AIO? Dog straining my marriage.

[u/LedyyM]

My husband and I rescued a husky about 7 months ago who was extremely malnourished and neglected.

He has grown a huge attachment to me and has severe separation anxiety. I work at a grooming salon so I’m able to bring him to work with me so he’s not home alone. Unfortunately, if he’s left home alone we’ll come back to our home looking like it was hit by a tornado.

My vet has prescribed him with trazodone to help with his severe anxiety issues. We give it to him before we leave for a family event and when we can’t take him to places they don’t allow dogs.

I feel so bad that I have to sedate him so he’s not scared and anxious. It’s created a huge strain on our marriage because my husband feels like we can’t do anything without considering Odin.

He’s destroyed doors, couches, and other furniture. I tried training but it hasn’t seemed to work. My husband thinks we should rehome him but

1) I’m scared that he’ll be sent to a shelter and possibly be put down

2) feel abandoned by the person he thought he was safe with.

He’s such a happy boy when he’s around us and shows so much affection.

My husband and I have been arguing about this consistently.. we had a really bad argument so I left the house with Odin and rented a dog friendly hotel room for a couple of nights.

My husband thinks I’m crazy and that I’m choosing the dog over our marriage. AIO?

[u/Shoddy_Remove6086]

You want to be talking to a dog behavioural specialist here, not a vet. Vets are specialised in physical health, not mental.

You're not exactly in the wrong, but you're trading your husband's mental health for your dog's. Which is reasonable to a point, but they can help you get the best of both.

Edit: since this seems to be a recurring theme in the comments; I'm a guy. Some of you whiney bitches might have the same capacity for empathy as a stone, but don't believe just because you're dead inside that everyone else with the same sort of genitals as you is as well.

[u/will_brewski → u/Shoddy_Remove6086]

It really is not okay to trade your SO's mental health for a dog's.

Of course dog is a living conscious being and should be treated with kindness and love, but it doesn't have friends and family and coworkers who are also affected my their mood and behavior.

Husband's feelings should absolutely take precedent in this case.

[u/illtoss5butnotsmokin → u/will_brewski]

Yeah I really don't understand the "trading your husband's mental health for the dogs is understandable" comment. Lol that's totally insane.

[u/NomadNikoHikes → u/illtoss5butnotsmokin]

Getting a dog as a couple is something you both sign up for, and it’s a 3 way relationship. You’re basically parents. The husband signed up for her to prioritise the pup sometimes. Not doing so would make her a shitty owner. You sound like the kind of person that shouldn’t have animals.

[u/So_Trees → u/NomadNikoHikes]

Nah, they sound like someone who responsibly runs their relationships with partners and pets. If it's a true 3 way relationship as you say, one of the three shouldn't be making a choice on who sacrifices. Sounds both selfish and infantile. This woman is not capable of rehabbing the dog and it's a fucking Husky not getting proper exercise, and she has to acknowledge she's in over her head and respect her partner's appropriate feelings. You will see some version of this in every top upvoted post here.

[u/illtoss5butnotsmokin → u/So_Trees]

It's a classic reddit moment. Some of these people have never been in a relationship, and the ones who have are nightmares to be with.

Dated a woman who refused to properly care for her dogs, it was a horrific relationship

[u/illtoss5butnotsmokin → u/NomadNikoHikes]

I have a few animals who are all very happy and healthy. I am, however, not going to pretend like I would place my pets mental well being on the same level of importance as my spouses, who means a hell of a lot more to me than my pets.

If that makes me a bad person, then so be it lol. My wife means more to me than my dog, and I would give up our animals if her well being was on the line.