Mother's Secret Decision To Fix Daughter's Dog Spirals Into Emotional Rift, Daughter Eventually Moves Out

"I took her dog to the vet and got her fixed while my daughter was at work."

May

• Published in Interesting
• June 30, 2024

Parents typically refrain from allowing kids to have dogs, considering it a significant responsibility. This sentiment was shared by one Redditor, who initially denied her daughter a dog during her youth.

However, upon her daughter reaching adulthood and demonstrating maturity to handle more responsibilities, the mother reconsidered. Her decision, as it turned out, led to unexpected consequences, which she shared on the "Am I The A**hole?" (AITA) subreddit.

According to the original poster (OP), she and her daughter have been together since she had her. Her daughter, now 23 and working full-time, had always wanted a dog as a child, but the OP hesitated due to concerns about responsibility.

When her daughter turned 19 and could manage a part-time job, the OP surprised her with a puppy. Initially, everything seemed joyous until the dog matured and began experiencing heat cycles, causing a significant mess around the house.

The OP already tried asking her daughter to get the dog fixed but kept refusing because she didn't trust the vets in the area. This went on for a couple more years, so the OP has had it.

She took matters into her own hands. While her daughter was at work, she secretly took the dog to the vet and had her spayed.

When her daughter discovered what had been done without her consent, she became furious, feeling betrayed and lied to. This caused an emotional rift between the two, and the daughter decided to move out.

The OP is heartbroken as her daughter is her only child. The situation escalated further when the daughter shared her side of the story with family members, who sided with her, labeling the OP's actions as deceitful and damaging to their relationship.

Despite the OP's intentions to alleviate a messy situation and ensure the dog's well-being, the fallout has left her isolated and struggling to reconcile with her daughter and family.

The OP only wanted to get the dog fixed because it was making a mess when it was in heat.

She didn't not expect her decision would lead to terrible consequences.

The OP's daughter always wanted a dog.

She eventually saw that her daughter is responsible enough, so she finally got her one.

The OP opened up about getting the dog spayed, but the daughter doesn't want it.

The daughter neglects her dog when it's in heat. She doesn't deal with the mess it creates around the house.

It's the OP who ends up cleaning all the mess.

She finally decided to get the dog fixed, but it was behind her daughter's back.

The daughter got so angry at the OP afterward.

The OP notes that all vet visits are still paid for by her, not her daughter.

After what happened, her daughter refuses to talk to her.

Even their relatives got involved in all the mess after her daughter told them about it.

Unfortunately, the daughter prefers ignorance over caring for her dog's well-being.

Not spaying the dog could cause health problems.

Redditors criticize the daughter for being irresponsible as a dog owner.

She didn't even bother educating herself about what happens when her dog goes into heat.

Secretly getting the dog fixed may have been the wrong move from her daughter's perspective. Unfortunately, the reality is that her daughter is being irresponsible toward her own dog.

Now that she has decided to move out, she will eventually learn what it takes to really care for one. It's a tough lesson, but sometimes, it takes firsthand experience to understand the true responsibilities of pet ownership.

As for the OP, she has to wait it out until her daughter realizes her mistake.

May