My wife is an interesting woman....?

Question

She brought our dog to meet santa with the girls. It's rather odd to say the least. She's very attached to our dog Sadie, and when the girls pull on her tail or ears, she tells them "Leave your sister ALONE! How would you feel if she did the same to you?" And other certain things like this that make me wonder. She speaks to Sadie like she understands and as if she's a person. She brushes her teeth, paints her nails, feeds her what we eat everynight (She's looked online to make sure she doesn't feed her anything toxic to her), she has also brought home Puppy Bowl dvds from the Animal Planet series because she says "Sadie is obsessed with them". Do you know of anybody who behaves in this manner? Is this normal in any way?.... Could she be feeling a certain way psychologically and be presenting it through our dog? Sadie is a 3 year old Pit Bull. Our daughters are 5 year old twins. I don't know if this matters, but I thought I should tell you everything so you can better answer my question

Answer 1

Your wife sounds like she's just very in love with Sadie, not uncommon at all. A lot of people who praise her for cooking her homemade meals! (I don't do that for my dog but that's just me lol) I don't call my dog my boys' sister but I do consider her like one of my kids. Love her dearly. Your wife may be that way with the dog because of your girls getting older. Women have the natural need to nurture and mother something and when there are no smaller kids (like toddlers), some women go to this extent with an animal. Taking it over as if it's her new baby. There's nothing wrong with her, just an avid animal lover and sounds like a great pet owner!

Pitbulls are NOT BAD DOGS! It's bad owners that make them mean! My sister has had several and they were all big babies. Her only one she has now thinks she's a lap dogs and loves little kids. Never bit or even growled. With that said, adding also that brushing a dog's teeth is actually good for them. They get tartar and gum disease the same as we do and having to have your dog's teeth pulled from gum disease is horrible!

Answer 2

It's really not uncommon for a person to love their pet more than they do their own family. Veterinarians oftentimes have to be much more sensitive when dealing with people about their pets. One reason a person may attach themselves to their pets as they do may be the animal does not talk back. The person can tell the pet things and know that it will forever remain a secret. Another reason a person may attach themselves to their pets is because of how bad the pet is treated, the pet will not dessert their owner (with the exception of very few pets). Another reason is ownership. The pet does what the owner wants. And the list goes on.

As far as whether or not a pet understands what you are saying is debatable. Some people believe animals understand everything completely, while other people believe animals are absolute morons. Some people read to their pets nightly. Others swear their pets are watching tv with them. While other people think these type of people think that these people are crackpots.

This is in the same realm of people saying that they can communicate with the spirits. Do they? Or do they not?

I don't believe there is anything wrong with the way your wife perceives things. It is just who she is.

To date. No one has been able to say who is right. This will continue to be debatable until someone is able to crack some form of code to be able to communicate with the animal or the dead.

Answer 3

what is the deal with people freaking out about you having a pit bull around children...they obviously do not understand that a dog is only as good as it's owner, which has nothing to do with breed.

My guess is she loves the dog, maybe a little bit more fanatically than most.. but who's to say it's a bad thing? Unless this is interfering with your family, work, friendships...then I do not believe it is an obsession. Some people, myself included think that animals should be treated with the utmost respect, loved and cared for. I talk to my cat as if she understand and watch certain movies thinking that maybe she would like to see other cats in action. The point is I know she probably doesn't understand what I am talking to her about and she probably couldn't care less about what I watch on T.V. but to me it seems to make her happy and relaxed and she enjoys my company as I do hers. She is my baby. No harm done.

Answer 4

Look at it this way.

Doggie loves wife. Doggie is happy to see her in the morning, and is happy to see her in the day, and is especially happy to see her at night. And doggie does not hold grudges. Doggie not only forgives wife for getting angry at her, but also FORGETS.

So, wifey wants to do special things for a doggie that loves her unconditionally. She paints nails because she wants doggie to look cute -- it makes wifee happy (i imagine it embarrasses the hell out of the doggie, proving once again how much that doggie must love her -- to put up with that embarrassment).

Many people treat their dogs this way ... and the pet store people know it (notice how there is doggie shampoo, doggie toothpaste, doggie bottled water, doggie beds). Back in the good old days, and women wore skirts, the dog got dog food, some table scraps, and an old blanket. These days, people give dogs their own rooms, their own beds, their own dietician, or even their own psycbologists.

Bottom line ... wifee may be going overboard with the doggie, but it sounds to me like she is substituting her attention to the dog when it should be given to her husband. Why? Does she get more unconditional love from the dog than her husband?

It sounds to me like a deep seated issue that will only get more serious as time goes on. Get help now.

Answer 5

Way to answer the question, Jen G. Idiot.

To REALLY answer the question, as long as she is still paying attention to you and your kids, I think what she is doing is sweet. My girlfriend loves her dogs that way, and I honestly wish more people were like that.....the world would be a much better place. I think the people who truly love animals are the real deal. The love for an animal is the most selfless love there is, pretty much.

Answer 6

Okay so she has gone above and beyond for this dog w/the dvds but maybe she is trying to show your daughters that a family pet is part of the family and should show it respect as well. You are dealing w/5 yr olds. and this is an easy way to present this by saying not to do that to your sister. I find it alittle odd but to each their own. I commend her for the excellent care and dedication to this dog. This is what breeders look for in owners of their puppies. She adores her dog and that is wonderful. Dont try to look to far into this. Atleast she is excepting the responsibility as long as she is not dening her daughters or you.

Answer 7

It just sounds like your wife has made sadie a part of the family.i think brushing the dogs teeth is good,vets recommend it,and painting her nails is ok,and I had a dog that i fixed a plate for every night,he was spoiled...If your wife is a good wife and mother and is of a sound mind ,i don,t think you should worry,she is just spoiling the dog cause she loves her,I wish all pet owners were like that...sounds like you do have a nice interesting wife there....If she takes that could of care for you and the twins WOW sounds great!PS your wife is a caretaker

Answer 8

I think your wife is fine. As long as she takes care of the family and makes sure the children are safe you really shouldn't worry. Some people think of their pet as a child because the pet can't take care of itself. I would rather see her go alittle overboard on caring for the pet then abusing it. She probably is just a very caring person and has always been a dog lover.

Answer 9

The dog is obviously one of the family with full family privileges.
Consider yourself lucky. I have TWO spoiled 90 pound dogs and it increases the chaos exponentially from one dog. If the wife is gone from your world and completely in Sadie's - then you have a serious problem and should get out of Dodge immediately ! !

Answer 10

with pitbulls i say it depends on the parents and owners of the parents on the temperament of the dog i had a pitbull puppy for my son when he was a baby BUT the parents were showdogs and were always around children as well as were the puppies before they were sold and luckily in my case given as a gift, and as for your wife i would tell her to chill out on calling it the sister of your children that is probably ackward and insulting to them and remind her its a PET not a human