyed. “At first, I figured I might’ve overstayed my welcome, so I decided to back off,” the woman wrote. “I got up and said something like, ‘I’ll let you get back to your walk now, but thank you so much, that was the highlight of my day!’”
Photo: taras.chaban from Helgy / Canva Pro
However, as the husband was saying goodbye to the woman, his wife interrupted. “The wife said I was ‘beyond rude’ for spending all this time ‘cooing over the dog’ but not saying anything about her newborn,” the woman revealed.
While she admitted that she did give the dog all of her attention and none to the baby, her intention was not to be rude. “I have absolutely nothing against babies or children in the slightest, including this woman’s daughter. I see them as other human beings just like me,” she shared.
She added that babies and children had never given her the same “warm feelings” as dogs: “This is to say, I’ve never really been the type to coo at babies. I don’t hate or dislike them at all, I just regard them in the same way I regard all strangers regardless of age.”
Even after the man ushered his wife away from the woman, she still heard her angrily muttering under her breath about her. “I didn’t mean to be rude, but I’m wondering now if I actually was,” the woman wrote.
Many people came to the woman’s defense, noting that she could not help how she felt toward dogs as opposed to babies, and that her behavior was not rude.
“You fawn over dogs. Some people fawn over babies. Some people fawn over both. And some over neither. Nothing is wrong with any of it,” one user commented. “That woman is nuts. Why would she expect you to coo over her baby? Not everyone loves babies,” another user pointed out.
“I probably wouldn’t have really noticed the kid either in your situation. The puppy was actually awake and engaging with you and was clearly enjoying the attention, whereas the baby wasn’t even doing anything to pull your attention away from the adorable puppy.”
Photo: Andrea Bova from Pexels / Canva Pro
Others believed that the mother likely would not have reacted well had the woman asked to pet her baby in addition to her dog. “Babies have never and will never be as cute as dogs. Good to see she already has her new parent entitlement down,” one user wrote. “I don't care about anyone's kids at all. Never have, never will. But I will love all of the fur babies.”
“I'm so glad to see all of these people who are just like me and don't notice the baby and go right to petting the cat or dog,” another user commented.
Some people tend to notice babies in public more than pets, and vice-versa. Everyone has their own personal preferences, and their feelings should not be labeled as “rude.”
Photo: Atichat WattanaSin Store / Shutterstock
However, in modern society, many people are beginning to prefer dogs over kids.
A survey conducted by USA Today found that 67% of people prefer their pets over parenthood, and for pet lovers it makes sense.
A dog will take naps of their own free will. They never outgrow cuddling you. They do not complain. They do not require diaper changes and they are far less expensive than children.
While having a child is a life-changing experience, they can also turn every aspect of your world completely upside down. Dogs, however, will step in to not only heal all of that but add to your happiness and teach you a love you never thought possible.
So, maybe, at the end of the day, there's room for both baby cuteness and dog cuteness and there really shouldn't be a battle between the two.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.