Taking care of a puppy is a huge responsibility. On the other hand, so is moving in with a significant other for the first time. Trying to do both at once seems like it could end poorly if you didn’t choose the right person to move in with.
One Reddit user learned the hard way that not every relationship is meant to last. But things got a lot more complicated when his ex, who was supposed to be moving in with him before they broke up, insisted that she should have ownership of the puppy he was in the process of adopting for her. So, the user asked the AITA Subreddit if he was in the wrong for deciding to keep the dog instead.
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User ObjectiveSystem82 shared his story, which you can read right here.
One Poor Puppy Got Caught in the Middle of an Unfortunate Situation
As OP’s story goes, he and his (now ex) girlfriend had been planning to move in together and decided to get a dog as a sort of moving-in “present” for her. But before she could move in, the girlfriend got stressed out and chose to cheat with her ex. This ended their relationship, meaning that she wouldn’t be moving in with OP.
But the girlfriend insisted that the dog should belong to her, since it was meant to be a gift in the first place. OP states that he was the one to pay the fees and file the paperwork, thus making him the puppy’s true owner. After refusing to give up the dog, the girlfriend began accusing OP of “stealing” it from her, and even got her dad to start calling him to demand it back. OP didn’t sway but refused to tell the dad why they’d broken up.
From there, OP asked if he was in the wrong for refusing to give up the dog.
Commenters Almost Unanimously Agreed That He Was Completely in the Right
A lot of people thought the ex had some nerve, not just for cheating, but for turning around and believing that she was entitled to the puppy in the end.
Many also thought that OP should just tell the dad why they broke up since it was his daughter’s fault to begin with.
Other Users Pointed Out That OP Shouldn’t Have To Give Any Gift He’d Planned on Giving His Girlfriend if They’ve Already Broken Up
Though referring to a living creature like a dog as a “present” might not be the best thing, plenty of users agreed that giving up the dog would be the same as giving the ex a present if it had been purchased but not given before the breakup. In other words, he doesn’t owe her anything.
Plenty of Users Were Also Quick to Point Out How Contradictory the Ex-Girlfriend Was Being
She cheated because she couldn’t handle the stress of moving in with OP but believes she can handle the stress of caring for a new puppy. This kind of contradiction didn’t make sense to most users, who used it as yet another reason why OP was in the right.
