The title of this article says it all, or does it? A new poll comes out and people immediately start wondering what's wrong with their relationship and do nothing to figure what it all means. The latest poll from the Associated Press and Petside claims that one-third of all married women would rather talk with their dog or pet than their spouse because the pet is a better listener.....What??? That seems like a pretty big generalization and maybe even somewhat extreme. The poll surveyed 1,112 people nationwide and found that one in 10 would rather talk with the dog instead the spouse and 18 percent of the respondents were actually men.

I think it's easy to say that this is proof that men (mostly) do not listen to their wives and tune out. Did it ever occur to anyone that maybe the problem lies in how couples communicate and how they feel about how their spouse is responding to the conversation? Sometimes the 'listening' spouse can be very judgemental and critical and come across as not very supportive, which is a common complaint among married couples. If this is true in your relationship, it's sad, but it also explains why effective and satisfying communication is so difficult and emotionally draining.

 The solution might lie in a little self analysis about how you listen and express yourself. Assuming the other spouse just doesn't 'get it' is way too easy and a lot more appealing than knowing the problem may actually be you and not the other person. More often than not, both parties could do a little better in the communication area. This type of poll might be kind of cute or funny on the surface, but if you really think your pet is a better listener than your spouse and you prefer to talk to your pet, it's time for a reality check. I am certainly not an expert on this subject, but two failed marriages has taught me a lot about how to communicate. Having a quality conversation with your spouse is much better than a conversation with your dog who is probably not as engaged as you think. The only thing this poll proves is that there are way too many polls. W

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