abadideaI think I need to stop hashtagging Odin’s photos because like three times in a week I’ve gotten nonfollower reply guys who go over the post with a magnifying glass to find something they imagine is going on that isn’t going on and let me know that my dog is poorly behaved and/or I’m an abusive owner
strangers IRL comment CONSTANTLY on how calm, well behaved, and safe Odin is; his only sin is assuming everyone else wants cuddles and hugs as much as he does! guys online however have cracked the case after seeing one photo and hallucinating the scenario like an LLM
you might be able to tell that yes, I, lady with a debilitating anxiety disorder about things like crossing streets, who had a massive roly poly fluffball made of pure love suddenly dropped into her life, and who moved heaven and earth to push herself to make sure his life would be as safe and healthy as possible, really take it kind of personally when a complete stranger who hasn’t even seen my dog outside of a candid photo decides to tell me I’m doing it wrong
there’s been a lot of learning as we go. there’s been a lot of taking advice from people who actually met Odin and observed him. we switched to the gentle leader on the recommendation of an old lady in a power chair who hangs out at the public drug-doing benches and calls herself “the mafia mother”, and it was a miraculous improvement in our ability to communicate clearly to Odin. on our way home tonight, I spotted glass on the sidewalk and had him stopped still in under a second.
number of people he’s hurt: 0, other than accidentally bruising me as a puppy.
number of animals he’s hurt: 0.
number of angry old guys he’s slimed on the tram: okay yes 1 sorry dude
number of other dogs who have attacked mine unprovoked: idk probably like 5
number of people who have been REALLY weird at me purely because he’s big: way too many
kit@0xabad1dea umm I don’t usually comment, but I like your tales of Odin. And you seem like a pretty damn’d reasonable human, as far as one can ever tell on the internets.
azteclady@0xabad1dea I'm sorry people have been weird and aggressive to you over your dog. Far too many people online don't ever stop to consider the many social mores and polite boundaries they are crossing over with their replies.
💀 𝓕airchild 💀@0xabad1dea
Those people suck. You don't. Odin is lucky to have you. 💜
Those people suck. You don't. Odin is lucky to have you. 💜
Rosie and Susie@tankgrrl @0xabad1dea Well said! 👏
Michael Gemar@0xabad1dea He’s terrific, and no one should be telling you otherwise.
Alfred Chow - Maker of Things@0xabad1dea
I think you have been a fantastic parent to Odin, and I love seeing how happy and playful he is.
But reply guys will reply!
DJGummikuh@0xabad1dea from what I can see you are really doing great and odin appears to appreciate it and that really should be the only scale that matters! Fuck these bored morons.
Ben Rosengart@0xabad1dea I doubt you know me among your many followers, but we go back to Twitter days, and by osmosis, I know a lot about you and your situation.
I’m as positive as I could be, without having seen Odin in situ, that you and your guy are great dog parents. I can see how thoughtful you are about his needs, and how you respect him as a living creature in his own right, not a mere extension of yourself (as so many people think of their pets and children). If I had a dog, I would be quite confident leaving it in your care.
Simon Rolfmore@0xabad1dea “here is Odin sitting and wagging his tail”
Dickheads: “DOGS ONLY DROOL WHEN THEY ARE IN EXTREME STRESS HIS TAIL IS ANGRY”
Dickheads: “DOGS ONLY DROOL WHEN THEY ARE IN EXTREME STRESS HIS TAIL IS ANGRY”
Cysio 
@0xabad1dea it's the parasociality, tbh I'm mighty guilty of assuming shit about people online given scraps of information, and it doesn't help that sometimes I turn out to be right and keep riding that high for years
Glyph@me @0xabad1dea I don't think parasociality really explains this, particularly if it's exacerbated through hashtags? Like I would expect anyone with even an extremely casual parasocial bond to at least be a follower
The Psychotic Network Ferret@0xabad1dea I would totally give Odin all the huggles.
I like doggies!