Man's best friend might be his dog but it might not bring domestic peace

Man’s best friend is his dog – but not necessarily. The average dog is now believed to cause nearly 2,000 domestic disputes and arguments in its lifetime.

A study by an insurance company in the United Kingdom maintains that the average pet dog, during a life expectancy of 12.8 years, can cause 1,997 domestic arguments – which equates to three arguments a week and 156 quarrels every year, reports the Sun-Herald.

Arguments range from disagreements over who should take the dog for a walk, feeding them too many treats, and what to do with them during holidays. The study revealed that 25% of dog owners regularly argue about where the dog is allowed to wander about the house – such as on beds and sofas. About 20% of dog owners argue whose turn it is to clean up the dog’s mess and 10% disagree over who should clean the stains on the carpet, caused by the dog.

Disciplining the dog also causes arguments – 18% of couples argue and separate because one is accused of being too harsh on the dog. About 15% of couples argue about who should train the dog, while 10% of people get annoyed if the dog is “humanized.” Other arguments include who should buy the dog in the first place, what type of dog they should have, and how much they should buy it for – as well as the amount spent on the dog during its lifetime. The damage caused by dogs (such as broken children’s toys and chewed footwear) also causes domestic arguments.

Due to the dog argument, about 17% of households say that the disputes were so bad that one member of the family slept in the spare room (and it wasn’t the dog!).

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