Dog lovers are passionate about their furry friends, and the latest proof of that comes from the reaction to Chip Gaines’s recent Instagram post. The Fixer Upper star shared a photo of his son Crew sitting on one of the family dogs, and furious fans rushed to the comments section to call the behavior irresponsible.
The Kodak moment took place on Gaines’s front porch, where his two dogs were lying. The photo shows Crew sitting on one of the dogs while playing a gaming console. Gaines captioned it, “A boy and his pony… I mean dog #farmLife.”
Critics were ruthless in the comments. One wrote, “Except this is a dog and not a horse. This is pretty cringe honestly. Sitting on dogs isn’t cool.”
Another added: “Tell me you don’t care about your dog’s long-term hip health without telling me. Oh and if the dog bites the kid, it’ll likely get put down. This isn’t cute, it’s irresponsible and a very poor representation of what it means to be a responsible animal owner.”
Many others said that even though it’s a cute picture, dogs aren’t meant to be used as seats. Others pointed out that the dog doesn’t look happy in the photo, with some saying it looked like the dog was growling. “It takes a split second for even the most chilled dog to attack due to pain,” one person wrote.
Among the many comments begging Gaines to “teach animal respect,” people chimed in with their own unfortunate incidents related to sitting on pets. One individual shared: “I sat on our Dalmatian when I was a kid. Started bouncing on her and she made a big chomp on my arm. My Mom basically told me I was a dipsh–. Learned my lesson and loved that girl forever.”
Some fans thought the harsh critics were being unfair. One person who claims to own the same type of dog, a Pyrenees, noted that the breed is massive. “The dog looks fine and was probably chewing on something,” they wrote. “Crew is pretty little and the dog does not look in discomfort. All you people crying about a nice pic…”
For all we know, Gaines could’ve snapped the photo and then told Crew to get right off of the dog. Either way, it’s clear the action is a controversial topic, launching a debate about dog and child safety. Gaines hasn’t responded to anyone’s comments for or against the behavior. But with more than 5 million followers, he’s likely used to simply watching heated discourse unfold.
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Associate Editor
Kelly Allen is the current Associate Editor at House Beautiful, where she covers design, pop culture, and travel for digital and the print magazine. She’s been with the team for nearly three years, attending industry events and covering a range of topics. When she’s not watching every new TV show and movie, she’s browsing vintage home stores, admiring hotel interiors, and wandering around New York City. She previously worked for Delish and Cosmopolitan. Follow her on Instagram.
