AITA for Kissing My Dog?

A Reddit user (24F) shared a situation with her boyfriend (34M) where she kissed her dog on the forehead in the same manner she kissed him, as a joke. When she jokingly mentioned that the dog and her boyfriend received the same kiss, her boyfriend became upset, feeling that she was comparing him to the dog.

Despite thinking the situation was trivial, the Redditor apologized for hurting his feelings. However, after reflecting, the Redditor feels she shouldn’t have had to apologize for showing affection to her dog. Read the full story below to decide if her actions were justified.

‘ AITA for Kissing My Dog?’

I (24F) was hanging out watching TV with my bf (34M) and when he was getting ready to leave for the night he asked for a kiss so I leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. One of my dogs chose that moment to come up and beg for attention so I started petting her and leaned down and kissed her forehead and jokingly said to bf “you and her got the same kiss” while laughing.

Well I guess he didn’t find it funny because he stood up and immediately made for the door. I stopped him and asked why he was so upset and he said it’s because he took it as me comparing him to my dog since I gave them the same affection. I don’t even know what that means and I thought it was a stupid thing to be upset about and said as much.

Well after some back and forth I finally just apologized for my comment hurting his feelings. But after he left I still felt like it was a stupid thing to be upset about and regretted my apology because I felt I shouldn’t have had to apologize for kissing my dog on the forehead. So AITA for kissing my dog on the forehead the same way I kissed my BF?

Here’s the feedback from the Reddit community:

DJ_Too_Supreme_AITA −  NTA. First off, the decade age gap is interesting. Second, how did he get that idea that you was comparing him to a dog? Just because you showed affection to your pet? Anyone who doesn’t show affection to their pet most likely don’t even like their pet for some reason. Your boyfriend is acting like you just got railed by your dog in front of him lmao.

No_Quantity3097 −  “I wasn’t comparing you to my dog. I love my dog WAY more than I love you.”

[Reddit User] −  NTA. Your boyfriend’s reaction was wildly over the top for something so harmless. You kissed your dog on the forehead—it’s not like you said the two of them were interchangeable. Affection towards pets is totally normal, and most people wouldn’t find it weird or insulting to get the same sweet gesture. His choice to storm off and act like you compared him to your dog says way more about his insecurities than anything you did.

Honestly, this sounds like a red flag. His reaction wasn’t just about hurt feelings—he immediately went for the door, gave you no room to explain or clarify, and it turned into a whole “back and forth” where you ended up apologizing for something completely innocent. Relationships thrive on communication and humor, and it’s not fair for him to turn a tiny, lighthearted moment into a full-blown argument.

You don’t need to regret anything here. Pet parents showing love to their animals isn’t something that needs to be justified. If he doesn’t understand that, he might be lacking the emotional maturity to handle such a non-issue. If this is his response to something so trivial, it’s worth considering how he handles actual problems.

JeepersCreepers74 −  I’m assuming your dog didn’t also get up and storm out and say she feels offended that she, as your child, was only worthy of the same affection you gave your BF? So now you know that your “older, mature” BF is less emotionally mature than your dog, congrats, he sounds like a winner.. NTA.

A-namethatsavailable −  For a dude 10 years older than you, he behaves 10 years younger than you. He’s the arse. Ignore it, if he brings it up in future, tell him to grow up.

True_Magician6971 −  Girl take this as a sign and run. If he got that upset over something as minuscule as that then hell probably overreact to even more dumb things. Also dating someone 10 years younger is already a red flag to me.

Euphoric_Travel2541 −  NTA. But your boyfriend is not upset about getting the same kiss and affection as the dog. He’s upset that you compared the two expressions of affection as the “same”, and to him, that meant you think that he and the dog are the same.

He is seriously insecure and touchy. Any normal person would make a little joke about it. What a baby! He had the kind of reaction that a 14 year old might have, not a 34 year old. This is a red flag. Consider moving on from this hyper-sensitive and insecure man.

Captain_Parsley −  NTA Sounds pretty ridiculous to get so angry bout something so non issue, I’d hate to see his reaction to you actually doing something wrong.

carnespecter −  age gap checks out. dude has the maturity of a 5 year old.

StAlvis −  INFO. Why is your boyfriend SO much older than you?