Hello Ron here.

Do you get offended if your friends do not want your pet to come to their flat? I don't like animals in my flat plain and simple. Main reason being hair, smell, damage and hygiene.

I have lot of fragile items that I don't want to get damaged either. Even young unruly kids I don't like in my flat.

How do you feel about people saying no to your pet?

Their flat their rules

Makes no difference to me

Your house.

I used to ban all 2yr old kids.

Still do.

They`re only welcome in summer when we all sit outdoors, as long as they don`t pull the plants out, and they drink out of plastic cups. And eat off plastic or paper plates.

I would not inflict my pets/kids on anyone unless they said it was ok. And although lots of friends do have dogs I would not let them bring them into my home.
My dearest friend bought their Irish Wolfhound once and although my 2 dogs knew him well he obviously wanted to make his mark and cocked his leg up - there was another wee to fill a lake.
It is your kennel - and what you say goes!!
Any good pet owner will not have a problem with your wishes.

I was thinking I would get beaten up for asking the above question. You have been good sports.

Can I ask another question? Ok almost all dogs give out a strange odour. Well kept dogs smell less but they all have a very vomit inducing kind of smell from my point of view. Maybe I am overly sensitive with a dog like nose but I was wondering what that smell is? Is it their sweat? Body oil? Even shampooed dogs have that smell.

Not offended at all. Its their house, their rules.

I dont like shoes in my apartment - anyone coming in should take off their shoes. No exceptions. My house, my rules.


Maybe I've been around dogs too long. I dont really understand what you mean. Dogs dont sweat, they lose water through panting. Some dogs do have a "smell" - which probably is the wet dog smell, after playing in wet grass/walks in the rain and not towel dried properly.

But clean dogs smell wonderful!

Actually some dogs have a stronger smell than others, even when washed.

A friend of mine has a beagle, and it has a strong musky smell. Not disagreeable (for me) but strong. I think it must be the musk.

But then mind you, I had ferrets for years, so I do like musky smells

I totally understand that some people just don't want animals in their space. Not offended by that at all. We ask beforehand now, as there were a couple of time we didn't take the dogs to family homes and when we turned up people were like ' where are the dogs?'. Funny reall we explain that not everyone wants dogs in their place,. But then people surprise us and say no its fine, we even bought them treats.


Then I feel bad for the dogs missing out.

One thing to add, when we don't take the dogs to people's home for visits we do have to stress the fact that we can't be out for hours on end i.e. dinner parties....always end early as we can't really leave them longer than 4 to 5 hours. Its not fair on the doggies. Just one of the things to consider.

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The best way to save water is to bathe together

I don't get offended if they don't want my furkid over. I don't get offended if they don't want to come to my flat either.

do you yell at kids to get off of your lawn, too? j/k

there's one dog in my building -- a golden retriever. Looks beautiful and well groomed, but smells ridiculously dirty. In fact I can tell when it's been in the elevator, and in the lobby, and in the hallway... that's how strong it smells. And golden's aren't typically thought of as smelly dogs. I just have to wonder how often they're bathing it.

Of course my dogs don't smell at all. j/k

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I would sooner have you hate me for telling you the truth than adore me for telling you lies. - Pietro Aretino

We used to have Newfoundlands and to be honest I really couldn't blame anybody if they didn't want them in their house.
They're huge, they don't walk around on tiptoes (tippaws), they smell like old wet blankets (it's the fat in their fur which keeps them waterproof), they drool and dribble, but they were the most incredible dogs to have as friends, pets, companions.

The only time this is an issue for me is if I am traveling WITH my dog and someone unexpectedly tells me dog isn't welcome - it's not like I can leave my dog in the car.

Otherwise, casual visit to a friend's house, why would the dog be brought in the first place? Unless it is some sort of pooch play date, pooch stays home.

Dogs have a variety of areas on their body which contain scent glands to mark territory. Dogs rub their faces on the ground, this marks scent from a gland there, they scratch at the ground with paws which also releases scent.

You may be more sensitive to this smell than others, particularly in comparison to dog owners who are around this scent all the time, but that's probably what you're noticing.

My dog's feet always smelled to me like Nacho Cheese Doritos if it was a bit long between baths. She's my baby though and I love her, funky smells and all.

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The Joys of Opticianry

It is true that some dogs smell more than others. Ours is some sort of spitz -Asian/ northern (shiba inu, jindo, husky, whatever mix), and she hardly smells... My husband is very sensitive to wet dog smell and lily hardly ever smells enough to notice. She also takes fish oil, has very little dandruff, and eats a diet mostly of chicken or fish, rice and vegetables. She does get a bath a couple of times a year too.

I'd never bring her to someone's flat unless it was a special circumstance... Eg, we were traveling with her and we all agreed on it.

Goodness - I would never even consider bringing my misfits to someone else's house here in Switzerland I'd be terrified that a speck of dust might accompany us. Being serious, though, even back home I'd only bring my dogs with me when visiting family or dear life-long friends - and then only after having first been invited to do so.

Heck, the few times people here have asked me to bring the muttley crew along I've declined - too much stress for me and the mutts. No, my doglets stay at home, where things are 'pooch-proof.' The dogs would far rather hang out where they are comfortable, where they have toys in abundance to amuse themselves, where they can play with each other as they are accustomed to.

By the same token, I don't have visitors to the house other than a handful of trusted friends who accept the dogs for who they are, and understand the correct way to behave around them.

Everyone else - we meet for coffee in a café.

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But having said that, I've run across quite a few Swiss dog owners who automatically take their dogs everywhere, it seems to be expected by both the owner and the folks issuing invitations. First time I ran into this my Swiss aquaintances were aghast that my dogs were left an hour or so alone - and had a hard time understanding that the dogs were far happier there than being forced into a stressful situation with strangers. A bit of a cultural difference.

There is also the issue that some landlords forbid tenants from leaving a dog alone in the flat.



But as everyone has said: your house, your rules. To avoid embarassing misunderstandings, simply mention that your home is not dog-safe when issuing an invitation.

I for one take my dog almost everywhere, including work. She's a tiny little thing, and from day 1 I got her used to every kind of situations and places: public transport, crowded shopping centre, restaurants... She adapts to everything. She's very attached to me, and she's much happier following me everywhere than alone at home.

But if I go to someone's place I always ask if I can take her first, and I respect their decision!

I completetly understand your point of view. I would never take our camel sized beast to somebody's house unless they have a backyard with a high fence where he could stay outside.

http://news.sky.com/home/uk-news/media-gallery/15092908

And I'm not saying that for nothing

I had a BulldogXLabrador once, and he smelt awful.
The only time he smelt really "nice" was immediately after his bath, but the next day ..... his glands went into overdrive. The vet advised only brushing him - did not work.

On the other hand, my little Jack Russels, who ate vegetarian type meals - okay, cooked chicken or fish with rice mixed with stacks of grated raw vegetables, with a raw meat bone once a week - they had human baby breaths, and smelt all fresh bread and buttery.

On the other other hand again - "dog smell" is dog smell - especially damp dog.

Ever had your dog arrive home (if you live on a farm) looking all proud to present you with a divine stink which must be from rolling repeatedly over some long dead animal(rat/bird/whatever/could be something else that stinks highly)...? My hygienic J/R`s seemed to believe it was their equivelent of Estèe Lauder/Chanel.

I dont get offended, its perfectly reasonable. But I people get offended when I then say well im not coming

I had a colleague over once who is scared of dogs, and asked I tie my dog up so she wasnt so afraid when she was round with a few peeps for a dinner party. I do so, but rather reluctantly. But when he got distressed I let him free, im not tying my dog up in his own territory. Does that make me a bad person?

I struggle with people who are afraid of dogs anyway. I can understand somewhat huge rottweiler types, but anything less than knee height, WTF!!!

my dog gets washed in johnsons baby shampoo, once a week, and smells grand.

But of course, wet dog is wet dog.

But given how sensitive dogs noses are, imagine how much you must smell to them?!?!?! Just a thought

There are dogs with strong doggy smell and others that don't. Labs, Goldens and a bunch of others have strong smells. I was told they have some sort of gland that makes that smell to hide them from what they are hunting (or some such story). Chihuahuas don't smell.

My labs can pong and the older they get the worse it is. However, I am someone conscious of old dog smell so they get regular washes. I often ask people of they van smell anything as you tend not to notice after a while :-s