Hubby is not generally domineering, although he admits that women in his past have accused him of being that. I can understand why they would. If I actually do want to start a fight, all I'd have to say is, "I want a dog." It doesn't matter how much I want one. We'll get one when HE decides.

Sure, he offers valid reasons why having a dog is not a good idea right now. We live in a single-wide mobile home with a tiny yard and no fence. We also have four cats, two of whom are elderly. The oldest cat is mostly blind and partially deaf from a stroke. (And she's terribly afraid of dogs.) I know he's technically correct on the dog question. My point is, I don't like the way he puts his foot down about it. I want him to say, "It's not a good idea because...." as opposed to "No, we're absolutely not getting one because...." He just doesn't get it. Any time we discuss the matter, which for obvious reasons we haven't in a long time, he honestly believes I don't understand why he's saying no, and he states those things all over again. In truth, it's not the "why," it's the "how." But if I call him on the "how," he thinks I'm arguing in favor of getting a dog, and it baffles him that *I* just don't understand. It is no longer about a dog at this point. It's about him deciding for both of us, regardless of my feelings.

But that's just on the one issue, not a general attitude. I don't think he can be blamed for occasionally lapsing into it. His father WAS an abusive, domineering jerk, and that's the way he was raised.