Is this normal or otherkin stuff

[twotailstm]

So, uh, I really really like being pet, not in a bad or inappropriate way, I just love being pet. (like literally pet) and I know part of my thing is a canine (I'm polykin) so is that like an every human thing or it because of the bit of me that’s canine...

 

[Amber]

My best guess is that it's a very individual thing that surely chimes into your personality somehow. I'd think it's neither a human nor otherkin thing. For example I don't particularly like being pet (or touched) but don't think it's a specific dragon thing, it's just me.   

 

[wildlife]

I second Amber here. Although being touched is something that I know is influenced by my identity; it doesn’t have to be for everyone. It’s normal for humans to want to be touched, and for some canines it’s normal to want to be pet.

 

[Red-in-Tooth]

I am of agreement with both @Amber and @wildlife that it is not inherently linked to either. Desired tactile contact in animals tends to be a demonstration of trust and often results in bonding behavior to follow, say as by social grooming which petting is a form of. This goes for humans and their ancestors too.

What could possibly persuade that opinion otherwise is the experience of a change of mental state, a "shift", that arises from this type of contact. For myself, that is how I relate the two and differentiate; cats of all variety engage in grooming and to be groomed is sign of mutualism and acceptance in social bonding. It is important that those felids who live together engage in this type of behavior, it is essential for their coexistence. Which is why I believe whenever I am brushed and massaged I am in that state of mind and in that place of self. But that only comes from viewing everything about myself in totality and comparing each consistency and experience and shifted state to find their triggering mechanisms and relations.

Consequently it becomes a matter of deciding the source of the experience and how it impacts you, @twotailstm, because it is neither just by itself.

 

[Velvet]

Agreeing also that it could be human, therian or a mix of both. Many animals enjoy touch in some form and humans are animals. I used to work at a nursery and at nap time it was common for the babies/young children to want some sort of soothing contact to help them fall asleep. Their parents would tell us what worked for each kid, some did fall asleep best left alone but the most common was having their hair or back stroked.