Over-the-top baby talk

[Cornish]

Do over-the-top "baby talkers" ever annoy anyone else or am I alone in this? Don't get me wrong, of course I baby talk to animals and certainly to my own, but a couple of the other techs I work with at my hospital do it all day long and it's starting to get under my skin.

There is one tech who I swear talks to just about every dog she sees like this: "Who's the cutest little poodley-woodlely-shmoopy-kissy-wissy-do?! YOU ARE! You ARE the most cutest baby-wakey-cakey in the whole wide world!! I just wanna kiss you and love you and hold you forever!!"

And then there are the people who talk to animals just like they are humans, with no special tone in their voice, like "Ok now give me your leg...I said give me your leg, come on you can do this. Just a little more, there you go...ok now you are going to feel a little poke, oh now you can do this I know you can, just a little poke. It won't hurt..." etc.

I don't mind owners doing it much as I only see them for a bit, but hearing this all day can be tiring. Does anyone else feel this way at times?

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[zpinkpanther]

Ick, that sounds obnoxious. Luckily, none of the techs I work with are like that. We'll all say things like, "Oh, aren't you a cute little baby" once in a while, especially with puppies and kittens, but that's about the extent.

I think I'm more often like the second one you mentioned. If a dog is trying to bite or barking in his cage or trying to jump of the exam table while I'm holding him, I'll say something like, "Now that's just unnecessary, why would you do that? That's not going to help you." When I'm alone with an animal (or I think I'm alone ) I'll sometimes talk to him like he's my therapist or sing to him. Yeah, I'm pretty crazy.

 

[biobean]

omg. this past summer, i worked at a small animal clinic. the receptionist would stop to see the rescue kittens in the back every time she came in to work. she would pick one up and say "HHiiiIII! how ARE you?" TEN TIMES. at least.
she's a super nice person, but i can't help laughing a little when she greets the kittens.

 

[LVT2DVM]

I sing Brahm's lullaby when Im anesthetizing animals for surgery but thats about it. Im with ya on the baby talk...gag me. I didnt even baby talk my human babies.

 

[VAgirl]

We'll all say things like, "Oh, aren't you a cute little baby" once in a while, especially with puppies and kittens, but that's about the extent.

For some reason, whenever I see my big grey cat I am unable to keep myself from saying "Hi Figawo!" (his name is Figaro). I know I sound either insane or like Homestarrunner, but I can't help myself. He's such a big squishy kitty. (I say hi to my other cat in a strange way too, but it's not remotely baby voice-ish.)

 

[LVT2DVM]

Homestarrunner,

What is this?

 

[lailanni]

Hehehe, those people probably have no idea how they sound. If they heard themselves, they'd probably get embarassed!

We have one front desk lady who does get all excited about the cute things "OHH!! LOOOK AT YOU!! Aren't you JUST darling!!" and after about a minute she'll snap back to normal "Alright, I got work to do". It's the funniest split personality!

I do get annoyed with the owners who have the ultra excessive baby talk. But then again, I would say we get our share of crack pot owners.

 

[VAgirl]

What is this?

www.homestarrunner.com/ Homestarrunner's the one without arms. Strongbad's the best, though.

 

[lailanni]

What is this?

Hehehe....the best online cartoon there is!!!

http://homestarrunner.com/firsttime.html is the intro for first timers : )

 

[LVT2DVM]

www.homestarrunner.com/ Homestarrunner's the one without arms. Strongbad's the best, though.

Gotcha. Numb-lip talker. Thats funny! For those of us that are old this would be the equivalent of Bill Murrays character in Caddy Shack. Carl Spackler Aka The Weasle Hunter. Classic!

 

[zpinkpanther]

For some reason, whenever I see my big grey cat I am unable to keep myself from saying "Hi Figawo!" (his name is Figaro). I know I sound either insane or like Homestarrunner, but I can't help myself. He's such a big squishy kitty. (I say hi to my other cat in a strange way too, but it's not remotely baby voice-ish.)

Hehe, I'm always calling my kitten different names. I'll call him "my grey tiger," "my grey monster," and sometimes "kitteh." I'm pretty sure he doesn't know yet what his actual name is, and I'm not really sure how to get him to learn it.

 

[VelcroSky]

I talk like a total insane person to my cats but the only one that ever hears that, other than them, is my girlfriend (you should pity her). In public I'll soften my voice but no embarrassing baby talk.

 

[SweeTeaPie]

Oh my gosh i know EXACTLY what you're talking about!

For years I've always referred to it as "Vet Voice" and vowed to never use it myself...

 

[168135]

I don't talk to animals like they are crazy and I don't talk to them in a dull tone... I talk to them like they are a person, but I'm up-beat with them. I have conversations with my cat all of the time

 

[Angie09]

Hehehe, those people probably have no idea how they sound. If they heard themselves, they'd probably get embarassed!

This is a great thread -- I also get that nails-on-a-chalkboard feeling sometimes when I hear people incessantly baby-talking to animals (or to anyone else, for that matter). But I know I do it to my own dogs. Only when we're alone, though!

One time I couldn't find my cell phone, so I called it from our land line to locate it by the ringing, and then somehow I didn't hang up the land line. And my littlest dog (the cutest, fluffiest little beagle mix you've ever seen!) starting being silly, and I started telling her how cute and silly she is..........and then I got to listen to myself because the whole thing got recorded on my cell phone VM! I actually cried, I laughed so hard.

 

[rexosaurus]

so, you probably all know this already, but i work with monkeys, and we don't sedate them for the grand majority of our work. so they get pretty mean, and i don't blame them at all. so when they bite me and kick me in the face and all that fun stuff, i tend to talk to them like i would talk to a person and rationalize (as if they understand me), "okay, monk... you do this every day, you know you're not going to win the battle. just hang out here and i'll give you your yummy [treat of choice] when you're done being a good boy/girl". it makes me feel better, and i honestly think it makes some of them feel better to hear a calm voice instead of someone yelling at them. but there's always the people that talk to them like they are babies, "hello muffin, you're such a good little monk monk... look at that cute little baby face....'"

 

[Catnapper]

Guilty as charged...I'm a baby-talker!
But people tell me my "cat" voice sounds like Eric Cartman (South Park, for those of you who don't know). And I tell fractious kitties that they're "grumpy bears"! So I'll hope that those of you who hate this cutesey-wootsey talk don't have to be stuck with me in a clinic!

 

[Electrophile]

When I own my own practice, I swear, any vet tech, receptionist, kennel staff, or associate vet that I hire that baby talks to the animals will be fired. I'm not even kidding. Not to mention many don't even know how to properly greet a strange dog. Getting all up in their face and looming all over them and talking in a high smoochy smoochy excited voice=recipe for getting bitten. You can talk in a nice, calm, gentle but firm voice, but that is all.

 

[chris03333]

When I own my own practice, I swear, any vet tech, receptionist, kennel staff, or associate vet that I hire that baby talks to the animals will be fired. I'm not even kidding. Not to mention many don't even know how to properly greet a strange dog. Getting all up in their face and looming all over them and talking in a high smoochy smoochy excited voice=recipe for getting bitten. You can talk in a nice, calm, gentle but firm voice, but that is all.

Well we will never work together then

I baby talk (tone down my voice) and greet all of my patients, but I do not do all the "oh you such a cutsy ....." stuff I am more like "Hi, kity (doggy, monkey, whetever animal, or the name of the animal)" I WOULD NEVER get in their faces (expecially not my macaque patients) and do not speak in a excited voice, but I do change the tone I use (guess more like you would talk to a young child and not a baby.

 

[athenaparthenos]

I don't see what I say as 'baby talking' because it doesn't involve nonsense syllables or a painfully high-pitched voice. But I notice that I tend to pick up whatever endearments the people around me use. (With the exception of "Hey girlfriend!" used by our most awesome vet ever on female dogs, but it was hilarious in her case as she was a 40-year-old white woman.) Like "Who's the bravest boy, it's [dog's name here], yes he is" for procedures where they're being restrained. I find in nervous nail trim dogs that belly rubs and a high, praising voice seems to help calm them down some, so I do it without qualms there. A boarding cat that comes in I always converse with. "Whiskas!" I'll call, then meow to him and he'll meow back. When we're restraining cats and they need a distraction but I have no hands for head-tapping I'll go "Kittykittykitty!" and sometimes that works to distract them. I dunno, I would definitely be annoyed by "who's the precious snookums kittywittypoo!" stuff, but just using terms of endearment in general, nope, I do it all the time.

I don't just randomly go up to strange animals and start squealing though, that's for damn sure.

 

[Badger Girl]

I have my own animal voice like Catnapper. It's fun, but probably annoying to everyone else!!

 

[Hobiecat1642]

i have a silly voice that I use, but briefly. "grumpy bear" is hilarious. I don't mind stuff like that. For me, it's not the words so much as the pitch. There's a certain octave that needs to be hit, and after that, I feel the babytalker must be smacked.

 

[carrbear21]

I've always wondered how animals would respond to that (or their response in translation so we can understand). I'd assume it would be "shut the f*&$ up!".

 

[tastrophe]

I'd definitely say my tone changes when I talk to other peoples' animals, but I only really have a "voice" for my own. I have 2 cats that are super-skittish, so they get the same 2-3 words over and over - and over - again (it drives my boyfriend nuts), in the "voice," while the others may or may not get the "voice" but still get the tone change.

I can't imagine doing the whole cutesy-wootsy deal to someone else's pet though, and I'd be highly annoyed if someone did that to mine (well, except for one cat, who sits up and claps when you tell her to be cute; it's almost like she expects to be gushed on after she does that!).

 

[Cornish]

When I own my own practice, I swear, any vet tech, receptionist, kennel staff, or associate vet that I hire that baby talks to the animals will be fired. I'm not even kidding. Not to mention many don't even know how to properly greet a strange dog. Getting all up in their face and looming all over them and talking in a high smoochy smoochy excited voice=recipe for getting bitten. You can talk in a nice, calm, gentle but firm voice, but that is all.

Can I work for you? LOL

 

[lailanni]

So funny -- don't know why I didn't post this the first time.

One time I was putting a client into the room and taking info - it was this guy with a small poodle. He talked to his dog (and sometimes me) in the highest squeakest baby talk voice..

"Who's the cutest little poodle-woodle-doodle? Who's daddy's little doodle? With your fuzzy wuzzy head, aren't you the fuzziest wuzziest? Oh yes you are, yes you are!!" Keep in mind this is a big guy....

Me - so what brand of food is ___ on?

"Oh just the bestest-westest, are't we? __ only eats Science Diet! Science-wyance only for my little fuzzy wuzzy!"

Not kidding. And then he asked me out to lunch. It took epic amounts of self control not to burst out laughing!!

 

[winglessflight]

we had one client, a young guy that was probably around 20, who baby talked his dog, then licked its nose.

my coworker and I had to go in back so we wouldn't laugh in front of the guy

 

[zpinkpanther]

So funny -- don't know why I didn't post this the first time.

One time I was putting a client into the room and taking info - it was this guy with a small poodle. He talked to his dog (and sometimes me) in the highest squeakest baby talk voice..

"Who's the cutest little poodle-woodle-doodle? Who's daddy's little doodle? With your fuzzy wuzzy head, aren't you the fuzziest wuzziest? Oh yes you are, yes you are!!" Keep in mind this is a big guy....

Me - so what brand of food is ___ on?

"Oh just the bestest-westest, are't we? __ only eats Science Diet! Science-wyance only for my little fuzzy wuzzy!"

Not kidding. And then he asked me out to lunch. It took epic amounts of self control not to burst out laughing!!

Oh no, getting hit on by clients is the best/worst/funniest! There should be a whole other thread just for that because, let me tell ya, we get some doozies where I work!

 

[kate_g]

I'm pretty sure he doesn't know yet what his actual name is, and I'm not really sure how to get him to learn it.

One of my cats is named Schrodinger, which is kind of cumbersome. Most of the time I call him "little man." But I'm sure he thinks his name is "psst!" - I've always used that sound to get his attention and he comes when I call him with it. He's nine and I doubt he'll ever know his "real" name but I don't see that it matters a whole lot. (My other cats do not answer to "psst!" so I guess *they* think that's his name too!)

For the thread at large, I'll admit I'm a nicknamer. My SO's mom's Shih Tzu Buster is "bugface," my classmate's dog Joe has become "jojo." I really can't just leave a name alone. Often I'll add "mister" or "miss" in front of the name of an older animal, to be respectful. Most animals I'm meeting for the first time are "sweetie" or "buddy" or "old man" (if appropriate), because they're unlikely to respond to a stranger saying their name anyway. But I do *not* go in for the high-pitched cutesy-wootsy-poo stuff. Bleh.

 

[twelvetigers]

Often I'll add "mister" or "miss" in front of the name of an older animal, to be respectful.

I often say, "I don't think so, ma'am!" or "No you don't, sir." It's a little odd, but only when scolding. One of my cats is named Slater, so he's been dubbed "Tater Tot" whether he likes it or not. I also have a corgi named Chloe, but I just call her "O" a lot. Just... the middle sound from her name. Weird.

How about calling yourself (and S/O if applicable) "Mommy" and "Daddy"? I never used to do that, but my best friend does it, and now, so do I. Is it as weird as I think it is?

 

[kate_g]

How about calling yourself (and S/O if applicable) "Mommy" and "Daddy"?

Heh... Actually we have this pillow on our sofa that one of our cats kneads incessantly. So that pillow gets called "mommy." I can't imagine she actually thinks milk is ever going to come out of it, so it must just be a particularly comforting texture...

 

[twelvetigers]

Heh... Actually we have this pillow on our sofa that one of our cats kneads incessantly. So that pillow gets called "mommy." I can't imagine she actually thinks milk is ever going to come out of it, so it must just be a particularly comforting texture...

We had a sheepskin rug like that at one point. Manny sure did love that rug... he almost wore a spot in it.