'I don't want to be the bad guy here': Person tells their sister and mother that they have to return the newly adopted Australian Shepherd puppy because none of them have the time to take care of it properly, the mother gets angry

Mariel Ruvinsky • Writer and Editor

Jun 20, 2025 9:00 AM EDT

Adopting a dog is one of the most amazing and beautiful things that you can do - for yourself and for a puppy that needs a home. But it's not an easy thing to do. It's not a task that you can underestimate. Dogs are high maintenance creatures - especially some breeds, and adopting dogs is a responsibility - a big one. They depend on you, they need you, especially as little pups. It is your responsibility, before adopting, to make sure that you can actually take care of one. Properly.

The sister and mother in this story, who adopted a high maintenance, mega energetic Australian Shepherd puppy, did not think things through. And although we know that returning a puppy after having adopted it is one of the most painful, saddest things that you can do, there are some situations - like this one - where that solution, unfortunately, might be what is best for the dog's needs.

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via Unsplash / Melissa Keizer keizgoesboom

^{This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.}
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"Telling my mom and sister to return their dog to the breeder."

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via Unsplash / Melissa Keizer keizgoesboom

^{This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.}
Look, we understand everyone's point of view here - the concerned sister who thinks the puppy should go back, the excited sister who's so happy about having adopted, and the mother, who so desperately does not want to give the puppy back. We get it. Which is why it's hard to be mad, especially when the right decision seems to have been made at the end.
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via Unsplash / Melissa Keizer keizgoesboom

^{This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.}
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via Unsplash / Melissa Keizer keizgoesboom

^{This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.}
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via Confusion-Capable
It's the fact that she was able to listen to others and put the dog's needs above her own desire to keep it is what keeps us from being angry. She understood. That matters.