Man’s Pregnant Wife Surrenders Their Dog At The Shelter Without Talking To Him About It First — Now He Can’t Get The Dog Back
People are worried about how she will handle a baby if she can't handle a dog.
Prostock-studio / Shutterstock After a man received a text from his wife at work claiming that she surrendered their dog to a shelter, he initially thought that she was joking. However, to his horror, his wife did, in fact, get rid of their dog without consulting with him first.
Now, he is struggling to get their pup back home.
The man’s pregnant wife gave up their dog to a shelter after she became overwhelmed by the responsibility of taking care of the animal.
In his since-deleted Reddit post, the man revealed that he and his wife have been together for 12 years. During their marriage, they adopted a Brittany Spaniel, whom they named Gemma, from the National Brittany Rescue & Adoption Network in Pennsylvania.
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The man’s wife discovered she was pregnant not too long ago and decided to quit her job so that she could focus on the baby.
Since she was at home all day while her husband worked full-time, she was also responsible for taking care of Gemma. However, since becoming pregnant and quitting her job, the man noticed a significant change in his wife’s attitude toward their pooch.
“My wife LOVED our dog; she was the one that actually picked her,” the man recalled. “My wife was obsessed with Gemma, but after she found out she was pregnant, I swear it’s like a switch, and now she hates her.”
According to the man, his wife constantly complained about Gemma’s needs.
“Gem has ALWAYS had a sensitive stomach,” he wrote, noting that the dog’s stomach issues often result in her vomiting yellow bile and having diarrhea.
“My wife’s nausea was getting worse, and Gem throwing up wasn’t helping it, and she was annoyed because Gem was taking up a lot of vet bills because of her stomach,” the man continued. “With the baby on the way, my wife started seeing Gemma as a huge financial burden.”
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In addition to complaining about the dog’s health, the man said that his wife has refused to walk Gemma, blaming pregnancy fatigue.
He decided to mention the issue with his wife’s doctor, asking if her behavior was something he should be concerned about.
“She told me this behavior is normal with pregnant women due to hormones," he reported, "and she told me not to worry and let my wife have some space."
The man never could have imagined what his wife would do with the dog one day while he was at work.
“My wife’s patience became nonexistent. She dropped off Gemma at the rescue,” he wrote. “I thought she was joking when she texted me this.”
Unfortunately, his wife was serious. Since she dropped the dog off at the shelter on a Friday evening, and they were closed on the weekends, the man had to call the following week in hopes of bringing her home.
However, by the time he called, Gemma had already been transferred to a different shelter out of the state, and there was no chance of getting her back.
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“I’m just so pissed I couldn’t even say goodbye to Gemma. I keep looking at my dog's videos and photos on my phone,” the man shared.
Despite his wife apologizing and admitting that she could have handled the situation better, she still believes that Gemma being gone is the best outcome for them so that they can focus on being parents.
Still, the man is angry that his wife decided to give up their dog without discussing it with him first or considering other options to make taking care of the dog easier.
Many people believe that the man is just as responsible for Gemma’s fate as his wife — and that he could have done more to prevent it.
“You are just as responsible for what happened with that dog as your wife is," one Redditor commented. "She complained OVER AND OVER about the dog being a financial and physical burden. Yet, you did nothing. Didn't look into dog daycare/sitters. Didn't take her to a different vet."
“Yeah, your wife sucks for taking the dog to a shelter without discussion, but it also sounds like you've not been listening to her anyway," they continued. "Neither of you seemed to care much for the dog, as actions speak louder than words. Don't get another one.”
Others noted that the man could have done more to get his dog back instead of calling the shelter once.
“Talk to the shelter again. Get the number for the shelter where Gemma was taken to. Hound them until you get answers. Your dog is scared and confused and heartbroken and you need to fight for her,” one user urged.
Other people were mortified by the wife's actions, wondering how she would be able to care for a baby if she could not handle taking care of a dog.
“Pregnancy hormones don't give her a free pass. If she can do this with a dog, what's gonna happen with a baby?” one Redditor questioned.
Dogs and other animals cannot be simply discarded when caring for them becomes too much.
When you add a dog to your family, you commit to taking care of them — even if they have stomach issues or you get pregnant.
Dogs are more than just cute little playthings. They are living creatures who experience a wide range of emotions and require different kinds of care, just like humans do. You cannot toss them aside and hand them over to overcrowded shelters when they need to be fed, walked, groomed, and loved.
When your children become overwhelming, you wouldn’t dump them into a homeless shelter. So why should you do it to your dog?
Each year, around 6.5 million pets enter animal shelters. However, only 3.2 million are adopted, and many will likely end up back in a shelter within a year of finding a new home.
Those who are never adopted are euthanized or will die alone within shelter walls.
Instead of giving up on your dog if their needs become difficult to manage, dog owners can discuss ways to improve their dog care and make it easier.
For instance, if the man’s wife was becoming nauseated from cleaning up the dog’s vomit, the man should have offered to clean it when he got home from work. If walking her was becoming too much, they could hire a dog walker or ask family members in sound condition to walk the dog.
There are always options other than abandoning your pets, and the options would have been worth discussing before the man’s wife decided to give up on poor Gemma. We can only hope that she eventually finds a family who will meet her every need and give her love and affection for the rest of her life.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.