What was supposed to be a joyful escape became a battleground of broken promises as the uninvited presence of a dog—explicitly forbidden—cast a dark shadow over the gathering. The silence that followed spoke volumes, echoing the painful realization that some lines, once crossed, can never be unseen.
I booked an AirBnB retreat for me, my husband, my SIL and her husband about 4 months ago. The AirBnB was not dog friendly and I made that perfectly clear, as my SIL thinks her dog should be welcomed everywhere, no matter the cost.
She said she would find a dog sitter and I had no reason to question it.
The AirBnB was out of state, about 15 hours away on a really nice beach in Tampa. My husband and I flew down and my SIL insisted on driving so she left roughly 24 hours prior to our flight.
She said it was cheaper to drive than it was to fly. When my husband and I arrived my SIL and her husband were already sitting in the driveway. When they saw me pull in she had asked if we got the keys yet, which we had because we met up with the owner along the way and she said “oh good, give them to me quick so I can get Brute instead without being seen”.
I just stopped dead in my tracks and was like “Are you fucking kidding me right now?” She kept saying things like “What? I couldnt find anyone to watch him.” Or “He is fucking old and house broken.
I dont know why anyone would be ignorant enough to say no pets allowed.” And basically just kept making excuses as to why she was in the right. My husband is just sitting there completely dumbfounded and shaking his head.
I just got back in my rental car and left. I got a refund from AirBnB and dropped the keys off with the woman and explained the situation. She told me I could still stay there because I’ve been honest but I told her no, the place was too big for just my husband and myself.
We end up staying at a significantly less expensive hotel (I paid almost $4k for the week for the AirBnB but only spent $1800 for the week at the hotel).
During this whole time my SIL is blowing us up saying she cant afford to stay down here (my husband and I make a lot more than SIL and her husband so we had agreed to pay for everything) and says she didnt bring anything with her to snack on and couldnt afford prices of shit here and whatever.
I just straight up ignored her because in my eyes, she tried ruining my trip that I 100% paid for. My MIL is down our throats saying the least we could have done was give them some money for food instead of leaving them stranded and I told her “Nope, they can just drive back home and get food there.” AITA?
Conclusion
The original poster (OP) faced a direct violation of an agreed-upon condition for a vacation when their sister-in-law (SIL) secretly brought a dog to a non-pet-friendly rental, despite promising otherwise. This action forced the OP to unilaterally cancel the trip arrangements they had fully funded, leading to significant financial change and immediate estrangement from the SIL.
Did the OP act appropriately by immediately leaving the location and refusing to financially support the SIL after the major rule violation and subsequent expectation of payment, or should they have prioritized maintaining group harmony and finding an alternative solution on-site?
Here’s how people reacted:
While we all know that she is for sure TA, is there a reason y’all couldn’t find an air bnb that allows pets and have SIL pay the difference to have the dog there? I’m genuinely curious about why. She probably couldn’t afford it(which means she shouldn’t have agreed to go in the first place) but I’m baffled by the whole thing.
Is this dog not well trained? Is someone allergic? Do you just not want pets around on vacation? It’s totally fine if its any of those options, I’m just so confused by why she thought this would work.
But cancelling an AirBnB in the very last minute? The people who run it likely live off of that money and they do need it. I’m honestly surprised it was possible and disappointed how noone actually thinks about this – not you, not most people in the comments. YTA in that situation, 100%
I have a serious allergy to the point where dogs and cats induce asthma attacks, and it makes a place super uncomfortable for me to be in. Now if I found someone had brought a pet into my property I’d be livid… thank you for your honesty NTA
You are providing all expenses paid trip and they shit on you… NTA op…
If you had along with your SIL’s plan, it would be your reputation and money on the line. You refused to lie. Liars are assholes, not truthers.
Question: Did you get a full refund or a partial refund? In my experience, you can’t get full refunds.
I’m a dog person and I tend to take my dog everywhere, so I understand why she wanted her dog. But she literally had one rule. She’s the one who messed up her vacation, not you.
She sure can drive back home and get food there.
Yts to the sister re, did you check in with then that they could even get home?
Nta for refusing to host them though
Your sister is what other people hate in dog owners. Also, stop doing things for your sister. You are obviously just a cash cow to her.
I hope you enjoyed your vacation. Tampa is lovely!!
If a person can’t find a dog sitter they stay home.
If a person can’t afford snacks or food they absolutely have zero zero excuse for going on vacation.