Originally posted by jennifert9
I was always raised that when guests come to your home, they are supposed to be made to feel welcome. Therefore, they can do what they please in your home as if it was their own out of courtesy and respect and hospitality. That is just how I was raised, very old-fashioned and polite.

I just don't understand people who don't like animals??? I try and try to wrap my brain around the concept but I don't get it???

I don't have any friends that don't like animals

You know, I'm not trying to start an argument or anything of course...
Ok, well, I was raised to be polite, respectful, etc. it seemed like you're implying that I wasn't because I don't allow people to smoke in my home. I have never felt that I have ever made any of my guests feel uncomfortable or unwelcome by asking them not to smoke in my home. I have a lot of friends who smoke pot and do other drugs in their own homes. I'm sorry, I won't allow anyone, no matter how much I love them, to do anything like that in my house. I wouldn't even want someone to get really drunk in my home. I don't allow people to make the rules in my home. I wouldn't let someone's kids play with my fragile things just because they're allowed to do it in their home, as another example.

And, as for people not liking pets. You're not necessarily meant to understand, I wouldn't try too hard to wrap your head around it. The point is to accept it, just like we want people to accept that we're nuts about our pets...they don't have to understand it, just accept it. Like people who don't like children, or people who don't like pet snakes or pet lizards or pet ferrets or pet rats. I personally wouldn't have a spider in my home as a pet, and, I wouldn't expect someone who had spiders and scorpions as pets to understand why I don't, because that's not the point. Again, it's just to accept the fact that people's hearts and brains are different. People are just wired differently.

And, like I said earlier, I have a lot of friends that don't care for pets. I personally would feel very limited if I only liked people that liked animals. I like the people I like for many different reasons. Some of my friends I enjoy being with because we like the same kind of music. Some of my friends are my friends because we go see movies together. For me, it's enlightening to be around people with different viewpoints and different lifestyles. The reason I choose not to be friends with certain people is almost always because they have negative personalities. If someone can't offer a positive outlook or positive learning experience in some way, I don't usually put too much into them.

And, as for it being an argument, I didn't take it that way. And, you're right, we definitely have 100% different opinions on the subject, and, I'm glad of that, in this particular situation. That's what makes the world interesting.