Pets frequently have a particular place in our hearts. They become a member of the family and a great friend to us and our kids. In this story a man describes a situation in which his pregnant wife wants him to rehome his son’s dog because she is afraid it may harm her and the baby, while he wants to retain the dog since his kid has built a relationship with it. Read the whole story and what do you think he should do?
Source: Reddit
When my son (14) was eight, we got a dog. He’s half Great Dane and half some dog my friend’s dog met during an unauthorized absence. My son loves this dog and does all the care for him (except vet stuff) and is a very responsible dog owner. This dog is pretty much his best friend.
My wife is 12 weeks pregnant, and ever since we confirmed the pregnancy she has been acting weird around the dog. She avoids him, puts her hands over her stomach when he is around and jolts whenever he makes noise. Today she told me she wants to re-home the dog. I asked her what she was talking about.
She said she has been having anxiety that he will jump on her. This is completely unreasonable. He doesn’t jump on people. We trained him not to jump on people or run into people very young because he is half Great Dane and I felt this was important for all dogs, but especially one who could possibly grow to such a large size (which he did). There is no reason for her to think the dog will jump on her.
She said that there is no way to know for sure that the dog won’t jump on her, and if he does our baby could be hurt. This dog has never so much as growled at her. She said even if the dog doesn’t jump on her, her anxiety about it is bad for her health. She said she needs the dog elsewhere for her safety and the baby’s.
I told her that there was no way. My son got this dog right after he lost his mom and imprinted on him hard. Sometimes I think he loves the dog more than me! I’m not taking his dog. The dog didn’t do anything!
My wife said I am prioritizing the dog over her pregnancy. The dog isn’t a threat to her pregnancy. If this were any other unreasonable request, I would just do it because she is pregnant. I just can’t break my son’s heart over a fear she has that makes no sense. Am I being an AH?
Here are a few comments on the story where it was originally posted:
