The link between owner and pet is unparalleled—they’re our constant friends, constantly there for the trip no matter what life throws at us. The most difficult aspect of owning a dog is the death of the dog and that farewell always feels much too soon. It’s not just about losing “a dog,” but about losing a valued part of the family. Read the story below to know what happened after her sister lost her dog and what would you do in this situation?
Source: Reddit
My (26f) sister Sasha (31f) and I are very different people. We aren’t best friends, but we love each other. Sasha doesn’t have any kids and I have 3 (6f, 2.5m, 1.5m).
Sasha got a dog after graduating college. Right off the bat, she treated it more like a human than a dog. She took it on road trips, just the two of them. She even dressed it up for Halloween and went trick-or-treating with my kids. I was worried she was replacing real human interaction with a dog. She also did some search and rescue with it, which maybe gave her a stronger than usual attachment to this dog.
A year ago, Sasha bought a jogging stroller so the dog could still go on walks with her. It was old by this time and had arthritis. Now let me clarify, this was not some cheap bargain basement stroller, this thing was quality. I looked it up online, and it cost $400! seemed like an insane amount to spend on an accessory for a dog, but she was all excited, so I kept my mouth shut. I also noticed it was advertised as being for pets or kids.
I’d dreaded the day this dog died because of how over attached Sasha was. Well, two days ago it happened, and sure enough, she was devastated. I felt terrible for her. But I’ll admit, I also started thinking about that jogging stroller, which would now sit around gathering dust.
I’ve been struggling to lose the baby weight from my youngest, and I could just see myself jogging with the two youngest in the stroller and big sister biking alongside. And this stroller is way nicer than anything my husband and I could afford at the moment. I’m a SAHM with three kids. Hubster is an amazing dad, but he’s struggling to find his professional calling, so we aren’t in nearly as strong a financial position right now as Sasha, who has no kids and a good job. Sasha has always been generous to her niece and nephews so I thought maybe now that she doesn’t need it anymore, she might want to loan or even give them the stroller.
I called yesterday and first said how sorry I was about her dog. Then I asked what she was going to do with the stroller. She said she was thinking about donating it to an animal shelter that specializes in disabled dogs. I then said basically everything I said in the last paragraph and asked if she would donate it to my kids instead. There was a long pause, so I thought she was considering. But then she went off on me and called me some hurtful things like a b-word and a vulture, then hung up on me.
Here’s why I think I may be the AH. In hindsight, “since you don’t need it anymore” was poor phrasing and may have made me sound insensitive to her loss. Also, I probably should have given her more time to grieve before asking.
I’ve never had a dog, so I’ll admit I can’t truly understand what Sasha’s going through. But from my POV, I had my kids’ best interests at heart. I don’t think I’m the AH for asking the question. But am I the AH for when and how I asked, or did Sasha overreact out of grief?
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