It’s hard to believe, but some people don’t like dogs. There, I said it.
Which means those people probably shouldn’t take care of them.
Redditor OrestesPylades encountered this very issue with her roommates. So she turned to the “Am I The A**hole” (AITA) subReddit for moral judgment.
She asked:
“AITA for refusing to let my roommate’s boyfriend’s family board their dog at our apartment during their vacation?”
The Original Poster (OP) explained:
“First of all, let’s get the obligatory out of the way. I (26 F), do not like dogs. They are loud, smelly, unclean, and destructive.”
“I have never had a good experience with one. I’m actually kind of afraid of them.”
“My roommate (26 F)’s boyfriend (26 M)’s family wants to go on vacation for a couple days. Instead of paying $90 per night to board the dog, they want to leave him at the apartment for free.”
“This dog would be allowed to roam in the apartment, an environment he does not know, an environment that was largely furnished by me, while my roommate is at work.”
“Said roommate also has a cat, which would go stay with her brother.”
“This would mean that the cat would have to travel by car, which she gets very stressed out by, and can lead to medical issues. I cannot believe my roommate would even consider this.”
“I didn’t force the family to go on vacation. I didn’t force the family to get a dog.”
“I don’t even know if our lease would allow an animal we aren’t paying for. We could get kicked out.”
“I said no. This is my home. This is the cat’s home.”
“I don’t want a dog here. AITA?”
Redditors gave their opinions on the situation by declaring:
- NTA – Not The A**hole
- YTA – You’re The A**hole
- NAH – No A**holes Here
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
Redditors agreed OP was not the a**hole.
“NTA. Your roommate can’t just move a dog in, without your agreement, even if it is temporary. Let her brother take in the dog.” ~ del901
“Or the girlfriend can stay at the family’s house. That is the easy solution.”
“NTA (and I’m a dog owner and lover). As a responsible owner I know it’s up to me to get someone to watch my dog when I leave town and not make others uncomfortable in the process.” ~ thatshowitgoes2189
“To think… planning a vacation and expecting the girlfriend of the son to take the dog! Which works and lives in a shared space! Someone really planned this well.”
“I wonder if this dog is so badly trained that no one in the family or friends / neighbors, want to watch them. I mean, what did they do all the times before?” ~ Acceptable-Abalone20
“Actually, I don’t see anything about roommate kicking a fuss over OP saying no. If that’s the case, NAH because she can ask, OP can say no. It’s only if she throws a fit that it becomes NTA.” ~ YeetingThisAway
“But OP, call the family directly and make it clear to them that if the dog appears at your house you will drop it off at a shelter. They might not bother to make other plans and assume that you will reluctantly accept a fait accompli. Don’t.” ~ JadieJang
They should look for other accommodations.
“Along that line, I don’t know where you live, but $90 sounds super high for boarding. Suggest an app like rover. The dog could either stay in someone else’s home, usually for $30-50 a day, or in the dog’s normal home for a bit more, and the dog sitter will check on him.” ~ wethelabyrinths111
“If you add some add-ons (extra time outside, agility lessons, cuddle time, larger room, fancier bed, etc.) boarding places around Chicago can easily get that high. They start around ~50/day but add-ons can go from $10-20/day each.” ~ lazyflyergirl
“I’m in NYC. That still sounds insanely high.”
“I boarded my dog for 4 days and it was 280 in the West Village, arguably one of the most expensive neighborhoods in America. They fed him and portioned his food as well.”
“Idk I guess $90 works if you’re getting every single add on at the most posh dog spa imaginable, but outside of LA, NYC, and Chicago paying more than $50 a day seems like a rip-off.”
“When I use rover I pay for 3 walks and a drop in which is about $100 a day, but that’s pretty special and he’s the only dog on the walks. I probably won’t do that tho bc my dog doesn’t really like being alone for very long.” ~ sa5m_i_am
“Dang! Sometimes I forget how cheap Houston (where I live) is. Before I started using Rover, my pup’s boarding was about $45 daily. Now, this was before COVID, but it was right by the airport. And that $45 included her getting a ‘queen-sized’ room that had indoor-outdoor access when she wanted, either cuddle time with workers or play time in the daycare portion, 4-5 little walks a day, a daily ‘pup-date’ report, and a 24/7 web cam.”
“Houston sucks, but you get your money’s worth, I guess.” ~ wethelabyrinths111
“I’m in the Philly ‘burbs and boarding my dog during peak season is cheaper than $45/day! She boards with our vet, and I know vets are notoriously more expensive than stand-alone kennels.”
“I think we pay $30/day off-peak, $35 peak. They’ve also stopped charging me for her walks for whatever reason (I won’t argue about that).” ~ EmergencySundae
OP answered some questions.
“NTA. Besides, if the brother can take the cat then why can’t he take the dog?” ~ dyorknine
“Because it’s the boyfriend’s family’s dog, not my roommate’s. Also, a dog is a lot more work than a cat.” ~ OrestesPylades
“So why on earth are you two supposed to deal with it?” ~ ProgrammerBig6254
“The boyfriend’s brother’s best friend’s uncle thru remarriage twice removed and-and-and … What?!? Hell No! They need to be responsible pet owners and just pay to have their dog boarded. NTA” ~ FrootLoop47
“Info: why doesn’t the roommate just stay at the family’s house with the dog? It would be a lot less stressful on you, the dog, and the cat. It’s a win-win-win.” ~ toricoon
“That’s a very good question. If she pushes back, I’ll suggest that.” ~ OrestesPylades
Maybe they have another friend who can help?