In case anybody is wondering the actual reason, it's because many quadrupedal mammals bathe by licking themselves and each other, particular between parents and offspring, so a dog licking you is just the dog's instinctual response to close physical contact with family members. Some hypothesize that dogs enjoy being pet because it emulates the sensation of their mother licking them. Some animals are somewhat incapable of cleaning themselves at a young age and that leads to problems with early separation, such as Lions who in captivity are often paired with a dog who serves as a surrogate mother for cleaning them.
There are also some related wolf behaviors. Pups seem to lick parent faces to trigger them to regurgitate foraged food when they return to the den after hunting. I always imagine that my pup is licking my face to get me to regurgitate a smackerel of something delicious.
Idk, you probably just live an artificially clean life.
If you do any sort of manual labour you get all sorts of gross crap on you. If it's on your hands it's on your face a few moments later anyway.
Carcinogenic grease, random lab chemicals, who knows what the fuck from soil, lightly rotting food and bathroom grime from housework, kitchen grease whatever.
That's why you wash your hands and face regularly through the day and shower /shrug.
My skin is mostly blemish free aside from a few moles, some scars from old piercings, and the occasional spot of hyperpigmentation from old wounds.
Why would you think otherwise?
I use my own homemade true soap (I'm convinced modern detergents are much harsher than they need to be and that a superfat of olive and jojoba oil is good for my skin) if a simple wash with water and a towel won't clean me off.
Skin will only get angry if you strip away protective oils or clog up the pores with who knows what. I don't scent my soap either, perhaps that makes a difference?
I really don't get your argument...how is me living a theorical "artificial" clean life relevant ? (Which you're only assuming btw)
It's like arguing that getting kicked in the balls is fine because "you probably just live in an artificially painless life, with painkillers and modern medicine".
huh it's not an argument it's just my opinion. Dogs mouths are super dirty, saliva is a bit gross. If you are used to just getting dirty and clean all the time another way of getting dirty doesn't seem that bothersome.
Like most people are grossed out by being vomited on, after you care for babies for a while or work security at a messy bar or whatever you stop being that grossed out because it happens hundreds of times. Work at a vet or on an animal farm and piss and shit getting on you stops being so nasty.
It's not a moral judgement, just that if a pet licking you seems really gross you probably aren't used to getting stuff on your face that you just go wipe/wash off.
Also yeah, pain seems worse because we're not used to experiencing it, although pain is a bit special because our brains make us forget what it feels like so it's always novel. You know how some people can just get hurt a lot and deal with it? they're not superhuman, they just live lives with much more pain in them.
Hence the "irrationally grossed out" part. It's not a controlled thing, I'm not choosing to feel grossed out, I just do. So you can understand that your reply was akin to telling an arachophobe: "You're probably a city dweller that's never been to the countryside, we have them everywhere there". It comes off as arrogant and know-it-all.
Oh psh, everybodies house is full of spiders and other friendlies. Also you can treat phobias unless they're extremely severe.
So yes, an arachnaphobe probably hasn't worked with spiders :p
I'm significantly afraid of heights, like woozy standing on a chair fear, hasn't stopped me doing maintenance on a roof or riding all the horrifying giant drop rides/cross canyon flying foxes etc I come across. Fear doesn't stop you doing stuff, you just have to do it scared.
Sorry, i'm drunk there was a point in there though, that exposure makes it possible to do stuff like work on the roof. And if I was way a lineswoman I would probably no more be afraid of heights by necessity. Humans adapt, only terminally online weirdos think you're stuck in the condition you're currently in.
that you were an enigma wrapped in a mystery? why on earth does this matter to you?
If it's so important to you that you're no stranger to mess then send me a picture with your hands in someone's abdominal cavity and be done with it. You don't like body fluids on your face, woooh join the parade, you're so special. There are billions of you, what does it matter?
I also work in healthcare and deal with lots of poop and blood and dogs licking my face doesn't gross me out. Cats on the countertop do squick my out a bit though.
