I stepped out of the elevator and was immediately accosted by a lumbering black lab.
“Oh. I guess I’m here on Bring Your Dog to Work Day.” When I sat down to wait for my meeting to begin, the lab took the opportunity to push his snout up my skirt.
I carefully extricated myself from that situation, but soon found myself with the dog’s large head in my lap.
“Aren’t you cute?” I asked the dog as I patted its silky ears, silently wishing its owner would call him off so I could avoid starting my meeting with a sneeze. And the dog was cute. I just wished he wasn’t something I had to worry about in the office.
When the executive I was to meet with arrived, I said, “sweet dog. Yours?”
“F*cking dogs. No! He’s not mine. I hate dogs.”
He shooed the lab out of his office and I began to breathe again.
I wasn’t always cranky about dogs. Growing up, I wanted a puppy in the worst way. Big dogs like Siberian huskies were my favorite but I would have taken a Yorkie or a Lhasa Apso or…anything really.
But life intervened, as I posted here.
Now that I’m older, I can’t imagine having a dog. Between the messy stuff, the cost (OMG), my frequent travels and, well, the potential for a broken heart, dog ownership just doesn’t appeal to me.
But I still have to deal with the occasional dog-friendly place, even through work. When I read this post on The Awl, though, I realized that I’m not alone. An excerpt:
We live in such a dog-adoring culture that it’s hard to admit when you aren’t totally enamored of them. What you are supposed to feel—what you must always feel—is love. And dog owners are blessed with the extraordinary ability to call bullshit; they can sniff out your limp pats, your half-hearted game of catch. Soon the question comes: “Oh, you don’t like dogs?”
Translation:
1. How can you not like dogs?
2. How can you not like my dog?
I never say much about my “no thanks” attitude toward dogs as pets because doing so makes people assume you are a Giant Meanie. I’m not quite that mean. If I meet your dog, I’ll be nice. I may even like the pooch. But keep it out of my personal space, if you know what I mean.
OneChicklette 
Haha! I can’t relate to people who don’t love pretty much all animals, specifically cats and dogs, our furry companions 🙂
I could not relate at all to a woman who was scared of a goldfish.
But you know, I understand not wanting to keep pets, and certainly I understand allergies. I’m always shocked when people hate the things I love, and shocked when they love the things I hate. It’s a magical universe, plenty of good stuff for everyone!
I’m lucky you let me in 🙂
I am a bit crazy about animals, dogs in particular, but I absolutely respect that not everyone wants them up in their business. I try to train my dogs to have good manners (It’s ongoing) and do’t bring them to work for the same reason I don’t usually bring my kids to work – too much disruption to others 😉
In that case, you’re the best 😃
I’m a true dog person and can’t imagine MY life without them…we’re home a lot, kids gone, 2 fenced acres. But that’s why it works. Our closest (loving, fun, smart) friends are all dog-less so ours are outside when they’re over – every time. And, to each his own – in pretty much all things, really. Annoying/ill-trained dogs? Ugh – nearly as bad as annoying/ill-trained kids. But don’t get me started on that…😊