Redditor’s Nightmare AITA Post Reminds Partners To Address Compatibility Issues Head-on

Every so often, a post arrives on Reddit’s AITA (Am I The A**hole) open forum that is so outlandish that it’s hard to determine if it’s real. One user (sherzad71) has caused a stir online by asking the internet, “AITA for leaving my girlfriend after she got a dog?”

On the forum, Reddit users share stories from their personal lives and seek insight on whether their choices and actions were appropriate or not. Usually, users come to the thread when they’re accused of being an AH for something and want to know whether impartial internet users agree with the AH label or not. Commenters either label the original poster (OP) “You’re the AH” (YTA) or “Not the AH” (NTA). Often, the most entertaining posts are those on the far end of YTA or NTA. Sometimes readers just can’t believe that some OPs actually have to ask AITA when they clearly are. Other times, though, an OP arises who is most certainly NTA.

Redditor’s AITA post leaves readers shocked

Sherzad71’s “AITA for leaving my girlfriend after she got a dog?” post has received quite a bit of attention on Reddit, gaining 17,000 reactions and almost 10,000 comments in just four days. The OP explains that he is a 25-year-old man who has been with his 23-year-old girlfriend for over a year and had no noticeable relationship issues until recently.

OP was blindsided when he came home one night to find a Golden Retriever in his home, which his girlfriend had bought without consulting him. To make matters worse, the OP revealed that he had a huge fear of dogs, to the point he can’t even be in the same room with them. He had told his girlfriend this detail from the onset of their relationship and made it clear they would never be able to have a dog together, which she seemed content with. So he was shocked when she smiled upon introducing the dog and seemed to see no issue with suddenly dropping the dog on him. As a result, he left to go to a hotel for the night, hoping to clear his head before addressing the matter. At the hotel, his girlfriend texted him, saying he was overreacting and should at least give living with the dog a try.

The OP concluded his post by asking if he was the AH for wanting to break up with his girlfriend over the issue.

The comments poured in quickly and were almost exclusively NTA. The consensus was that the major issue was that the girlfriend disregarded her partner’s feelings and boundaries while barring him from a huge life decision that affected both of them. Even if both of them were dog lovers, it wouldn’t be acceptable for one to suddenly buy a dog without asking their partner. Additionally, although some commenters suggested that the OP should at least be open to working on overcoming his fear of dogs, his girlfriend shouldn’t be the one to decide when and how he begins addressing this issue.

To be clear, his girlfriend isn’t the AH for liking and wanting a dog or even for potentially choosing the dog instead of her partner. If the OP refused to compromise with her on this point and she absolutely wanted a dog, then it’s perfectly acceptable to decide she and her partner are not compatible and to choose the dog over the relationship. However, she went about it in the wrong way by waiting over a year into the relationship to make her feelings known and trying to force the dog into the picture instead of just leaving the relationship because of their differences.

Ultimately, the post serves as a poignant reminder to consult your partner before making big life decisions and highlights why it’s so important to address compatibility issues early on instead of waiting more than a year into a relationship.