The ancient Romans sometimes liked to say: “Let justice be done, though the world perish” – in other words, if we are nominally right in something, we are sometimes ready to defend our formal correctness even to the detriment of common sense. Or, in relation to the story that we want to tell you today, to the detriment of the health of one dog…

Yes, divorces of spouses become a real test not only for themselves, their children, or relatives. Sometimes former family pets suffer as well. In general, no matter how you look at it, the story described by user u/Both_Ad6935 is a clear example of a lose-lose situation.

The author of the post recently divorced his wife and she took their dog while parting ways

Image credits: Roman Tymochko (not the actual image)

The man admits that he was against buying a dog and had suggested they adopt one instead, but the wife was adamant

Image credits: u/Both_Ad6935

Around half a year after their divorce, the woman got in touch with her ex demanding he pay for the dog’s surgery

Image credits: Jens Mahnke (not the actual image)

Image credits: u/Both_Ad6935

Image credits: Karolina Grabowska (not the actual image)

Image credits: u/Both_Ad6935

The man refused, claiming it was ‘her’ dog and he owed his ex nothing, and she then started badmouthing him to his friends

The Original Poster (OP) says that he and his wife recently divorced, and when they discussed the terms of separation, the woman took their dog without any questions. The thing is, the author of the post continues that initially it was his wife who really wanted to have a dog, and it was to be a purebred one. The man tried to persuade her to adopt a pet from a shelter or just take in a mutt, but the woman was adamant in her desire.

Arguments about the health of the dog did not have any effect – after all, mutts often have much better health than purebreds. In general, after some time, the couple acquired a pet belonging to a very specific breed, which is famously bad at breathing.

The author recalls that the dog they bought was never ‘theirs’, he was only ‘her’ dog – except when the weather was bad outside. Then, ironically, claims the OP, he had to walk the pet. The husband paid for all vet bills and dog-related bills as well. However, his income allowed him to do this easily. But after the divorce, when the ex-wife took the dog and was faced with the need to urgently perform some fairly extensive and expensive surgery, it turned out that the state of her finances did not allow this.

You probably have already guessed what happened next. The woman asked her ex-husband to help her with vet bills, but he flatly refused. It’s not that he was a dog hater, but firstly, the ‘I told you so’ principle came into play, and secondly, as the author of the post admits, after their divorce, for almost six months he heard nothing from his ex – until the moment when she needed financial help for her dog.

So the man refused, recalling that he had been told more than once earlier that this was not his dog, and that he was generally against buying it. In response, the woman contacted his friends about this rejection, and some of the OP’s guy friends criticized him for refusing to help an animal that he used to care about. On his part, the original poster sincerely believes he doesn’t owe his ex any help. And what about the pet?

Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual image)

Apparently, we are talking about a representative of some of the so-called “brachycephalic” dog breeds – that is, with flat muzzles. Among the most popular breeds in this category are English and French Bulldogs, Bull Mastiffs, Boston Terriers, Pugs, Boxers, Shih Tsu, Lhasso Apso and Pekingese. Some dogs of these breeds may develop upper respiratory pathologies, which, however, can almost always be cured with surgery.

“The prognosis for dogs with brachycephalic syndrome depends on the number of conditions. If the ailments have gone untreated and become severe, the prognosis will be negatively impacted,” Jenna Stregowski, the Pet Health and Behavior Editor at The Spruce Pets, writes. “Dogs that receive successful surgery have good prognoses. Most dogs make a full recovery and go on to live normal lives. There may be some residual snoring and noisy breathing, but it is generally lesser than before treatment.”

As you can see, if the owner still finds funds for her pet’s surgery, everything will probably be fine with the health of the dog. But will it be her ex-husband’s money? The opinions of the commenters here are massively divided. Technically, folks in the comments suppose the man is certainly right – and he doesn’t owe his ex-spouse anything. But how to explain this to a poor animal which, after all, is not to blame for anything?

Yes, the situation is not that pleasant, the commenters state – they also feel sorry for the dog, but if the woman actually “wanted to keep the dog, then she inherits any and all responsibility. It’s not like you have shared custody of the dog,” as some people in the comments are convinced. Someone advised the OP’s wife to go on GoFundMe or get a pet treatment loan – and this actually does make sense. And what do you, our dear readers, think about this situation?

People in the comments, however, mostly sided with the guy, suggesting his ex go on GoFundMe or take out a pet treatment loan

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