Woman Feels ‘Hurt’ After In-Laws Keep Bringing Dog Over

A woman seeks support from the Reddit community after a difficult situation with her in-laws and their beloved dog, Rover. In her post, the woman explains that she and her husband, who have a young child, have been navigating the complexities of family visits ever since their child was born.

“At first, this didn’t bother me,” she shares about her in-laws bringing Rover along for visits, “but then I started noticing that Rover had some habits that I didn’t resonate with.” 

The discomfort grows as she observes Rover’s behavior, particularly his tendency to lick people at the dinner table, something her in-laws not only tolerate but seem to encourage.

Feeling uneasy, she decided to open up to her husband about the situation. “He agreed we would bring it up to his parents,” she explains, and together they approach his parents to discuss their concerns. 

The conversation was tense, but ultimately they agreed not to bring the dog. “All 4 of us sat down and had a conversation about it, and they reluctantly agreed not to bring Rover to our house anymore,” she writes. 

However, the agreement didn’t last long. The next time her in-laws visited, she was away on a business trip, and they immediately brought Rover with them. She overheard them on the Ring doorbell saying they “refuse to follow my house rules because they’re stupid,” a comment that leaves her deeply hurt.

“I reached out to my husband to let him know this hurt my feelings,” she writes, but he encourages her to address the issue directly with his parents. She bravely sits down with them and explains how their actions made her feel, but is met with little empathy. 

“They did not apologize, and simply stated that Rover is very sweet and I’m choosing a weird hill to die on,” she recalls.

Feeling defeated, she decides to let the issue go for the time being. “I ended up giving up because I felt so defeated,” she admits, highlighting the emotional toll the situation has taken on her. But the problem hasn’t disappeared — each subsequent visit, Rover is back in her home, despite her wishes.

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When she tries to bring it up with her husband again, he becomes defensive and tells her she is “being overly difficult about it.” She feels unsupported and alone in her own home, unsure of how to move forward. “I tried talking to my husband about it again, but he shut down and became defensive,” she confides.

Now, with another visit from her in-laws looming, she learns that Rover will once again be joining them. “I feel bothered by this and want to bring it up again, but I’m afraid he will just shut me down again,” she says, torn between standing her ground and keeping the peace.