I Love Dogs More Than Kids—That’s Not the Reason to Insult Me

A morning jog, a sweet puppy, and an unexpected argument—this story has it all. One woman found herself at the center of a debate after she was scolded for petting a dog. Was this just misplaced frustration? The discussion is heated—hop in!

Yesterday, when I went for a morning jog in the park, I saw a couple walking with one of the most adorable puppies I have ever seen in my life!

The puppy locked eyes with me, and that was it—wagging her tail, tongue out, smiling, trying to pull the husband to me. 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.

I love dogs, so I was in heaven. I spent several minutes on the ground with her, getting all kinds of love and affection and asking her owners her name, how old she was, etc. 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.

Then, a few minutes into talking, I noticed the wife starting to look irritated.

At first, I figured I might’ve overstayed my welcome, so I decided to back off. 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!”

As the husband was saying goodbye, the wife interrupted him and said, “Really?” I was pretty confused, so I asked her if something was wrong. See, the couple also had a baby with them, a little girl sleeping in a stroller.

I’m bad with ages, but if I had to guess, she was probably around a month old. The wife said I was “beyond rude” for spending all this time “cooing over the damn dog” but not saying anything about her newborn. 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.

But I won’t lie—babies and kids have never elicited the same instant warm feelings that dogs and all animals do for me. 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.

Anyway, before I could get a word in, the husband began ushering her away and told me to have a good day, though I could still hear her muttering things about me under her breath as they left. I didn’t mean to be rude, but I’m wondering now if I actually was.

This situation sparked a heated debate, with opinions ranging from “No one cares about your kids” to “Strangers giving kids weird attention.” Let’s dive in!

• No one is required to acknowledge your child. Your child isn't special to anyone else.
  © Over_Championship990 / Reddit

• 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. You did nothing wrong, and I'm sure the dog would agree that he's better than the baby. © an0nym0uswr1ter / Reddit

• You fawn over dogs. Some people fawn over babies. Some people fawn over both. And some over neither. Nothing wrong with any of it. © Malicious_blu3 / Reddit
• Haha, happened to us when we had a baby and a retired show dog, a doberman. A truck pulled over, and the guy asked all sorts of questions about the dobie and admired her.
  As he drove away, he said, "Nice baby, too." We still chuckle about that. You could have been a little more aware. © Prestigious-Dark9164 / Reddit

Some people assumed that "the mom didn't want to get a new puppy at the same time as having a new baby, but the husband went ahead and got it."

• What a weird reaction from the wife. It's the dog that interested you, so why would you say anything about the baby? You're obviously not going to be able to pet and play with a stranger's baby.
  Also disturbing is that the wife made it clear she doesn't like the dog. Maybe it's a sore point between the couple, and you unknowingly touched a nerve. Forget it and move on. © stroppo / Reddit

Many commenters highlighted that the early postnatal period is really hard, so the mother may just have been very tired and hormone-influenced.

• If the new mom is in the early postnatal period (at one month, she will be), then she’s probably a bundle of hormones, and her brain has probably rewired itself to think her baby is the most important thing in the entire world. I’ve been there, and it’s a crazy time! © FloraPoste1 / Reddit

• To be fair, if the baby is only a month old, that mom is enduring some really hard hormonal changes and is probably sleep-deprived. © MeanMeana / Reddit

• This mom is definitely going through a hard time. That month after is just insanely rough, and stuff is coming out of all kinds of places, including the mouth. But if she has it, this doesn’t mean you can be rude to a stranger loving on your puppy! © Unknown author / Reddit

Another interesting point is that many women don't really want any attention from strangers, especially to their kids. That's why people prefer to stay distant:

• I like babies and all, but the number of women that were bothered by my waving back at their baby and rolled their eyes or flipped the baby around has ruined it for me. You can't please everyone, so I err on the side of not being accused of being creepy or worse, and just ignore the kid. © lc_2005 / Reddit

• As a parent, I don't want strangers coming up and touching/cooing at my babies. As for dogs, everyone knows they're attention magnets. © RandomizedNameSystem / Reddit

But at the heart of it, isn’t this debate really about expectations—the silent rules society places on us? Whether it’s acknowledging a stranger’s baby or prioritizing family over personal dreams, the pressure to conform can be overwhelming. Take, for example, a grandmother who was asked to give up her career to become a full-time caregiver for her grandchild. She hesitated, and the backlash was swift.