Dogs' "Mommy & Daddy"

[M GO BLUE!!!]

I hate when people refer to themselves or others as their dog's "Mommy" or "Daddy." Where does this come from? My kid used to call the dog her "brother" and call me his "Daddy." I would always correct her that the dog had a father that was a rot/lab mix... i just fed him.

Why do people do this? I doubt the same people who think it's cute to call themselves the "Mom" or "Dad" of a dog introduce the dog as their son or daughter.

I just don't get it.

[Lathum]

We kind of do it. Not over the top to the point of where we introduce the dog as "my son," but if for example. my wife wants the dog to go to me she will say to him "go see daddy." Stuff like that.

[Danny]

I don't really see anything wrong with it. I personally would not use the terms mommy or daddy to describe my relationship with a pet, but as long as they aren't dressed up in clothes and have a picture of them hanging over the mantle then by all means go ahead and refer to yourself as mommy or daddy.

[Honolulu_Blue]

We kind of do it. Not over the top to the point of where we introduce the dog as "my son," but if for example. my wife wants the dog to go to me she will say to him "go see daddy." Stuff like that.

Yeah, we kind of do it to the same degree. I never refer to my dog as "my son" or even "child" or furry child or anything. He's either my dog, my buddy, my pal, my horrible creature, my foul beast, my hound of war, my creaturemal, or Dork Nose, or Stinkbomb, or Senior Stinky Pants, or Retardo Montalban or whatever else pops into my head at the moment I am talking about him or to him.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I doubt the same people who think it's cute to call themselves the "Mom" or "Dad" of a dog introduce the dog as their son or daughter.

Actually, you might be surprised.

To more seriously address your question though, outside of cases where it's used exclusively to be relatively cute or in an effort to be humorous (such as the "go see daddy" example up the thread) it's usually seems to be a way to verbalize the familial bond felt by the human.

[lungs]

Somebody tried to refer to me as my dog's "daddy" and I quickly noted that I am their master. Of course they don't listen too well.

And to me they are just Cock knuckles and Dicklock.

[Lathum]

Yeah, we kind of do it to the same degree. I never refer to my dog as "my son" or even "child" or furry child or anything. He's either my dog, my buddy, my pal, my horrible creature, my foul beast, my hound of war, my creaturemal, or Dork Nose, or Stinkbomb, or Senior Stinky Pants, or Retardo Montalban or whatever else pops into my head at the moment I am talking about him or to him.

lol, I do the same think.

Stinkerbut, Sir Stinks alot, stinker bottom nightmare band

[Lathum]

Actually, you might be surprised.

To more seriously address your question though, outside of cases where it's used exclusively to be relatively cute or in an effort to be humorous (such as the "go see daddy" example up the thread) it's usually seems to be a way to verbalize the familial bond felt by the human.

we don't use this as humor, it's probably more of the bond you were talking about.

[Fidatelo]

I'm on the same page as Lathum and H_B on this one, right down to some of the same nicknames.

[JonInMiddleGA]

we don't use this as humor, it's probably more of the bond you were talking about.

Ah, got it now. Misread it somehow I guess, I was thinking of it being when the dog wanted something (i.e. fed, treats, walked, whatever) was when she said it that way.

[Lathum]

Ah, got it now. Misread it somehow I guess, I was thinking of it being when the dog wanted something (i.e. fed, treats, walked, whatever) was when she said it that way.

well you are correct, but how is that being funny?

[CU Tiger]

my 2 labs are laying on my lap now....I am NOT DAD

[JonInMiddleGA]

well you are correct, but how is that being funny?

As in "oh I'm daddy when he needs something". As in me handing the baby to my wife back in my SAHD days and saying "here's your son"

Or maybe you just had to be in my head to get the humor, I dunno.

[saldana]

i am more interested in how people that dont use the "go see mommy" or "come sit by daddy" address their dog...i have never heard anyone that DIDNT do that.

unless saying come here retard, or superstupid, or moron, or bigheaded idiot (my dog is not very smart)

[wade moore]

I'm with most posters here. While we don't use it all of the time, we use it in the same ways "go sit with daddy", "daddy's going to take you for a walk", etc, etc.

:shurg:

I think JiMGa hits it on the head - it's a way to attempt to represent the familial bond many owners have with their dog. It doesn't mean that you're not the master. I know that those that do not have an appropriate owner/dog relationship use "mommy and daddy", but so do many that have an appropriate relationship.

[Easy Mac]

yeah, same here, we use mommy and daddy for informal commands. Otherwise, he's known as B-dog, bud, poop machine, pupperson, pupalicious, doggerson, rufferson, arferson, jackass, jefferson, franklin, humpers, hamilton, sir, etc...

[JeeberD]

The wife and I do the same thing with our cats...

[JonInMiddleGA]

Yeah, I'd say that's a pet thing (an indoor pet thing maybe?), we do it with our cats like Jeeber said.

[MrDNA]

"Mom and dad" has a much nicer ring than "Male and female owners" or "Master and mistress." Those make me think of slavery and S&M. But hey, if that's what you're into with your pets...

[RedHawk00]

I am with OP, as a real dad it is an insult to parents.

[DaddyTorgo]

I am with OP, as a real dad it is an insult to parents.

lol

what if you're a parent who has real kids and also dogs? are you then being insulting to yourself?

[wade moore]

I am with OP, as a real dad it is an insult to parents.

:eyeroll:

[Cringer]

I don't use it much, but I know I will use Mom/Mommy when telling my dog to go to her, and I think this is BECAUSE I have a kid. "Go ask Mom," "Go to Mommy." That kind of stuff. And I will call my dog "Big Baby" sometimes simply because she is one, especially towards me who she is overly devoted to. The running joke in the family with her is using a line from Chowder, "I'm not your boyfriend!!" Because she will follow me where ever I go in the house usually.

[wade moore]

I hate when people refer to themselves or others as their dog's "Mommy" or "Daddy." Where does this come from? My kid used to call the dog her "brother" and call me his "Daddy." I would always correct her that the dog had a father that was a rot/lab mix... i just fed him.

Why do people do this? I doubt the same people who think it's cute to call themselves the "Mom" or "Dad" of a dog introduce the dog as their son or daughter.

I just don't get it.

So I'm curious.

MGB has had a large majority of posters go against his rant. I know he's been around, because he's posted elsewhere.

Hiding now because you were shown to be the one that's weird?

[Mustang]

I am with OP, as a real dad it is an insult to parents.

Um..

What?

[aran]

My parents have a couple of dogs, a male and female. I'll say "play with your sister" to the male dog, referencing the female dog as his sister even though that isn't 100% true. My parents don't refer to the dogs as my brother and sister, unless jokingly. I'll refer to my father as "dad" to the dogs, though, only because it's easiest to reference my father that way instead of adding the extra "my."

I think referring to a dog as your blood relative is... awkward and possibly a little bit insulting.

[MikeVic]

So I'm curious.

MGB has had a large majority of posters go against his rant. I know he's been around, because he's posted elsewhere.

Hiding now because you were shown to be the one that's weird?

I think people that refer to their dogs/cats/etc. as blood relatives seriously are the weird ones, if anything. I can see the argument that someone can say 'go to daddy' if they think there's no better way to do so... but I don't know why you can't just use the first name of the person instead of 'daddy' or 'mommy.'

I know dogs are sometimes cute, useful, etc. and can see someone unable to have children or lonely or whatever as using a pet to be a family member, but I never understood the behaviors of some people with their pets. I think it was just the way I was brought up, the friends I had, etc. That's just my opinion, and I was staying out of this thread because I know people are attached to their pets so I leave it be... but you calling MGB weird because of his opinions rubbed me the wrong way.

[JonInMiddleGA]

but you calling MGB weird because of his opinions rubbed me the wrong way.

I'd say it's more "somewhat sad" than "weird" but to be honest it does seem sort of random to bitch about considering how common it is.

[Drake]

I think that for most of us, this happens more organically than even a statement of family bond.

My kids call me "dad", so when they're telling the dog to do something, they say "go get dad". So that's one of the many ways the dogs both learned and had reinforced the name by which they know me. By the same token, my wife and I refer to one another as "mom" and "dad" a great deal more often than we call one another by our first names (in most cases because I'll tell my kids, "Go ask your mom" rather than "Go ask my wife").

Because of simple factors like that, my dogs recognize the name "dad" as my moniker much more than they do my given name...because that's how most of the people in my house refer to me. On the other hand, they recognize my kids' names because we refer to our kids by name rather than by family role ("son").

There wasn't any agenda behind it. It just worked out to be easier that way.

[lungs]

I thought about this a little more. Personally, I find the mommy and daddy thing to sound quite ridiculous. But after thinking about my own experiences with dogs, it's because I've been around working dogs my entire life. That's a whole different type of relationship with a dog than most have.

I enjoy my dogs and show them plenty of affection and my dogs I have now aren't working dogs. But I still hold them to a standard that doesn't suggest a mommy and daddy type relationship. I cannot stand a dog begging me for food for example unless I expressly invite them.

Now as ridiculous as people calling their dogs mommy and daddy sounds to me, I can completely understand it. I'm just working with a different background.

[MikeVic]

I thought about this a little more. Personally, I find the mommy and daddy thing to sound quite ridiculous. But after thinking about my own experiences with dogs, it's because I've been around working dogs my entire life. That's a whole different type of relationship with a dog than most have.

I enjoy my dogs and show them plenty of affection and my dogs I have now aren't working dogs. But I still hold them to a standard that doesn't suggest a mommy and daddy type relationship. I cannot stand a dog begging me for food for example unless I expressly invite them.

Now as ridiculous as people calling their dogs mommy and daddy sounds to me, I can completely understand it. I'm just working with a different background.

Yeah I was trying to get at something similar with my opinions... I've never had a dog or a cat, because I wasn't allowed to as a kid. And a couple of my friends had dogs, but I was never attached to them. One was always smelly and the other was moody. I'd pet them sometimes, but that's as much attachment as I ever had to a dog or cat. Maybe if I had a cool dog or cat as a kid, or even now, my views would be different.

[Danny]

I had one dog as a kid and cats all growing up, but I would always say come to Danny, not daddy.

[MJ4H]

My dog knows me as daddy and my wife as mommy. Just for the record.

[MikeVic]

My dog knows me as daddy and my wife as mommy. Just for the record.

Do you call your dog Alizee?

[Subby]

http://www.thefofl.com/subby/schmidty.jpg

[M GO BLUE!!!]

So I'm curious.

MGB has had a large majority of posters go against his rant. I know he's been around, because he's posted elsewhere.

Hiding now because you were shown to be the one that's weird?

Nope. I'm laughing at all the wierdos who call themselves Mommy & Daddy. :)

I'm also in virus hell on my laptop. :(

[MJ4H]

http://www.thefofl.com/subby/schmidty.jpg

This is all kinds of disturbing.

[JeeberD]

http://www.thefofl.com/subby/schmidty.jpg

Schmidty?

[Pumpy Tudors]

When I was a kid, I called my mother a dog. She didn't speak to me for about two years after that. Boy, was her face red when she discovered that she had a tail and four paws.

My mother is not very bright.

[RendeR]

Those of us with Kids will attest to the fact that we're no longer really known by our actual names at home, we are "mommy and Daddy"

Its just a general reference, its not like we're claiming that our pets are actually our children (no matter how much they ACT like them)

[JetsIn06]

We kind of do it. Not over the top to the point of where we introduce the dog as "my son," but if for example. my wife wants the dog to go to me she will say to him "go see daddy." Stuff like that.

+1

[Lathum]

I think referring to a dog as your blood relative is... awkward and possibly a little bit insulting.

why?

In my house the dog and cat are every bit a part of the family and always will be.

Now like I aid, people who are over the top about it are a bit strange, but I don't think it is weird to do it on the level everyone here is talking about.

[Fidatelo]

I've noticed that, when talking to my dog, I'll refer to our son as her 'little brother', but when talking to the kid, at *most* I call the dog his 'dog sister', but usually it's just 'your dog'. I'm not sure what that means, but it means something. I think.

[Drake]

I enjoy my dogs and show them plenty of affection and my dogs I have now aren't working dogs. But I still hold them to a standard that doesn't suggest a mommy and daddy type relationship. I cannot stand a dog begging me for food for example unless I expressly invite them.

For the record, our outdoor cats (farm cats/mousers) don't even get names...partially because I go through about 15 a year due to bobcats/coyotes/dogs and partially because I view them as employees rather than pets. So I understand this relationship, too.

[Fidatelo]

You don't treat your employees very well.

[RedHawk00]

my point is there is a lot more to being a mommy & daddy to children. it is very different than being the caretaker of pets. why not use your name people, the dog will learn "come to johnny" "come to suzie", just as well. Mommy & Daddy should be reserved for the actual parents.

Now if you are telling your dog to go see her mommy & her mommy is a dog across the room, then all is good.

[Lathum]

my point is there is a lot more to being a mommy & daddy to children. it is very different than being the caretaker of pets. why not use your name people, the dog will learn "come to johnny" "come to suzie", just as well. Mommy & Daddy should be reserved for the actual parents.

Now if you are telling your dog to go see her mommy & her mommy is a dog across the room, then all is good.

I think you are looking at it way to literally.

[MJ4H]

Or I could just call myself daddy and my wife mommy and the dog could learn that and it shouldn't bother anyone else on the planet? Right? I mean, RIGHT????

[Lathum]

boy, RedHawk is gonna be really mad when I tell him my Mother in Law sent me a fathers day card from my dog.

But it was a cute card, had a golden retriever that looked just like mine.

[JonInMiddleGA]

boy, RedHawk is gonna be really mad when I tell him my Mother in Law sent me a fathers day card from my dog.

Wait til he finds out my parents refer to Coal & Vivi (and their predecessors) as their grandcats

[Lathum]

My pets are in my will!!!

[digamma]

As in "oh I'm daddy when he needs something". As in me handing the baby to my wife back in my SAHD days and saying "here's your son"

Or maybe you just had to be in my head to get the humor, I dunno.

We do the same. For us, it is more of a cute or funny way to tease one another rather than communicate with the dog.

[saldana]

My pets are in my will!!!
just as long as you arent leaving the f'n cat back to me.

[Fidatelo]

my point is there is a lot more to being a mommy & daddy to children.

My boy is only 5 months old, but my wife and I have commented several times that he's been easier than our dog was for the first 5 months.

Now, obviously that will change, but do not underestimate the chaos of a puppy. We couldn't even sit down and watch a rented movie in one evening until the puppy was almost a year old.

[lungs]

For the record, our outdoor cats (farm cats/mousers) don't even get names...partially because I go through about 15 a year due to bobcats/coyotes/dogs and partially because I view them as employees rather than pets. So I understand this relationship, too.

Same here. There is usually about 30 cats around my farm in the late spring/early summer time and by the time the next spring rolls around we are down to 5 or 6 mainstays that seem to make it through every winter.

I usually pick out one kitten to make my office cat and name it, but they usually die within a year. My last one I actually had to shoot because I found him laying there all fucked up. I actually have a harder time shooting some of my favorite cows when they are sick beyond repair than any of my cats. The cows at least make me some money (minus the current economic climate where it's a matter of a cow losing me less money).

[DaddyTorgo]

my point is there is a lot more to being a mommy & daddy to children. it is very different than being the caretaker of pets. why not use your name people, the dog will learn "come to johnny" "come to suzie", just as well. Mommy & Daddy should be reserved for the actual parents.

Now if you are telling your dog to go see her mommy & her mommy is a dog across the room, then all is good.

so you're sayin your old lady never calls you "daddy?" Or is that different? :D

[Subby]

Lathum pretty much has it right in this thread.

If you are getting really worked up about it, it might be time to drop to your knees and thank god you have the luxury of opining about such meaningless bullshit.

[Subby]

That said, the wife of one of my childless co-workers showed up at one of our conferences at the Four Seasons pushing her dog around in a baby stroller. I thought that might have been a little borderline.

[DaddyTorgo]

That said, the wife of one of my childless co-workers showed up at one of our conferences at the Four Seasons pushing her dog around in a baby stroller. I thought that might have been a little borderline.

that's overboard

[Passacaglia]

Oh my God yes! A few years ago I was visiting my mom shortly after she got a cat. The cat was a little shy with someone she'd never seen before showing up, and my mom kept saying, "come on out and meet your brother!" I'm in my 30's, haven't lived with my mom for over ten years. I am not this cat's brother.

At our place, we call our cats by their names -- they pretty well know their names, although they sometimes respond to each other's names -- they're probably responding more to the tone of our voices really. Anyway, our cats are mother and daughter, so thinking of them as our children brings up all kinds of family tree issues.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

That said, the wife of one of my childless co-workers showed up at one of our conferences at the Four Seasons pushing her dog around in a baby stroller. I thought that might have been a little borderline.

Does little baby love her mommy-wommy? Yes she does! Yes She does!

Perfectly normal. :D

[RedHawk00]

so you're sayin your old lady never calls you "daddy?" Or is that different? :D

Nope, but I do like the mom jokes, they never get old.

[Passacaglia]

Oh my God yes! A few years ago I was visiting my mom shortly after she got a cat. The cat was a little shy with someone she'd never seen before showing up, and my mom kept saying, "come on out and meet your brother!" I'm in my 30's, haven't lived with my mom for over ten years. I am not this cat's brother.

At our place, we call our cats by their names -- they pretty well know their names, although they sometimes respond to each other's names -- they're probably responding more to the tone of our voices really. Anyway, our cats are mother and daughter, so thinking of them as our children brings up all kinds of family tree issues.

bumpity

So this has gone too far. I posted some pictures of me with one of my cats on facebook, and my mom said something about how her cats say hi to their cat cousins -- or are they cat aunts. Now my cats are related to her cats?

A few days later, she was back on facebook, talking about taking one of her cats to the vet -- her ex-husband, my ex-stepfather. She said something like, "good thing the cats' vet is also their dad" -- so now her ex-husband -- who she divorced at least five years before she got these cats -- is their dad?

Sheesh! I think that even some of you who are down with calling yourselves parents to your pets have to agree that this is going too far.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

aww... that's cutesy-wootsie that mommy-wommy took precious & sunggles to see daddy waddy. the auntie & cousins thing is so cute too! i think i'm going to go right out and buy an outfit for my dog for the occasion!

[CamEdwards]

I'm with M Go Blue on this. My dog is my pet, my kids are my kids.

[wade moore]

Sheesh! I think that even some of you who are down with calling yourselves parents to your pets have to agree that this is going too far.

Yup.

[Marc Vaughan]

My wife calls her dogs her children and does the whole mommy/daddy thing - I don't get it, but there are more important things in life to worry about imho ...

[Passacaglia]

Those of us with Kids will attest to the fact that we're no longer really known by our actual names at home, we are "mommy and Daddy"

Its just a general reference, its not like we're claiming that our pets are actually our children (no matter how much they ACT like them)

This makes sense to me. I don't know the particulars of MGB's case, but something like this I can understand -- but there are definitely cases where it's worse.

[Passacaglia]

That said, the wife of one of my childless co-workers showed up at one of our conferences at the Four Seasons pushing her dog around in a baby stroller. I thought that might have been a little borderline.

Twice in the past week when walking by Walgreen's, I've seen this woman pushing a stroller with at least four puppies in it. Creeeeepy!

[Marc Vaughan]

Twice in the past week when walking by Walgreen's, I've seen this woman pushing a stroller with at least four puppies in it. Creeeeepy!

My wife had a stroller for her dogs for a short while, I viewed it as being an acceptable thing on the basis that her dogs help keep her from being broody and I really couldn't hack doing the whole baby thing again (if I have to I'm sure I'll survive and love the little one - but heck we've 3 now and already outnumbered by the little bleeders ;) ).