The man’s girlfriend’s brother, who has a mild dog allergy, asked if he could crash at their place as he was laid off from work. At first, he said that being around dogs wasn’t a concern, but that gradually changed.

Guy gets asked to rehome his dog months after his girlfriend’s allergic brother moves in

Needless to say, he refused – and even issued the two an ultimatum

At first, the brother claimed that his allergy wasn’t an issue – however, that quickly changed

The guy was more surprised by his GF’s decision to back her sibling, but the matter was resolved rather quickly

“AITA for ‘choosing my dog over my family’ by refusing to accommodate my girlfriend’s brother?” – this internet user turned to one of Reddit’s most philosophical communities, asking its members if he was wrong to refuse to put his dog in a shelter after his girlfriend and her allergic brother demanded he do so. The post managed to gain over 8K upvotes as well as 2.1K comments.

Given that most people will go to any lengths for their pets, rehoming is a very delicate topic that has been hotly debated for what seems like forever. The star of today’s article, a 23-year-old dog owner was put on the spot by his own partner who insisted that he think about putting his rescue dog back in a shelter just to accommodate her freeloading brother’s allergy  – however, the guy didn’t think for long. The thing is, the brother in question, “Al,” was laid off from work and asked the couple if he could crash at their place as he couldn’t afford rent anymore. The man was initially OK with the author’s dog as he claimed that his allergy wasn’t too bad, but as the weeks went by he seemed to have changed his mind. When the siblings first posed the whole shelter question, the OP instantly knew that his furry baby wasn’t going anywhere; plus, “Al” was really bad at chores, so he gave the two an ultimatum. Either “Al” had to be gone within 24 hours or he’d kick both of them out. Needless to say, “Al” moved out and the girlfriend is not really a girlfriend anymore.

Now, to get a more professional view of the story, Bored Panda reached out to Kim Kay, the Interim Executive Director of Angels Among Us Pet Rescue, which was founded in 2009 and has since saved over 20,000 dogs and cats. “Unfortunately, rescue dogs do get returned sometimes. We average about 2 returns per week. Some returns are immediate and those are usually because having a dog was harder than they expected, their current pets or children aren’t adapting well to the new pet, or the new pet just wasn’t a good fit. We also get returns that were adopted years ago. Those reasons are often a change in the adopter’s personal situation but can also be behavioral or medical problems that have developed that they don’t feel equipped to handle,” the woman said when we asked how often people return rescue dogs.

We then asked Kim Kay if it’s ever OK to rehome a dog, to which she said: “In my opinion, yes. Not everyone in rescue agrees on this subject, but I believe that there are many valid reasons to rehome a pet. While we believe that adopting a pet is a lifelong commitment and the owner should be prepared to care for the pet for up to 15 years, there are exceptions. The main one is safety. Some pets may need to be the only pet, some dogs may not do well with cats, and some pose a safety risk to small children. In these cases, for all concerned, it is sometimes better to find a more appropriate home for the pet. Sometimes, people need to rehome pets for financial reasons. If a pet needs expensive medical care that they aren’t able to provide, surrendering to a rescue or rehoming may save the pet’s life.”

Last but not least, we wondered if there was anything else Kim wanted to add: “A new pet can be wonderful for the whole family. They can be emotional support, teach responsibility to children, and are an endless source of love. But owning a pet also comes with great responsibility. Providing proper vet care, training, exercise, and socialization is important to the health and well-being of your pet. It’s also important to find the right pet for you. Research the breed of dog you are considering. Not every breed is right for every person or every environment. By learning about the breed and learning as much as you can about the individual dog, you can determine if your lifestyle and the dog’s needs are a match. When it’s a great fit, both you and your new pet will have a lifetime of happiness.”

Fellow online community members shared their thoughts and opinions on the situation