The Original Post
I had a friend over for lunch today and made us some grilled ribeye steaks. I seasoned them with just salt and pepper (no garlic or onion). After we finished up lunch, I put my plate down for my dog to lick up the remaining steak juice off my plate. My friend immediately had a visceral reaction and was acting like this was one of the most disgusting things they have ever seen. They proceeded to tell me how unsanitary this was and that they never want to eat my cooking ever again because they now question my “kitchen hygiene”standards . I replied that the plates go directly in the dishwasher and are completely sanitized and asked how they felt about eating off of plates from a restaurant. They said “it’s not the same, it’s an animal and animals need separate bowls”.
I never thought about it from their perspective- i grew up with dogs my whole life and this is just something we did growing up.
Also, The fact they don’t trust my cooking hygiene standards/ don’t want to eat my homemade food ever again cuts really deep and this whole incident is making me really question if I really am the problem here
AITA ?
What Reddit Said
Reddit delivered a surprisingly balanced take on this dog licking dinner plate hygiene debate. Most users acknowledged both perspectives have merit. However, the top comment perfectly captured the divide: it’s not rational, but feelings about grossness are valid.
Many Redditors shared similar experiences from their own households. Some grew up letting pets lick plates without issue. Others found the practice revolting, comparing it to dogs eating feces and licking buttholes. Therefore, the consensus leaned toward “No Assholes Here” (NAH).
The Verdict
The overwhelming consensus: No Assholes Here (NAH). This dog licking dinner plate hygiene dispute highlights how cultural differences around pets create genuine conflicts. Moreover, Reddit recognized that both the visceral disgust and the “it gets washed anyway” logic are understandable positions. This represents a classic case of friendship conflicts where neither party is wrong, just incompatible on pet boundaries.
Original post from r/AmItheAsshole (1,109 upvotes, 1,482 comments)