You’d see one and if it was adorable, you’d want to give it something nice. Plus, because so many dogs are walking angels on Earth, many pet lovers often want what’s best for them, even if they weren’t their very own dogs.
Some people would even give the time to care for, feed, play with, and walk other people’s dogs because they simply want what’s best for the dog. Sadly, in a lot of cases, these kinds of people are taken advantage of by pet owners who are lazy or irresponsible.
It starts with one favor and then once the person grants it, it becomes endless. And, of course, this is unjust but the person getting taken advantage off can also feel guilty for a number of reasons.
For Redditor turbotron3000, that’s exactly the case with his situation with his roommate. At first, he was happy to help out with his roommate’s dog but when his roommate started becoming more reliant on him to give his dog a walk, OP started to get fed up.
The problem is that OP is also considering many of the factors in the situation and he’s not really sure if he’ll be in the wrong for refusing to walk the dog anymore. Here’s the whole story.
OP asks:
OP understands that everyone has busy lives but when his roommate started becoming more dependent on him for the dog’s needs, OP started to get fed up
OP would still be happy to help out occasionally but with limits
OP cares about the dog though so he feels bad for saying no
Just because your roommate agreed to a favor for your pet a few times doesn’t mean that they agreed to share in the responsibilities of being a pet parent. They weren’t the ones who got the dog and they also didn’t sign up for it.
As it seems though, OP’s roommate has gotten a little complacent with OP’s kindness. Many people in the comments section also think so.
Here are some points people made in the comments section.
1. Set proper boundaries that the roommate is well aware off
If the roommate still insists, then make him pay for the services
2. The roommate is basically abandoning the dog little by little
3. The dog is the roommate’s responsibility, not OP’s
4. Revealing how OP really feels about the situation may help the roommate understand what he’s doing
5. Not your dog not your responsibility
6. A fair compromise to soothe OP’s guilt can be by setting limits with the actions he takes with the dog
7. The roommate terribly needs to step up
8. Helping out is okay but only for times of need and not for convenience
9. Being straightforward may help the roommate finally understand where OP is coming from
10. Boundaries are highly encouraged
11. If the roommate continues with the attitude, it might be time to find a new place to live in
12. At least OP is thinking about the sake of the dog
13. The roommate needs to learn how to be a responsible pet owner
If we were in OP’s position, we’d also feel guilty for the dogs’ sake. It had already been semi-abandoned by its owner and doing it all over again would just be cruel.
Hopefully, OP gets to communicate his concerns and thoughts to his roommate and hopefully, the roommate finally steps up and starts taking care of his dog a lot better than before.
Would you have kept saying yes?