Woman sparks debate on whether your dog should sit at the dinner table at Christmas

People are flocking to social media to share mixed responses over whether or not pets should be allowed to join in on the Christmas dinner.

Prepare to point at the screen and tell someone near you, 'Look at the dog,' as soon as you spot Mabel:

Now, as someone who lets their dog sleep in the bed - spooning them to sleep every night an accurate, but embarrassing, indicator of how painfully single I am this cuffing season - I may be slightly biased on whether or not pets should be included in every aspect of the big festive day.

If you don't have children then who else are you kicking up a fuss for that Santa's coming to town?

While my mum would firmly refuse our dog being able to get his paws up on the table to dig into some turkey and stuffing, if I had it my way, he'd be sat front and centre of the table and even get first dibs on the roasties.

Matthew Ashmore/ Alamy Stock Photo

Two dog lovers, Naomi Ikisted and Tinuke Bernard appeared on Good Morning Britain to debate whether or not dogs should be allowed to sit at the table during Christmas dinner.

Tinuke said: "Mabel is adorable but her place should be on the floor not at a table, not while anyone else is eating."

However, Naomi responded saying she would '100 percent' have her dogs at the dinner table for the festive meal.

"I think it's all about boundaries. We obviously have to give our kids, our dogs, our relationships, partners, boundaries. But at the same time, we all need to have a bit of fun from time to time and let go of those boundaries and just relax the rules.

"It's Christmas at the end of the day so I think it's all about the occasion [...] let them sit at the table, let them have some Christmas dinner," Naomi countered.

ITV

Tinuke still wasn't convinced. "I think that's one boundary - dogs don't know what day it is, they don't know if it's Christmas or not [...] they can have the same dog food they had the day before and they'll be absolutely happy or they can have a special treat on the floor in their bowls not while I'm eating, not where I'm eating," she said.

When questioned whether or not dogs could then be at risk of continuously abusing the rules and jumping up on the table after having been allowed once, Naomi quickly exemplified how rules are often relaxed briefly with children.

And hey, at least dogs can't argue back!

ITV

Viewers of the ITV weekday programme have since taken to social media to give their views.

One Twitter said: "Yeah I would I have a cat she will be getting looked after by my friend while I spend Christmas with my brother but I will treat her to pick some cat presents and cat treats when I get back."

"I personally wouldn't allow it. I think it would encourage them to jump up the table for food at other times which wouldn’t be welcome - it would confuse them," another wrote.

A third resolved: "Each to their own it’s no one’s business but theirs."