It is essential to provide all pets with adequate exercise, attention, and care, but it is especially important to do so for breeds that have a lot of energy and need more physical and mental stimulation. If you cannot provide the necessary care and attention for a highly active breed, it may be more suitable to choose a breed with lower energy requirements.
One Redditor asked, “AITA for refusing to give my SIL her dog back?” Her husband’s sister got a jack Russel terrier a couple of years ago.
It is a highly energetic breed, and she doesn’t really have time for it. So OP, her husband, and mother-in-law do most of the dog watching.
OP doesn’t mind because she adores dogs. Her sister-in-law made different excuses for not taking the dog. She finally took the dog but returned it after two months.
SIL decided to move to Australia and mentioned that taking the dog would be difficult. So she changed the info on the microchip.
SIL visited and mentioned that she wanted to take the dog with her to Australia. OP and her husband reminded her that they had adopted the dog.
She thought they were joking. OP doesn’t want to give her the dog because she knows she wouldn’t be able to take proper care of it.
OP asks:
Her husband’s sister got a jack Russel terrier a couple of years ago. It is a highly energetic breed, and she doesn’t really have time for it. So OP, her husband and mother-in-law do most of the dog watching.
OP doesn’t mind because she adores dogs. Her sister-in-law made different excuses for not taking the dog.
She finally took the dog, but returned it after two months
SIL decided to move to Australia and mentioned that taking the dog would be difficult.
She changed the info on the microchip.
SIL visited and mentioned that she wanted to take the dog with her to Australia. OP and her husband reminded her that they had adopted the dog.
She thought they were joking.
OP asks:
OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole:
“She officially gave up her dog’s ownership when changing the chip info.”
This Redditor is a bit paranoid. Which doesn’t make them wrong…
This is how you treat your family?
She can adopt
This Redditor has a point – “It’s your dog now, simple as that.”
If you are taking care of a dog for a friend for a prolonged period of time, the dog is not legally considered to be your property. However, if they change the information on the microchip and they leave it for a couple of months or more – the situation changes.
What do you think? Who is the owner of the dog in this story?