Redditor Cancels Neighborhood Dog Olympics Over Pressure From Homeowner To Admit Her Professional Show Dog

“The poodle owner has sent me multiple vindictive messages implying that I did this to hurt her personally.”

Jesse

• Published in Interesting
• October 25, 2023

The heart of any thriving community is often the fun, collective activities that unite neighbors in laughter and shared experiences. In one such neighborhood, a charming, albeit quirky, tradition emerged: the Pup Olympics.

It's a delightful event where neighborhood dogs compete in playful, lighthearted games over two days, earning treats and joyous applause. Beyond the giggles and barks, this event had a charitable side, as it raised funds for a local animal shelter.

However, like a sudden rainstorm on a sunny day, the event's spirit took a hit when a new neighbor and her competition-winning Poodle joined the festivities. With this professional-grade participant, the once friendly competitions turned into a repetitive victory lap for the Poodle.

The OP (Original Poster) of this story described it as "Having a professional athlete compete at a high school field day." — entertaining for some but heartbreaking for others.

To make matters worse, some of the winnings, which traditionally got donated back to the shelter, remained tightly clenched in this newcomer's hand.

To level the playing field, the organizing committee, which OP is heading, introduced a "No Competition Dogs" rule for the next dog Olympics. Yet, in an unexpected twist, the HOA sided with the Poodle's owner, leaving the organizers in a dilemma.

In a bid to preserve the essence of the event, the Pup Olympics was sadly canceled. Now the neighborhood is split 50/50 on who was in the wrong.

The story in detail

A bit of background

A new neighbor came in and her dog started sweeping all the competitions. Apparently, her dog is trained for competitions

Subsequently, OP’s committee decided on a rule that excludes professional show dogs. After some backlash, OP decided to cancel the competition entirely

Important edit

Here’s how the Reddit community reacted to the story:

“NTA. If you had a race for neighborhood kids and an olympic gold medalist runner showed up to enter, that'd be an AH move.”

“You can have a LOT of fun thinking up bizarre events that the poodle wouldn't be a shoo-in!“

“NTA this was supposed to just be a bit of fun for everyone until the new neighbor decided to show off and spoil it for everyone else.”

“NTA. Simply because it sounds like the neighborhood was no longer enjoying the event anymore.”

“Damn she's greedy, a million followers and she can't monetize that? Make a post about the shelter at least?“

“I came here ready to call you the AH but what kind of unhinged ultra-competitive weirdo moved into your neighborhood?“

“Unfair and plus she isn’t helping shelter animals at all. I feel like she entered just to win.“

“Yes, it seems minor but I feel bad for other owner’s who brought their dogs to play ball & have a good time.“

NTA. I think it was a fair thing to say because it's no fun when a professional enters an amateur competition.”

The Reddit community is solidly behind OP on this matter. Commenters have frowned at the woman’s insistence on using her professional show dog in an amateur competition.

Commenters have also slammed her for not donating a part of the money to the shelter like past winners. Sadly, the competition has been canceled, and this could mark its permanent dissolution if all parties can’t find common ground.

We’d love to get your thoughts on this story. Join the conversation in the comments.

Jesse