Pregnant Woman Admits That She's Terrified For Her Child After Her Husband Broke Their Dog's Hip
She fears how he will react when their baby cries too loudly.
Voronaman | Shutterstock.com A pregnant woman expressed her fears going into motherhood and they're not what you might expect. She's not concerned about her capabilities of being a parent or worried about financially supporting a child.
Rather, she is concerned about her husband's apparent anger issues and worried that he can't be trusted around their unborn baby.
The woman admitted that she was terrified for her child after her husband broke their dog's hip.
Sharing her concerns on Reddit, the woman revealed that she is an animal lover, and has several pets including dogs, reptiles, frogs, and small animals. While all of her pets are attached to her, they aren't too interested in spending time with her husband of five years.
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“I thought nothing of it, as I care for them mainly and had most of them before we got together,” the woman wrote.
However, she soon discovered the horrifying truth behind why her pets were unattached to her husband after she noticed her five-pound chihuahua mix, Rufus, limping.
“My husband jokingly said a few minutes before I checked on him, ‘I got Rufus to stop scratching the door,’” the woman recalled. "I thought nothing of it until my poor dog was unable to move."
She took him to the vet where they did x-rays and discovered that the dog's hip was broken. “They said being so small it could be because he jumped off the furniture and hurt himself, as he's rather old as well.”
However, after she returned from the vet, her husband confessed something that shook her to her core.
“My husband later admitted that he lost his temper, picked Rufus up the scruff, and beat him,” the woman wrote.
Although her husband claimed to feel guilty and has stayed away from the animals since the woman felt hurt and incredibly concerned.
"Rufus and our other dogs are all terrified of him now. They cower under my feet wherever I'm sitting, or go and hide under the bed or in their kennel when I can't be with them," she added in a comment. "I don't want to force them to be around him or make them live in fear."
To make matters worse, the woman discovered that she was pregnant soon after her husband hurt their dog.
“I'm worried he may lose his temper with a newborn much worse than Rufus' constant scratching,” she wrote, admitting that she has yet to tell her husband that she is pregnant.
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Still, she said that she loves her partner and does not want to leave him, despite his concerning behavior. Others online; however, urged the woman to protect herself and her unborn baby by leaving the relationship before things get worse.
“Been there done that... if they will hurt the animals they will hurt you," one user cautioned. "Both I and my kids are now victims of domestic violence and it started with a similar situation."
“Normal people don't hurt animals. I'll say that again. Normal people don't hurt animals, especially their senior dogs,” another commenter wrote. “If he loses his temper at a senior dog imagine what he'll do to a child if it cries too loud or makes a mess.”
There is a direct link between acts of cruelty to animals and violence toward humans.
"Ample research backs up the finding that there is a direct link between acts of cruelty to animals and violence toward humans," the Animal Legal Defense Fund noted. "This includes child abuse, domestic violence, elder abuse, and other violent behavior."
Commenters weren't wrong to suggest the woman leave before anyone else gets hurt. Her husband’s behavior toward their small dog should be enough to raise alarm bells as to what kind of father he will be when their child gets on his nerves.
The next time he loses his temper, he may inflict worse than a broken hip.
In a follow-up post, the woman revealed that decided to leave her husband.
"Rufus is doing well and recovering at a friend's house with her husband, along with my other dogs and senior reptiles," she shared in a second Reddit post.
The woman explained that she sat down with her husband and had a much-needed conversation about his anger and violent behavior.
"It went smoothly. He agreed to seek anger management and therapy. But when I made it clear the dogs weren't coming back for a while, he got angry," she wrote. "He felt like was being immature, and he was being treated like an abuser."
He then stormed off, leaving his phone which soon began blowing up with messages.
"I have never once felt the need to go through his phone, but last night I decided to," the woman admitted. "Turns out, he was linking up with his old high school flame."
Evidence of his infidelity was the last straw and the push the woman needed to seek a divorce. Thankfully, she wrote, "Rufus is being his always supportive self."
If you or someone you know is suffering from domestic abuse or violence, there are resources to get help. For more information, resources, legal advice, and relevant links visit the National Domestic Violence Hotline. For anyone struggling with domestic abuse, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). If you’re unable to speak safely, text LOVEIS to 1-866-331-9474 or log onto thehotline.org.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.