My husband pressured me to get a puppy and it’s destroying my marriage

A mother-of-two has revealed her marriage has been left on the brink of collapse after her husband got a dog who has ‘destroyed’ their home.

The British woman took to Mumsnet to explain how her husband had nagged her for years about welcoming a pet hound into their home, and around 10 months ago she reluctantly relented. 

In a lengthy and emotional post on the forum, the mother sought help with the ‘impossible situation’ and vented her frustrations about the ‘Armageddon’ she’s facing in her own home.

The puppy has ruined her precious garden and taken over the house, prompting her to give her husband an ultimatum that it’s ‘either her or the dog.’

Many blamed the husband for ‘coercing’ her into getting the pet, and encouraged her to split from her partner.  

A mother-of-two has asked the British parenting forum Mumsnet for advice, revealing her marriage has been left on the brink of collapse after her husband got a dog who has ‘destroyed’ their home (stock image)

‘AIBU (am I being unreasonable) not to want to live with a dog?’ she asked.

‘We now have a German Shorthaired Pointer puppy. We got him in the summer when he was eight weeks old. Cute and very handsome but one big pain in the back side!’

‘Since then, my life turned upside down. I initially told myself to suck it up until we pass the crazy puppy months’.

‘I always said I’m not picking up poo, or changing my plans to suit the dog. I absolutely cherish my freedom and do not wish to be dictated by an animal (raising two kids was enough)’.

‘My house is being destroyed in front of me… but after a few months of much stress, anxiety and anguish I decided it’s definitely not for me and I won’t ever be happy or relaxed with a dog in my house’.

And that’s not all. The mother revealed how the pesky puppy has destroyed her ‘little piece of heaven’ – her peaceful tranquil garden. 

She wrote: ‘Poos all over it, crush the plants, dig in pots and everywhere really. His urine is toxic, killing plants and the lawn. It’s Armageddon. It make me feel so angry and stressed’.

‘We are now at a point where I said, “It’s me or the dog”.

The mother-two took to Mumsnet to ask others whether she was being unreasonable and the post racked up a more than 650 responses

The mother-two took to Mumsnet to ask others whether she was being unreasonable and the post racked up a more than 650 responses

‘I don’t take it lightly and appreciate this is hard for my husband. I feel slightly selfish but maybe we are both being selfish. 

‘If I have it my way and he agrees for the dog to go, he will stay resentful and hurt and hate me forever for it.’

‘I love my husband. It’s not been perfect always but we have a special bond and have gone through a lot together. He absolutely refuses to give the dog away and said he will leave.’

More than 100 comments have since poured in from various Mumsnetters who sympathised with her plight.

‘I’m a dog lover but I feel so sorry for you having to live with one when you don’t want to’, wrote one user.

Another added: ‘I sympathise with everything you are saying. The pot digging etc WILL stop as it gets older. But those first couple of years are challenging’.

 

 

But others on the thread sympathised with her husband and said that they would do the same as him

But others on the thread sympathised with her husband and said that they would do the same as him

A third wrote: ‘I’d let him leave, he knew you never really wanted it anyway. If my husband chose a dog he’d had for five minutes over our marriage, f*** him.’

But not all mothers were on side, and many appealed to the poster, asking her to try and understand her husband and exercise more patience.

One user went as far as claiming they’d also pick their dog over their partner: ‘Oh dear. I would choose my dog over my partner so I do understand his point of view’.

‘I think the dog has highlighted the sad fact that this relationship has run its course. He said he will leave, so that is what he must do.’

‘Could you stay married and live separately? Sorry if that’s a crazy idea.’

Another wrote: ‘This sounds really strange to me. The poor dog will be picking up on the anxiety and tension, you know’.

‘I’d be wondering what more there is behind this, why you are so against the dog and judgemental/resentful of his existence. You sound very joyless.’

‘Perhaps if you engaged in the walks and training yourself, you’d find the dog (and the husband) are not as awful as you seem to have decided they are?’

One user offered a reasonable compromise: ‘Keep the dog but tell your husband the dog is not allowed in the garden. It is the only compromise’.

And rather harshly, another added: ‘Honestly I think you’d be better off single, as would your husband’.

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