Content Warning: Mentions of Animal Abuse
One reality that pet owners do not discuss enough is how difficult it is to have loved ones, whether they are friends or family, who frequently visit your home but do not share the same passion for pets that you do
From wanting our pets to be “put away” while they visit to criticizing every little thing about our pet, many pet owners will put up with a lot, but if our animal is abused by the person visiting, it’s time for them to go, pointed out the users of the “Am I the A**hole?” (AITAH) subReddit.
Redditor Howdoibuycrypto had a dog they loved very much who lived with them long before their sister ever asked to move in alongside her newborn daughter.
But when their sister not only repeatedly made unkind remarks about their dog but actually kicked him away from the playmat she left on the floor for her baby, the Original Poster (OP) knew it was time for their sister and niece to find somewhere else to live that did not include dogs.
They asked the sub:
“AITAH for kicking my sister and her newborn out because she keeps calling my dog ‘dirty’?”
The OP’s sister needed a place to live after she got pregnant.
“My sister (32 Female) just had a baby and needed a place to stay for a few months. I agreed because, you know, family.”
“The only issue? I have a golden retriever, Max, who is my baby. He’s well-groomed, trained, and literally the sweetest dog ever.”
The OP’s sister and the OP did not share the same love for dogs.
“From the second she moved in, she started making snide comments about how ‘dirty’ he is, saying things like:”
“1. ‘Dogs don’t belong inside, especially near a newborn!'”
“2. ‘He’s covered in germs; I don’t want my baby getting sick.'”
“3. ‘Can you lock him in a room when we’re in the living room?'”
“I tried to compromise by keeping him out of the nursery, but that wasn’t enough. She wanted me to keep him out of the house entirely. She even went as far as spraying disinfectant on my couch where he sleeps!”
But then the OP’s sister took her hatred too far.
“The final straw? I caught her kicking Max away with her foot when he came near the baby’s playmat.”
“I lost it. I told her if she has such a problem with my ‘dirty’ dog, she can find another place to stay.”
“She freaked out, called me heartless for prioritizing a dog over her and the baby, and left crying.”
“Now, my parents are furious, saying I should have been more accommodating.”
“AITAH for kicking my sister out over this?”
Fellow Redditors weighed in:
- NTA: Not the A**hole
- YTA: You’re the A**hole
- ESH: Everybody Sucks Here
- NAH: No A**holes Here
Some reassured the OP that Max deserved to come first in his own home.
“You are NOT the A! How DARE she KICK your dog!”
“Imagine what might happen when you’re not there! What a sick person. How would you feel if she poisoned him? I’m not saying she would, but would you ever expect her to kick him hard?”
“No, let her do what women have been doing for centuries. Go live with mom and dad until she learns to make adult choices.” – DisplayJerseyGirl
“Thank your dog for this with tons of treats. S**tty people harm animals because a lab would never fight back. Your sister’s a coward and violent. I’m sorry about your pup.” – davidwhatshisname52
“This is Max’s home. She can’t kick out Max from Max’s home.” – Poetryinsimplethings
“Regardless of who that person was to me, anyone who kicked my dog, especially with force, would never be welcome in my home again. Definitely not unsupervised.”
“I find it so outrageously entitled that she would behave that way when it sounds like you were one of her (if not her actual) last options. Good on you for trying to help someone who clearly doesn’t want to be helped.” – naledi2481
“NTA, OP. It is your place and your dog; if she can’t respect that, then that sounds like a her problem. You don’t disrespect people who choose to help you. You don’t have to help her; you chose to.” – mandyh2610
“You definitely made the right decision. If a guest kicks my dog, they’re leaving with an injury, family or not.” – Babydoll0907
“She came to YOU because you are nice. I hate it when people confuse kindness with weakness. Thank you for standing up for Max. NTA.” – Dry_Pomegranate8314
“It’s infuriating when someone moves into a place where they KNOW there are pets and then refuse to accommodate them. Utter entitlement. (Yeah, f**k you, Mark, I’m glad we don’t talk anymore.)” – SleepIs4Tortoises
Others pointed out that the parents could help if they were going to have an opinion.
“Let’s be real, the parents are only upset with the OP because now they have to deal with her sister and baby.” – Professional_Deer952
“So when are your parents coming to pick up your sister and the baby? They are going to have them stay there, aren’t they?” – MorticianMolly
“I love my dog like a baby. She bit the hand that feeds her. NTA. If your parents give you guilt, tell them to come and pick her up and take her in.” – Cola3206
“Did you mention to your parents that she KICKED YOUR DOG?! Are they into animal cruelty now? This is bulls**t.”
“Let them take her and the baby into their house. She is THEIR daughter after all. The hypocrisy is amazing!” – jackiebee66
“The parents may not be animal abusers, but they clearly think she should not have made her sister leave. Her sister who committed a felony. Animal abuse is a felony in most jurisdictions in the US.”
“As it is her home, she decides who is allowed to stay there, not her parents. Homes have rules. A rule was broken. She and her newborn can’t stay there.”
“The sister was in need of a place to live for a few months. Why didn’t anyone else take her in? Now they have the opportunity to step up, especially since they have such strong thoughts about it!” – BusinessPublic2577
“Your sister should find herself somewhere else to stay. She can’t be trusted around your dog; he might get sick for no apparent reason or even get lost.”
“Your dog is your best friend. I would do the same.” – new_gary1963
“Who cares what your parents think? They can house your homeless sister and her baby if they care about her! NOBODY who kicks a dog deserves any sympathy!” – BisforBeard
After receiving feedback, the OP shared a few more details and an update in a second post.
“This is an update to my original post that received way more attention than I anticipated.”
“First, yes, she kicked my dog Max, not a nudge or an ‘air kick.'”
“I can safely say, thanks to all of you, that now I am 100% convinced I AM NTA!”
“1. The post gained enough traction that my own sister read it, which I am grateful for, as most of the comments were calling her… the female version of Max!”
“2. Both her and the newborn have vacated my property. I do not know where they have gone and I do not care to find out to be fully honest.”
“3. My family is still irrationally angry at me; however, I choose to ignore their calls for my own peace of mind.”
“Some context that was missing in the original post, which I wrote without thinking you guys would ever want an update or to hear from me again! So there are some key elements that were not part of the post and I tried to add them in comments while replying to you guys:”
“No, the father, the baby daddy, the boyfriend, whatever you want to call him, IS NOT in the picture so my sister is a single mother.”
“My family, funny enough, were LIVID at her pregnancy from day one and have speculated for most of her pregnancy that she will be left a single mother and WITHOUT a place to stay, because they WILL not take her in!”
“That’s where I enter this drama. Shortly after giving birth, the baby father, well… went to the shop for milk and is yet to come back. My sister came begging to move in with me while she sorted something else out. I was worried about what the ‘sort something else out’ would entail as my apartment went as far as having a nursery/playmat in it now.”
“I want to end this update by saying I cannot thank every single one of you enough for your support, kindness, and rational advice given to me. Maybe I won’t be able to thank you guys enough ever. But do know I appreciate you!”
“I am NTA and my mental health now has been so much better than it has been in months!”
As kind as it can be to take someone in, an animal’s health and happiness in their home should never come at the expense of hosting someone else.
It was clear that the OP’s family was not happy about the situation in which their sister found herself. Still, if they were going to be so opinionated about how she should be treated, they could provide for her themselves.