When a Friend Won't Visit.

[Rudge]

I have a good friend that comes here to the US from Egypt.

He has been here for some time and has become a US citizen but all of his interaction has been with other people from Egypt.

His family, wife and two kids are/have being raised in basically an Egyptian lifestyle... (Christians,, surprise surprise)

That's not the point. It seems that in Egypt, dogs are viscous threatening things that should be feared for they are rarely kept for any other purpose. (it seems by his reaction)

My friend wont visit me at my home because I have two dogs.

Any tips on how to convince him that my dogs are friendly and wouldn't hurt a fly?

(They bark in excitement when they have visitors. They love it when company comes)       

     

[sammy2fish]

Dogs are nice animals. I would pick them over cats, anytime.

It is a cultural thing, then?  Could you send him a small video of you and your dogs having fun?

[Phil]

Rabies.

I lived somewhere where dogs as pets were rare, and you would not approach any unknown dog. I had a friend who was bitten and so he went to hospital for his 28 painful injections, just in case. A month or two later another dog ran out and bit him, so back again for another 28 injections.

Meet him away from the dogs, problem solved.

[ThirdOfSix]

It does not have to have anything to do with fear.

My dad grew up on a farm. Dogs were outside animals...end of subject.

For generations, the idea of having a dog inside the home was equivalent to having a cow, goat, or chicken in the home.

It was plain and simple just a very distasteful thing to do.

With six boys, he eventually got over it. Even then, he never showed any affection for the dogs...when he knew anyone was watching.

I am not sure how it happened that my brothers and I later kept pet white mice and rats.

Anyway, this is the kind of attitude that is drummed into people from childhood .

There is not necessarily any thought involved by the time they are adults. It is just the way the world has always been and the only way that it should be...to them.

[Just17]

....  or ...........  get rid of the dogs!


 

[craesz]

....  or ...........  get rid of the dogs!


 

That's crazy talk.

[Mike]

Why not take a more direct act....just ask him why and what would be acceptable to him..Might find out he's ok with good reasons, or perhaps, you might you don't want him in your house after all...

[horusfalcon]

You could try introducing him to a litter of puppies...  use The Cute, Luke! 

Later On,
D

[dixonpete]

I had to write off an Egyptian friend this year because the cultural stuff got to be too much to bear. Think the wife being required to walk 1 meter behind us x 100. Nothing to do with the individual just deep deep social programming.

[luikki]

sorry...

My friend wont visit me at my home because I have two dogs.

i would let my your  friend go and i would keep my dogs...

[jaydot]

could the dogs be the excuse he's using to not visit?

[sammy2fish]

could the dogs be the excuse he's using to not visit?

Whoa.... Did you think of that?

Rudge, you love your dogs.

I've had the odd time a friend would call me an a-hole.  But I look at it this way... Before you knew this guy life was ok, right?  So if he and your dogs scenario don't work out, c'est la vie.

[joechimp]

I am sorry to say that there probably is no solution that will end the way you want it too.

[Rudge]

Thanks everybody.  I don't think I learned anything I didn't already know. 

[joechimp]

Thanks everybody.  I don't think I learned anything I didn't already know. 

That is the very sad part of this all. Good Luck.