Pet peeves refer to a compound word used to describe a plethora of behaviors or behavioral patterns that tend to annoy and sometimes irritate observers of the action. Like most compound words, pet peeves need to be broken down into different components to better understand them. The word pet does not refer to an actual animal we keep for friendship, rather it refers to the kind of nurturing given to something we love. While peeves refer to an annoyance felt by the receiver or observer of an action. This explains that people are not born with an aversion to mild annoyance, rather these aversions are cultivated or picked up along the way.
One would think that the word would originate from an activity involving a pet. However, the word is said to originate from a comic strip first introduced in the Chicago Tribune, in 1916 by Frank King. Frank King used this comic strip to discuss several habits performed by others he considered a nuisance, he described them as thoughtless, portraying that people did not realize their actions were inconvenient. Each strip topic was considered humorous by the public according to popular opinion. King's strips were largely successful, running from 1916 to 1920 with the public sending in their peeves to King to be published in this strip featured in the newspaper.
The word was officially added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 1919 and gained popularity amongst various English speakers in what we refer to as a trend in the modern vocabulary. Mentioning peeves became a part of many conversations. Often seen as trifle behaviors that were not considered offensive by the performer of the action, it became the reason this trending topic began to pop up in random, as well as casual conversation. It is considered polite to know your companion's peeve, so as to not intentionally aggregate a friend or an acquaintance.
A pet peeve should not be mistaken with obsessive-compulsive disorder, even though both words regard certain actions or particular behaviors as an annoyance, an observer with a peeve can ignore the action, while someone with an obsessive-compulsive disorder can not. Psychological tests performed by a specialist determine whether the irritation felt by an activity is a mere annoyance or a trigger for an obsessive-compulsive disorder.
These mild irritations are not only endured by people, beloved animal companions also do. Since our animal friends are not so vocal about their annoyances, owners tend to think it is impossible for them to know what these vexing habits are. This is not true, animals are quite vocal about their feelings, cats hiss, dogs whine or growl, and other animals arch their backs, ruffle their feathers and exhibit what is known as piloerection. Others change the color of their skin
When these vocal warnings or complaints are not listened to, pets lash out at their owners after complaining incessantly. These outbursts include scratching, biting, smacking, snarling, hissing, baring teeth, and running away. Animals like their owners learn that they do not like certain behaviors. One can easily map out an animal's peeve by observing what action they react aggressively to as this is possibly what annoys them, it is that simple.
Grievances are different for each creature within and outside species, as what one dog appreciates, another might not tolerate. Cats do not like water, loud music, or rough petting, and dogs do not like being ignored and starved Like learned behaviors, animals can be trained to ignore actions or stimuli that irritate them. If aggressive behavior is still noted in the animal, then it should be taken in for observation, it is possible the aggression may no longer stem from irritation.