Many dog owners view their pets as their children. And just like any parent, it’s natural for dog moms and dads to be protective of their little ones. 

So when one woman found out that her boyfriend had gone behind her back to get her dog pregnant, she began wondering if there was any hope left for her relationship. Below, you’ll find the full story that was recently posted on the AITAH subreddit, as well as some of the replies concerned readers shared.  

This woman always planned on having her German Shepherd spayed

Image credits: John Tuesday/Unsplash (not the actual photo)

But when she finally had the chance, the vet revealed that her dog was already pregnant

Image credits: Timur Weber/Pexels (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Simon John-McHaffie/Unsplash (not the actual photo)

Image credits: [deleted]

Spaying and neutering pets is the most responsible choice owners can make

If you have pets of your own, there’s a good chance your vet has encouraged you to have them sterilized. And while it might sound like a frightening procedure if you were to put yourself in your dog’s shoes, it’s actually the best choice you can make for your pet.

According to Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, spaying and neutering dogs can help them lead long, healthy lives. Female pets can be protected from developing life-threatening infections and tumors in their reproductive tracts, and they’ll be much less likely to develop breast tumors as well. 

There are also plenty of complications that can come along with pregnancy and giving birth for pets, just like for humans, so it’s best to prevent our animals from having to experience that. 

We can prevent testicular cancer and various prostate issues in male dogs and cats by having them neutered as well. But these operations bring more than just health benefits; they can have behavioral ones too, Ross University notes. 

There are millions of animals waiting in shelters to be adopted already

Female pets won’t go into heat, which can cause them to make loud sounds, become aggressive and sometimes even urinate in places they shouldn’t. And male pets that have been sterilized will be less likely to want to mark their territory or wander away from home looking for action.

In fact, in some places, shelters and pet owners are legally required to spay and neuter their animals. But another important reason why we should keep our pets from having babies is because there are simply too many animals waiting around in shelters already. 

The ASPCA reports that each year, about 3.1 million dogs and 3.2 million cats enter animal shelters in the United States. And sadly, 920,000 of these potential pets are euthanized every year to make room for others. 

There’s absolutely no need for your dog to have a litter of puppies when you could simply head to your local shelter if you’re looking to welcome more dogs into your family. Plus, if you end up selling or giving away your pet’s babies, there’s no guarantee that they won’t end up in a shelter at some point too. By choosing to spay and neuter your furry friends, you could be saving multiple lives.

Honesty is a necessary component of any healthy relationship

Part of the problem in this particular story, however, is that the man was completely dishonest with his girlfriend. He concealed the truth about going behind her back to breed her dog and went against her express wishes to have her dog spayed. It’s not easy to come back from dishonesty like that in a relationship.

According to Verywell Mind, deception can take a huge toll on a relationship, as it erodes trust, diminishes compassion and empathy, decreases intimacy and often leads to more lies and manipulation in the future.

Honesty is the foundation for any healthy relationship, and staying with a partner who lies to you only opens up the door for it to happen again. While I’m sure it was not an easy choice for this woman to decide to leave her partner, many readers assured her that she and her dog will be better off without him.

We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. How would you have responded to this shocking revelation? Then, you can find another Bored Panda article discussing the importance of spaying and neutering pets right here!

Readers assured the dog owner that she was right to be upset, and many shared concerns about her relationship

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