Do you let your dogs lay a big wet one on you? On the mouth?
I’m no germaphobe, but I’ve honestly never understood how people can do this – and enjoy it. Don’t get me wrong, I love on my dog like nobody’s business, but this kissing on the mouth stuff is just my line in the concrete.
A few dog behaviours to back me up as ‘research’:
1. Dogs scavenge for half-eaten, half-digested food. So that partially eaten sub on the sidewalk that’s been baking in the sun in all its mayonnaise and cold cut meaty goodness for 3 days? (I’ll pass.)
2. The dog that checked the kitty litter, trash can, and toilet bowl today? (No thanks.)
3. The dog that found animal feces (coyote? deer?) on a romp through the park earlier? (Not for this girl.)
4. Dogs lick themselves. (Do I ne-)
While humans and dogs have different bacteria in their mouths, and while most viruses tend to be species-specific, as in we have ours and dogs have theirs, the mouth of a dog is still a pretty dirty place.
I suppose if you are going to kiss your dog, it’s best to just keep their foraging and rummaging to a minimum and stay up to date on vaccinations and preventative medications for fleas, ticks, worms etc. Hook and roundworm can actually get passed from dogs to humans.
They say a dog’s mouth is cleaner than a human’s. Well, I guess I’ll never know!
Where do you weigh in on the issue? Do you pucker up or give your dogs the cheek?
Emily @ Adventures of a Dog Mom says
I vote nay on this one. I’ve seen Boomer and Dottie get into things and lick themselves. So if they manage to sneak in a smooch I run to wash my face!
I will admit though that I give them kisses on their sweet little foreheads to show them some love.
Life In The Dog Lane says
Glad we’re not the only ones! Absolutely, lots of other ways to show them the love 🙂
Human Rescues Dog says
Definitely a ‘nay’ for me – Charlie has a penchant for sneaking in a quick kiss when I’m least expecting it, and I rush to the bathroom to wash my lips with soap. I also have a sort of allergy to their saliva, so my lips swell up and go red. I think that’s the universe telling me that doggie kisses are a definite no-no!
Life In The Dog Lane says
Oh boy, that doesn’t sound good at all! Guess you had to find out the hard way, too? Ugh.