October 30, 2013

"why do i hate the sound of a dog cleaning itself?"

A search that brought someone to my blog this morning. What makes a person ask that question? You find a licking sound disgusting, but that's not the end of it. You ask why. That could be the beginning of some young person's serious intellectual exploration of human psychology. Or it could be just the next random thing that was just interesting enough to somebody who already had his fingers on the keyboard to do a little Google search.

By the way, the blog post of mine that came up in this Google search is quite helpful, giving you a key word: misphonia.

Bonus: Dog tongue pic, by Meade:

Untitled

24 comments:

Megthered said...

At night, one of our dogs will come into the bedroom and lay down on the dog bed and start licking himself. Now, he is over 100 lbs and the sound is loud and I hate it. He will not do it any other time of day. My husband said it's a night time ritual that gets him relaxed and sleepy, kind of like reading until you fall asleep. Our other dog does not do that, so maybe that's it. Whatever it is, it drives me crazy. And since he can open all the doors in the house, I have to lock the bedroom door to keep him out. Then he barks at the door until my husband lets him in.

Wince said...

why do i hate the sound of a dog cleaning itself?

Jealousy?

Related question: why does a dog lick his balls?

Anonymous said...

Myself, I Hate the Sound of a Dog Giving Itself a Bikini Wax. Dogs Shouldn't Have to Wear Bikinis, or Be Ashamed of Their Fur.

Anonymous said...

Buster was horrified, frozen, as the orchestra began a Mozart Water Dish concerto rather than the Dog Cleaning Sounds for Which He Was Prepared.

Heartless Aztec said...

Why does a dog lick his/her private parts?

Because they can.

Michelle Dulak Thomson said...

We have two cats who both mostly spend the night on our bed. Most nights, at some point Charlie will go over to Lili and start licking her face, loudly. Sometimes she'll reciprocate and lick his neck at the same time -- a regular slurp-fest. My husband, if he's awake, will mutter, "Get a room, you two!"

The bummer is that Charlie will sometimes persist with the kissy-face longer than Lili would like, and then you have a growling cat, and then two snarling cats engaged in fisticuffs around your ankles at three in the morning.

Anonymous said...

Dog Bob Dylan Robot says:

How many licks must a puppy dog lick
Before you call him a dog ?
How many slurps must the tongue doth slurp
Before he sleeps like a log ?
Yes, how many times must the slobber globs fly
Before they're forever clogged ?
The answer my friend is lickin' in the wind
The answer is lickin' in the wind.

lemondog said...

misphonia

Yeah but why.

Incipient germophobia?

Dog licking itself and then giving you some kissy, kissy?

I inwardly cringe when I see people kissing their dogs on the mouth.

Must wash hands, must wash hands.....

It is tough being a mysophobe and an animal lover.

Meade said...

How many years can some canines exist
Before they're allowed to run free?

Additionally, why aren't we?

Sorun said...

"why do i hate the sound of a dog cleaning itself?"

Guilt. Dogs lick themselves when they're bored, and their boredom is my fault. But the fact that the dogs can't entertain themselves, or at least each other, also irritates me.

Michelle Dulak Thomson said...

Sorun,

Dogs lick themselves when they're bored, and their boredom is my fault. But the fact that the dogs can't entertain themselves, or at least each other, also irritates me.

Cats lick themselves whenever, and Lord knows they have ways of entertaining themselves.

I read an excellent book on cat behavior recently that describes one sort of cat self-grooming as "cat humming." It's a way of elaborately ignoring another cat: You turn your back on the other and start licking something, just as though you were human and turned your back on someone and started muttering "dum-de-dum-de-dum" or the like.

SJL said...

I'm sure this will offend some people, but I really don't like dogs in general. And I am allergic to cats. Dogs are too needy, and cats are too aloof.

SJL said...

I'm sure this will offend some people, but I really don't like dogs in general. And I am allergic to cats. Dogs are too needy, and cats are too aloof.

Illuninati said...

I want to thank Ms. Althouse for spreading the word about misphonia. This condition can be very difficult for the person suffering from it.

Crunchy Frog said...

You can be the biggest douchebag in the world, and your dog will still love you. Your cat will tell you to piss off.

If your cat loves you, that validates your worthiness to be a pet owner.

Carnifex said...

I post this without reading the other comment (I know a mistake--BUT)...

Reason I don;t like the sound of a dog cleaning itself? Jealousy?:-)

Carnifex said...

Dammn... knew I should have read the others :-) sorry

Carnifex said...

SJL... If you think cats are standoffish, don't buy a fish.

Sam L. said...

My dog's licks are silent.

beta3K, the only reasons I see for bikini wax are to make the bikini shiny, or for waterproofing.

Will Cate said...

It drives my wife bat-shit crazy. I don't even notice it. For me it's just part of the "sounds of the house."

Alex said...

You haven't learned the true joys of dog ownership until you've expressed their anal glands.

Unknown said...

I

Unknown said...

I searched"why do I feel sick when I hear the president" but it didn't lead me here.

Unknown said...

I hate the sounds of animals licking themselves so much the sound of my cat doing it wakes me up from a dead sleep... Frequently. 😑