AITA for choosing my dog over my brother’s wedding?

A Redditor recently faced a tough decision when his dog was injured just days before his brother’s wedding. With the dog requiring immediate care and supervision, he made the call to prioritize his pet’s well-being over attending the no-pets wedding.

Despite explaining the situation to his brother, family members are upset with him for missing the event, suggesting he should have found a dog sitter. Now, he’s questioning if he was wrong to choose his dog over the wedding. Read his story below.

‘ AITA for choosing my dog over my brother’s wedding?’

I (24M) have a brother (27M) who got married last week and I unfortunately had to cancel at the last minute because my dog ran out into the street and got hit by a bike. He is now fine but at the time I had to rush him to the vet and he was in very rough shape.

The doctor told me that he will need supervision for the next week and this happened three days before the wedding which was a no pet wedding. My brother made it very clear that this was a no pet event and I even told him the situation but he wouldn’t budge.

So I told him that I had to cancel and that I would not be attending due to the fact that I needed to take care of my dog. A few days went by and my family is now upset at me because I didn’t show up and that I should have just got a dog sitter.

But I didn’t want to trust a random person or someone I know with this much responsibility because my dog is one if the few things that helped me get through Covid. So AITA for missing my brother’s wedding to take care of my dog?

Let’s dive into the reactions from Reddit:

Just-lurking-1122 −  I’m so confused about these responses, sorry to me this is a YTA. Look I have a dog I’m obsessed with, but a wedding for an immediate family member is a big deal. Of course it’s a “no pet” wedding, I’ve never heard of a wedding that allows pets. If my sibling missed my wedding for this I’d be pissed.

You could have gotten a dog sitter. There’s plenty of ways to make sure the person is capable. EDIT: yes I know weddings with dogs/pets IN the ceremony are common. I was meaning pets that were INVITED in the way that OP is (assumedly) meaning.

PleaseJustLetsNot −  You had 3 days to make arrangements and didn’t? YTA. There are vets that will board injured dogs. There are pet sitters with veterinarian backgrounds specifically for situations like this. I understand that you love your pet, but if the dog was stable and recovering, I think you really dropped the ball.

sheramom4 −  YTA just for complaining that it was a no pet wedding. 99% of weddings are no pet weddings. How did you expect to be accommodated? You wouldn’t even attempt to arrange care or anything for your dog so can they really expect you to arrange anything at an actual wedding venue? How come I suspect you were IN the wedding and canceled?

NeatExotic8505 −  YTA it’s your brothers wedding. I am obsessed with my dog and could find one person I trust to sit with and watch for a day. Did you even try

Emerald_Cave −  No pet wedding? You mean like all weddings? YTA, you could have found options if you had tried.

Cap-s-here −  Yeah YTA and I have an unhealthy o**ession with my pets. Yes that’s super sad but you just missed your brother’s wedding when you could have paid someone to take care of your dog, you wouldn’t leave the dog to them for ages either, just the time of the wedding

Neenknits −  You couldn’t get a friend to watch the dog? Hire a local teen to stay at your house for a few hours? Did you stay home for work this whole time? YTA

Jollycondane −  YTA. The fact that it was already stated as a ‘no pet’ event suggests you’ve already been bringing your dog to places without asking.

Nordic_Ant −  Wtf???. Ofc YTA. You do not miss out on an important life event in close family over a dog. You could have hired a dog sitter, a neighbours teenager, asked a friend to dog sit. Ofc your family are super mad at you, so would I be if I were your ditched sibling…!. Jeeez!!!!

not_hestia −  I feel like the term “delicate condition” is doing a lot of heavy lifting in this post. Without knowing exactly what kind of care your dog needed I have to go with YTA. If it was a touch and go life threatening situation I might feel differently. Or is the wedding would take you away for *several* days.

Since you were considering bringing the dog you love, who was in a delicate condition, to a WEDDING I have to assume this was not a situation where you would be leaving a critically ill animal for multiple days.

Did the Redditor make the right choice in prioritizing his dog’s care over attending his brother’s wedding? How would you handle a similar situation? Share your thoughts below!