Is it normal to want to hurt my friend's dogs?

fyi: i love animals (own two cats whom i love), but i don't understand what the problem in this case:

My friend, a previous girlfriend of mine, has two small dogs that I absolutely despise. Even when we were dating (started about 3 years ago and ended last year), I hated her dogs. From an objective standpoint, they aren't particularly annoying or obnoxious. They are relatively normal (bark when someone comes to the door, etc.) However, there is one trait that they have that I, for some reason, detest: they are scared or wary of everything. They always hide behind her and whatnot. In doing so, they are constantly in the way and bothersome to seemingly only me. Again, I do not know why this bothers me and I don't know whether or not this trait is what triggers my anger toward them. I have always had to act as if I like them all the while I don't understand why I have such a strong feeling to hurt them...a feeling that I, regrettably, did act upon by kicking and hitting them on one occasion. I really hurt them. I do understand that this was wrong, but in that moment, I was overwhelmed with my feeling of...just hate. I do regret this act, but moving on - my question is whether or not this is normal (doubt it) and if anyone has ever had an experience like this before.

(also, I no longer allow myself to be alone with her dogs to avoid acting on those persistent feelings)

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69% Normal
Based on 396 votes (275 yes)
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Comments ( 19 )
  • unrecognizable5

    While I don't condone hurting animals, I don't think anyone should go around bashing this guy's character from the one act he's chosen to share on this site. I think most people can relate to feeling unusually aggressive for no particular reason. I know that I have. Maybe it's simply adrenaline or perhaps an unconscious trigger. I don't know. I have never actually acted on my aggressive feelings that I do sporadically get, and I admire the fact that you're removing yourself from potential situations where you might get out of control. That being said, it probably wouldn't hurt to talk to someone about those feelings just to see what can be done to curb them.

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  • Tisgranum

    I think there are plenty of people out there who have hated animals or certain animals. Some people have acted fully on it to and abused animals over and over. I think it's good that you beat yourself for acting on it, and good that you do everything not to do so again.

    I think it's a fairly common trait to hate certain animals. Nothing to be to wary about. Again, it's a matter of controlling your actions.

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  • Yandaman

    ahh dude, plenty times has that feeling come over me.. and i have acted on it too.. as far as im concerned, dogs that small look like an organ with limbs. Their shaking and insecurities can drive me up the fuckin wall.... you could charge your toothbrush with one of them.. My Faince's mother has 6 of the little fuckers!! but not for long hahahahaha spare a thought for the man People!!!!

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  • daydreamer394

    You should probably get that checked out, seriously. It's good that you have removed yourself from the situation... and that's all I can say that's good. Your problem is disturbing. Did you enjoy hurting them? How did it make you feel to see innocent creatures in pain?

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  • tundraskies

    Yes, it is normal. My friend asked me to take care of a puppy that she got on the street because she felt sad for it for a week, and it is already day two, and this dog is driving me insane. I mean, it is a puppy,it is supposed to be adorable, right? No. It pooped more than 12 times in one day, and peed three times not on the designated pad that are supposed to attract dogs to pee on them or something. This was the first thing that drove me mad. But the thing that drove me over the edge was when I thought that it would be cute to take the dog out for a walk in the building compound's park, and seeing it so scared of even moving an inch, and then running after me as if its life depended on it if I walked away, and wailing uncontrollably out of fear. I put it down next to the wall, and then took a few steps away waiting for it to follow me or just go and explore the garden, but it just kept smelling the wall, and looking at the wall and crying out. Seeing it so small, and so weak and helpless made me furious. I thought to myself, aren't dogs supposed to be happy to be outside? They all run and fetch and play with the ball, and bark because they feel the freedom? This one just seemed like a useless hairball pooping machine. AND it did not even poop or urinate outside but as soon as I took him back home he just let it all out over the wooden parquet. I have had the desire to do evil things to him. I have thought of a million ways to kill him. His weak exterior and those sad little eyes and weak limbs just make me insanely mad, and I just had to search if this was natural. I had never had this level of hatred to any other animal before.I don't like myself around it, I am afraid of having children because of this. There is something disgustingly enjoyable in punishing it

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    • daydreamer394

      You are vile. Don't breed.

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  • Moonbow

    Before I dumped my dog freak girlfriend, she went away one weekend and told me I had to take care of the fucking dog. I didn't feed the bitch (the 4-legged one) from Friday when she left until Sunday afternoon when she got back. If the ugly little mattie-haired fucker came into the kitchen, I'd kick it across the room and then I'd eat all kinds of good-smelling chicken, hamburgers and things and she'd come up to the table begging and I'd make like I was going to feed her with my left hand and punch her in her ugly little begging face with my right fist. (I absolutely LOVED feeling my fist contact that ugly face!) When my dog freak of a girlfriend got back, the mutt would no longer go into the kitchen at all and she never begged at the table again, something my idiot girlfriend had been trying to train her not to do for months!

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  • Moonbow

    My advice: Drop this bitch (the 2-legged one) NOW! I was in the dentist's office one day and read an article in a magazine that a LOT of guys break up with girls or even divorce their wives because of annoying dogs. Some women break up with guys for the same reason, but not nearly as many.

    Girls are so freaking stupid when it comes to dogs. They think that if they force the filthy fleabags on a guy, he will love them. I had a girlfriend once who insisted that I walk her little dingle-berried mutt and as soon as I got out of site, I'd pull the leash and choke it and kick the shit out of it! One day we were sitting on the couch and the ugly little 4-legged demon jumped up on the couch and stuck its ass right in my face and I knocked it across the freaking room. She got all upset and I told her that I didn't want to live in a house that smelled like a shithole dog kennel, packed my stuff and left that bitch!

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  • DUUUUUUDE

    I understand where you're coming from. I dont as the first poster said, condone hurting animals. But people do feel aggression to dogs frightened of everything, just as much as You dislike the guy thats afraid of everything. So yeah I'm not bashing you bud.

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  • AngAnders112

    Seems like it's just an evil desire in you to hurt or over power something you see as weak or inferior. I know many people who think skittish dogs are rather sad, pathetic and annoying. But I've not know anyone to cause harm to a dog or any animal for simply having this trait.

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  • Inspector019

    Perhaps they sense you're an ass hole. Just saying.

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    • roflheart

      they have always been scared of everything. however, they used to like me and hide behind me which i found to be annoying for some reason.

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  • alv1592

    You're mean for wanting to hurt them. They probably sense that you hate them, and that's why they hide from you.

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    • roflheart

      Also, they do not hide just from me; they hide from most everything that makes loud noises and even some of their toys.

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  • there's seriously something wrong with you. the dogs are small and cant really defend themselves against us humans, so obviously they have the right to be wary and scared. also, you don't know what the dog has been through; Maybe he or she was abused. they have the right to be terrified of you now. dogs sense things humans can't, they probably sensed that you were a bad person an an abuser. you shouldn't be around animals and should now seek help with behavior problems.

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    • roflheart

      As I said, these feelings are absolutely not predominant when I am around animals...just these two dogs. The question was more directed toward why these feelings occur.

      Also, the dogs were never abused in the past - they got them from a breeder when they were about 3 months old.

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  • kyanviado

    Yes, I kicked one before but it was attacking. Oh before you kick another dog go to the kitchen and make me a sandwich

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    • roflheart

      How original. I can tell that you strained your brain for that one.

      Shush now.

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      • weirdstuff

        Hello!
        I hace exactly the same situation. 2 little yorkshire terrier mega mini, scared of everything, shaking all the time, they hide from eveything and cry all the time for no reason, they make a small littlw noise that triggers me such a string feeling to hurt them...hate that feeling.

        I cannot control thoughts of killing them, just kicking them hard or throwing them throw a window.This is somethig that makes me feel super uncomfortable and nervous, ovbiuosly I control myself so holding this anger destroys my brain and I cant stop thinking in the dogs and analyzing why the fuck they exist.
        This gets so extreme that can be a stronger feeling than having sex with my girlfriend... so it even affects my sex life as I am thinking how could I kill them.

        I do not know what to do. I love this girl, and I have always loved dogs in my family (big ones). Never ever had this shitty feeling to hurt an animal. Its not nice but it can get reaaly uncontrollable.

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