AITAH for not putting my dog up when my sister brought her friend to my house?
A woman (25F) lives with her large dog, Baja, an English mastiff/Cane Corso mix, who is well-behaved and enjoys having access to a secure yard space. When her sister (30F) Eva brought her friend Sarah over, Sarah immediately became terrified of Baja, claiming he was dangerous.
The woman offered to put Baja outside, but Sarah insisted on him being locked in a crate, which the owner refused. The next day, Eva and their mom criticized her for not accommodating Sarah’s dog phobia. The woman believes her dog’s space should not be altered for guests’ fears. read the original story below…
‘ AITAH for not putting my dog up when my sister brought her friend to my house ?’
I do not feel like I’m wrong but my mom and my sister say I am being invalidating and insensitive to her friends fear so I wanted to post here for objective opinions. I (25F) live alone with just my dog “Baja”. He is a 4 year old English mastiff/ Cane Corso mix and he weighs 175 lbs.
He is huge and literally the biggest baby ever. He has never even growled at anyone and I’ve had him since he was a baby. Because my dog is so big I turned my balcony in my condo into a yard for him. He has room to run and play out there and kinda do his own thing.
I have a smart dog door that allows to come in and out as he pleases but I can lock it if I need him to stay out there. I have a small window on the door so I can see him while he’s out there. This is important for the story. My sister(30F) who I will call “Eva”, asked if she could come over to hang out for a bit and obviously I said yes.
When she got here she had a friend with her. She didn’t give me a heads up and I was irritated but I have met the friend before so I brushed it off but told her we’d talk about this later. We will call the friend “Sarah.”
When we got up to the main floor Baja was laying on the couch and he perked up and started doing his little excited tippy taps when he saw Eva . Eva immediately greeted Baja and was giving him kisses all over his face which he loves.
Sarah started immediately hyperventilating when she saw Baja and said he was a k**ler. I said he wasn’t but offered to put him outside and lock his door while we visit. She asked me if I minded and I said no he liked being out there. I put Baja outside then we all sat on the couch and started chatting.
Sarah would not stop staring at Baja. He was literally laying in the sun asleep and she kept watching him with this wide eyed scared expression. Eva asked if she was okay. Sarah asked me if I minded putting Baja in his crate. I told her he didn’t have one because if I leave the house for long periods he’s with me.
She then started ranting about how irresponsible that was, that he could hurt people from being left out, that he was violent and obviously dangerous, and that he would probably attack strangers on the street. I told her none of those things were true and he’s my dog and this is how I choose to care for him.
She said she had a p**bia of big dogs and couldn’t function with him around. I told her that maybe they she should hang at my sister’s place instead because she was so scared. Sarah was offended but she didn’t say anything just gave me a dirty look then Eva a look.
Eva was trying to convince Sarah that he couldn’t get in without my unlocking it but she was convinced that Baja was waiting outside to kill her. I told them I was gonna take him on a walk and they left shortly after. The next day when I was at my moms, Eva jumped down my throat about invalidating Sarah.
She said I could’ve locked Baja in my room or something because Sarah has a p**bia of dogs. I told her that Baja lived there and they didn’t and if they didn’t like it they didn’t have to come back.
My mom said it wouldn’t have been a big deal to lock him away for a few hours and that I could’ve been more sensitive. I left shortly after because honestly they can complain all they want. I’m not locking my dog in a room when he was secured in his area. So AITA?
Let’s dive into the reactions from Reddit:
_s1m0n_s3z − So your sister, who does not live with you, brought her dog-phobic friend to your house without notice, where she get upset at your dog, who lives there, and it is somehow your fault? S**ew that! NTA.
Global-Mountain-889 − First of all ur sister never mentioned a friend coming over with her. Secondly this is the dogs home, does she not know how a dog looks when they want to attack someone… not sleeping I can tell u that.
Tell ur mom and sister it’s ur and ur dogs home and no one can come in demanding stuff. And she’s insane if she thinks dogs belong in crates.
intwoe − NTA, your house, your rules. Your dog lives there, not the unexpected guest.
NoGoverness2363 − Your sister is the a**hole for bringing a dog fearful friend to your house without warning either of you.
LALW1118 − NTAH. It’s your place and it’s not your responsibility to cater to her p**bia in your own condo… additionally, your condo is also your dogs condo. If she was uncomfortable then she could have left.
LurkingAtU − NTA, but now you must pay the puppy tax. Gimme photos of this big cuddly baby! 🥹
emryldmyst − Nta.. You’re nicer than me. I’d have told her she wasn’t even invited and buhbye and my sister the next day to f**k right off with her s**t about the uninvited loon she brought over.
Gullible-Guest8467 − NTA – it’s not like you’re letting him roam the streets without a leash and getting angry at strangers for being scared. It’s your own home, you didn’t even have to put him outside imo.
ga_merlock − Reminds me of an old Richard Pryor routine: “Ms. Rudolph, can you please do something about the monkey”? “I don’t have to do s**t about the monkey. The monkey lives here, you visiting”.
Perfect_Ring3489 − Nta. Your house. Your rules. You didnt know the girl had a p**bia. Tough.
It’s a tricky situation when someone’s phobia clashes with your living arrangement. Do you think the woman should have been more accommodating, or was she right to prioritize her dog’s comfort? Share your thoughts below!