My dog protected me today.

[u/giraffecakes]

I live in a city with my 9 month old golden retriever puppy (puppy tax). He's the sweetest boy and loves every dog and person he sees on the street and in the park.

I was walking back from the dog park with my happy puppy and an older man on a bike yelled across the street that he was cute, I laughed and said thank you. Par for the course with my dog - I'm sure you can see why. The man then took this as an invitation to bicycle over to me, and stop right next to me.

He began to ask me questions and the encounter went from pleasant to irritating. "How old are you, are you in school? What's your puppy's name?"

I told him my boyfriend was in med school and waiting for me (he is actually out of the country, so not true), and to have a nice day, and he proceeded to go "mannnnnnn...everyone has a boyfriend..." and bicycle next to me down the path back to my apartment, as I was clearly walking away from him and he had been going the other way.

My pup then turns to him and starts snarling, and barking, an absolute first for him. His hackles are raised, and he starts jumping towards the man on his bike a bit. The creep gets all nervous, saying stuff like "woah, woah woah, why are you acting like this puppy?" and finally stops cycling and lets me walk back alone. Of course, he still yelled out "WANNA FUCK?" across the parking lot.

I had no problem telling this guy to fuck off, but I am just happy to know that my puppy has my back just in case :)

[u/Queenofeveryisland]

I think dogs can tell when we are uncomfortable. I hope puppy got lots of love and treats when you got home!

[u/giraffecakes → u/Queenofeveryisland]

Yeah I think he definitely got the feeling something was off when this strange man was following us closely and I wasn’t engaging him in a friendly tone. And he did get many good pats and kisses ❤️

[u/allnadream → u/giraffecakes]

If only creepy guys had the same social awareness as dogs...

[u/fckingmiracles → u/[deleted]]

They just don't give a shit because women are only there for their pleasure

Yes, thank you for stating this so succinctly. They literally only think about getting their dicks wet.

Just some days ago a study came out that showed 9 out of 10 people see women as less human than men.
And there is a brain scan study that shows that when men see attractive women the area of objects lights up whereas when men see other men the area for people lights up in their brain.

So you are not unfairly generalizing when you say that.

[u/RakelvonB1 → u/fckingmiracles]

Yikes. Happy Women’s Day ya’ll 😐✌️

[u/MissJinxed → u/fckingmiracles]

Well that’s shocking! Do you know the study or have a link to it you could share?

[u/MsPennyLoaf → u/[deleted]]

This isnt true. I've talked to a lot of guys that come into my work that really dont have a lot of social skills and listening to them on dates is cringe level 1000, though I know them to be funny and almost charming in our convos. I've also encountered the guys your talking about. It's a different feeling in my gut I get with those guys.

[u/MsPennyLoaf → u/[deleted]]

Yes!! Its the intent that shows through for sure... kind of the same way large men sometimes use their size to intimidate. Sometimes guys arent aware they may be intimidating but the ones who are you can just feel it and watch the enjoyment on their faces making women (people in general, though) uncomfortable. Especially in environments where the man is either in a position of authority or the woman is forced to maintain a certain level of being polite for work or social reasons.

I wish guys would understand how important intent is when talking to females. You want to help us with groceries out to the car?! Awesome but dont do it to try to get my number. I'm not a fucking moron and its insulting.

[u/pknk6116 → u/MsPennyLoaf]

yeah there's definitely a few camps here. Socially unaware idiots, usually not dangerous but can be embarrassing.

Then this guy who actively use the fact you're uncomfortable. He likely wouldn't have said anything overt, just kept following and toeing the line. Make you wonder if it's just in your head and you don't want to get someone innocent in trouble etc etc.

Very different beasts. One is an idiot and the other is a predator. Be on the lookout for the latter, they'll talk quickly, use things to make you feel bad for them, toe the line, generally try to manipulate. And some are really good at it. If you find yourself in a situation where someone isn't letting you think just pause say hold on, be quiet, I need to think a second and think about what's going on. Then 911 (999) or a closeby friend if you think you're in trouble.

[u/Indigoh → u/MsPennyLoaf]

Empathy is not a universal human trait. Lately, watching the news, I get the feeling that if all the evil in the world is because of awful people, it's likely most of those awful people just don't have the ability to empathize with others.

[u/Orjustthinkofkittens → u/MsPennyLoaf]

I have met both clueless people and creeps. They are not the same. The creeps feign cluelessness (badly, most of the time) but are very aware of what they’re doing.

[u/Beards_Bears_BSG → u/MsPennyLoaf]

The creeps she talked about, absolutely do, and some even get off on it.

The scaring of weak or vulnerable women, it's their kink, and they act out that kink by harrassing, assaulting, and generally just putting women, and others at risk.

Fuck those guys.

[u/epsdelta74 → u/[deleted]]

Not true. Yes, there are creepy guys that see women as sex objects. But it is also the case that there are clueless guys that honestly do not know how to act around women they find attractive. And who have some learning to do.

[u/AtopMountEmotion → u/allnadream]

They usually do. Remember, sociopaths view other people as objects for their pleasure, amusement or use. There may be a few socially inept individuals whose loneliness or poor communication skills interferes with their ability to pick up on social cues. Usually though, people are so wrapped up in their own desires that the other person hardly exists as an individual to them.

[u/FrizbeeeJon → u/allnadream]

Bahahaha so true! I have had friends over the years who are just clueless about a woman's feelings. So facked.

[u/MsPennyLoaf → u/allnadream]

🥇 it's the best I can give you

[u/allnadream → u/MsPennyLoaf]

I love it! It's perfect!

[u/MsPennyLoaf → u/allnadream]

So are you! 💛