Madness string 111943

Random mermaid
No, this is normal - you feel for the innocent who cannot speak for themselves. I think most decent people also have genetically ingrained in them what I consider a sacred human/pet contract. We chose to breed dogs (and cats) over tens of thousands of years to love us, need us, and be loyal to us in exchange for really minimal things from our perspective - a meal, a shelter, some socialization. When another human treats a domesticated pet animal poorly, it is a breach of that genetic pact. Pets don't have the ability to enforce that pact - only you can speak on their behalf.

What most people fail to grasp about etiquette is that at its core, it's all about making people as comfortable as they can be. Sure, there's a lot of pretension added onto that core concept with the fussy rules, but etiquette and good manners are really just a social lubricant that's there to make socialising as smooth and easy as possible for all parties.