A man is going viral on the famous Reddit community, “Am I The A**hole? (AITA)” after sharing his dilemma about telling his roommate to move out because of his emotional support dog.
In the 26-year-old man’s Reddit post, he shares that he has been roommates with a guy, he referred to as ‘Jake’ in the post, for about two years.
The man shares that Jake has been a decent roommate and they get along quite well, not until recently.
“Jake has struggled with anxiety for a while, and earlier this year, he got an emotional support dog, a small terrier mix,” The anonymous 26-year-old explains. “I was fine with it at first, even though I’m not a dog person, because I wanted to be supportive.”
But here’s where it gets bad – “this dog has turned my life upside down” the man admits.
Why, you might ask? Well, the man reveals that the dog is a very badly behaved dog. “It barks constantly when Jake isn’t home, chews on furniture, and has accidents all over the place,” the man explains.
The man said he had tried talking to Jake about the problem and has also offered a few solutions for Jake to correct the dog’s behavior.
“He’s always apologetic, but nothing really changes,” the man writes.
Furthermore, when presented with the options to correct the dog’s behavior, “Jake claims he can’t afford it.”
The issue has gotten so bad that the man dreaded coming home after a long day at work. He said, “I dread coming home because I know I’ll be dealing with the dog’s mess and noise.”
“I work long hours and really value my peace and quiet when I’m off, but that’s impossible now,” the man said.
So, the man addresses the elephant in the room with two choices that he thinks would solve both his and Jake’s problem: move out and find a new place or get rid of the dog.
However, Jake didn’t like both options, and got really upset with the man. “[He] said the dog is essential for his mental health, which I understand, but I didn’t sign up to live with a poorly behaved dog.”
The man then reveals that after asking Jake to move out or get rid of the dog, their relationship has been “super tense”.
He proceeds to say that Jake has been calling him heartless and is punishing him for needing support.
On top of that, a few of their mutual friends are siding with Jake, saying that the man should be more understanding since it’s a mental health issue.
However, the man said, “I feel like I’m sacrificing my own well-being here.”
The man now asks the AITA community, “Am I the A**hole?” which the community responded with a big NO.
One Reddit user wrote, “Tell all your friends they are welcome to let him and his poorly trained badly behaved dog move in. His mental health is not more important than yours!”
While another user pointed out the dog’s breed and how people don’t know how to choose the right kind of dog for their lifestyle. “Terriers do bark. They’re high energy and very sensitive if you don’t train them properly, it’s a nightmare,” they wrote.
Another Reddit user also pointed out how irresponsible Jake is as a pet owner. They said, “Jake isn’t being punished for having mental health needs, he’s experiencing to consequences of being an irresponsible pet owner who won’t train his dog.”
What do you guys think?