Father and brother insist on adopting a dog despite living in a 1-bedroom apartment shared by 3 people and 2 pets, son refuses: 'I'm not gonna be responsible for it'

• 01
  
  via JackF

  Dissatisfied father scolds son at home

  Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

• [Am I wrong] for telling my family I’m not looking after another pet dog if we get one

  I live with my father and brother in a one bedroom apartment, we own one pet chihuahua and one cockatiel. The chihuahua was originally my brothers dog but for the most part prefers my dad and the cockatiel was gifted to my dad by a different brother. Both pets however became my responsibility because my dad and brother both work where as i don’t and am home.

• Yesterday my dad and brother came home from their jobs to tell me they apparently were discussing getting another chihuahua, i asked why when we just recently got the bird and that i remember my dad saying he didn’t want another dog because ziggy the one we have now is frustrating to live with as is because she has bladder issues and struggles with anxiety so she p**s his bed and around the apartment a lot.

• I ignored the fact that they didn’t even care to see how i felt about it before making it a discussion and just decided to say i personally don’t want another pet if it’s going to be another one I didn’t ask for but still end up being responsible for cleaning up after. But because im unemployed I feel like they think how I feel doesnt really matter because if I’m not working then I can do this or something,

• It wouldn't matter if they were all unemployed, three people living in a 1-bedroom apartment, and three animals, even small ones, is too many. Two is already too many. Ziggy, the chihuahua, is probably acting out because she feels like she doesn't have enough space. This is a recurring (and unfortunate) theme we see over here at Animal Comedy - people don't think about the quality of life of their pets. They just assume that because they're living with humans that they're living a good life, but dogs and birds have their own requirements for feeling safe and loved. 

• This morning before they left I brought it up again and just asked logical questions “why?” My brother said because ziggy needs a new friend (she has never cared to play with other dogs, the other brother who got the bird lives above us and has two dogs and she doesn’t even care to play with them when they are outside.) My brother said “because she doesn’t know them.” I pushed back and asked more stuff to my dad, my brother eventually got visibly annoyed and asked “why are you so against this”. And i explained because when I forget stuff with ziggy, like if I forget to pick up her p**p at some point throughout the day or change her pads it’s remembered and used against me. And now on top of that I have to look after a bird also. I mentioned how between the 3 of us it’s only ever me or my dad that cleans up after them, which he didn’t like and brought up “and what about you? You wanna talk about cleaning but you sleep all day” (recently I have my mental health isn’t the greatest).

• 02
  
  via FatCamera

  Pets lying together on the floor

  Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

• He pushed what I said aside and told my dad “just get the dog dude” “if you wanna get it, get it” so I said “I’m not gonna be responsible for it”.
  -Financial_Water_4254

• CheapCaterpillars

  Wait, three grown men, a Chihuahua, and a cockatiel in a ONE-BEDROOM apartment? And they want to add another dog? That isn't a home, that’s a hoarding situation waiting to happen. There is physically no space for another living thing to have its own territory, which is probably why Ziggy is so anxious and p**ing everywhere. Your dad and brother are being incredibly irresponsible. You are the only one thinking about the welfare of the animals and the sanity of the household.

• Every living creature experiences some form of anxiety, even chihuahuas. In fact, chihuahuas are experts in anxiety because they are quite literally afraid of everything. They might not look it from their snarls and aggressive barks, but those are all defense mechanisms to seem more threatening to larger animals. All of them stem from fear - and fear is born from many places. Not feeling comfortable in your living space is one of them. Are the dots starting to connect yet?

• 03
  
  via Prostock-studio

  Family sleeping after party in messy room

  Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

• rikievesluvs

  Dude, a one bedroom apartment with three adults, a bird, and an anxious dog is already a lot. Adding another chihuahua into that mix sounds like a total nightmare, especially since you know you are gonna be the one stuck doing the dirty work. Your brother is being super selfish by pushing your dad to just get the dog while ignoring your boundaries. Just because you arent working right now doesnt mean your time and energy have zero value. Stand your ground on not taking care of it if they actually bring one home.

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