General Question

prolificus's avatar

This sounds sexist, but... Is it weird to see a burly man own a princessy poodle?

Asked by prolificus (6583points) March 14th, 2010
33 responses
“Great Question” (1points)

There are a couple of big, strong heterosexual men (big assumption on my part) in the neighborhood who walk their itsy bitsy toy pups. It cracks me up to see the odd couples. Where I come from, big burly men own pit bulls, rottweilers, and dobermans.

Now that I have your attention, here’s the real question: what does the type of breed say about the characteristics of a owner?

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Answers

marinelife's avatar

Absolutely nothing.

filmfann's avatar

With names like “Mr. Snuggems”. Makes me shake with laughter.

ragingloli's avatar

It is Tsundere. Kind of adorable.

Coloma's avatar

I don’t know..maybe it’s as it is for me and my pet geese. lol

If someone had told me 12 years ago that my alltime fav. pet would be a goose, I’d have never believed them!

Maybe the wife or gf wanted the little dogs, or, it was a matter of space and a small dog was a better choice and as often the case, EVERYONE gets attached to the little critters, be it a cockateil or a poodle or a rat! hahaha

I think ALL expressions of love regardless of what the object is precious in itself!

nicky's avatar

My first impression is that people who own smaller dogs have a more nurturing nature as the little guys usually have more quirks and require more attention. Conversely, owners of larger dogs I would say have a more spontaneous and outgoing nature because big dogs are a little more relaxed in their temperament (I dont mean energetic by this, I mean less finicky in their personality.)

Milk's avatar

I usually think that the cuddlier the dog the nicer the owner. Then again i usually think wrong.

lucillelucillelucille's avatar

I own a German Shepherd Dog.What that says about me is that I’m too lazy to do my own taxes. ;)

rangerr's avatar

By own I was hoping you’d mean punt across a room.

Coloma's avatar

Well, I guess geese scream unconventional…..fine with me! hahaha

I am very nurturing, my gander has his own Corona bucket on my deck! hahahaha

tragiclikebowie's avatar

My uncle is a big strong burly heterosexual man, as you say. He has multiple black-belts, was a triathelete, and was an amateur weight lifter. His girlfriend owned a little papillon. He got so attached to this little dog, it was absolutely hysterical. I used to be afraid of this man and he would baby this dog like nothing I’ve ever seen. I don’t think it’s unusual. Just like anyone with a dog they love who becomes their adopted child.

There’s a stigma about little breeds but they can actually be more viscious than larger breeds. In fact little dogs are more apt to bite than larger ones. But the smaller breeds were bred as guard dogs for the home. Which is probably why they’re so noisy.

DrBill's avatar

I have had German Shepard, Dalmatian, Cocker Spaniels, Malamutes, poodles, Labs, Great Danes, Samoa, dash hound, etc.

I don’t think it says anything about the owner

cockswain's avatar

I’d just assume it was his wife’s dog.

KatawaGrey's avatar

It’s actually not that weird to me, mostly because of my apartment complex’s size restrictions. People in my complex can have no more than two pets and those pets cannot weigh more than eighty pounds combined. As such, I see a lot of little dogs walked by both men and women not too mention a few very large dogs who ain’t fooling nobody.

On a related note, I’ve never understood why so many people hate little dogs or think that little dogs aren’t “real dogs.”

cockswain's avatar

@KatawaGrey We’ve got a little dog. It’s basically just a large rodent.

prolificus's avatar

My brother who is as heterosexual as they come, owns a chihuahua. He pampers his little furrbaby who acts as his sole companion while working out-of-state for months at a time, away from his wife and teenage daughter. I used to think of my brother as stone-cold and unemotional. This dog has brought out his tender, touchy-feely side. It’s quite adorable!

@cockswain – I’ve owned rodents. My little terrier is much more cuddly and intelligent than the average rat!

rangerr's avatar

@prolificus I have a rat and he’s more cuddly than our dogs.

CyanoticWasp's avatar

My Generic American Brown Dorg owns me. And she is very much a princess.

I wonder what that says about both of us.

Likeradar's avatar

Yeah, I think it’s weird when I see it too. But it’s weird because it’s unexpected, and it makes me smile.
I think dog choices reflect on the person quite a bit- athletic people usually want a jogging/camping/hiking buddy and I wouldn’t expect to see them with a prissy little dog. People who are very trendy and into image usually want the latest fad dog and it would surprise me to see them with a 3 legged funny looking mutt.
But as long as people get joy from their furry friends and treat them well, more power to them.

faye's avatar

My daughter has a little bichon-poodle and he’s got just as much personality as any dog ormore. He guards our house with fervor! A man on my street used to walk such a small dog he had to use cat leashes and walk so slow for those wee legs!

Simone_De_Beauvoir's avatar

This doesn’t sound sexist but it doesn’t make any sense, that’s for sure.

kheredia's avatar

I don’t think the type of breed a person owns has much to do with the persons personality. I’ve seen some pretty mean toy breeds just as I’ve seen nice ones. I have a 90lbs pit that’s nothing but a big bundle of love. Breeds are just tags people put on their dogs. Sure, the breed says what the dogs job is suppose to be but in the end I think every dog has his own little personality just as we do.

deni's avatar

It is weird to see. It just seems strange. I suppose it’s because I feel like a big burly man should own a big burly dog. Just like hoity toity women usually own little hoity toity dogs.

rangerr's avatar

@deni hoity toity God. I love you.

prolificus's avatar

@Simone_De_Beauvoir – what doesn’t make sense?

Simone_De_Beauvoir's avatar

@prolificus to link dog breeds to sexuality or gender expression.

prolificus's avatar

@Simone_De_Beauvoir – my unfiltered mind accessed the sexist random bits of information gathered over the decades of living in a sheltered, homogenous environment. Put the two together (unfiltered mind and sexist info), I interpreted an image without processing deeper truths.

Open-minded, liberated self sees no connection between breed ownership and gender/sexual identity or expression. Small-town, sheltered self chuckles to herself each and every time she sees the odd couple walking down the street.

I’m perfectly comfortable holding conflicting views – I amuse myself.

Simone_De_Beauvoir's avatar

@prolificus hey, whatever works

Irishmar's avatar

Yes, it looks interesting, and a bit different for sure, but personally I like to see odd things paired together.

JeffVader's avatar

Hey, even gay men can be burly…. & pretend to be streight.

filmfann's avatar

Ya, but you can tell who they are by their inability to spell Straight.

lonelydragon's avatar

I think it’s kind of endearing. Even the toughest guys can have a soft spot.

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