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A mischievous dog became tangled in Christmas tree lights at his home in Pittsburgh. Jen Dupak-Smith told Storyful her bull terrier Chico Gilligan loved to roll around under the tree; she adopted him when he was just two years old.
A Redditor thought he was doing the right thing by adopting his dad’s dog after the father died — but his wife very much disagrees, apparently.
The husband, who goes by the Reddit username "glaucon15," recently sought advice in the "Am I the A*****e" (AITA) subreddit after he faced pushback for taking in his deceased father’s nine-year-old cockapoo.
"AITA for adopting my dad’s dog when he died, even though my wife didn’t want me to?" the man asked in a post he wrote on Dec. 19 on the platform.
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The man began by saying that his father passed away from heart failure about two years ago.
After his father’s long-term domestic partner reached out to share the sad news with "glaucon15" about his dad's passing, it turns out that she, unfortunately, then died the same day, due to poor health, he continued.
Redditor "glacon15" said his dad passed away several years ago, and he ended up taking his father's cockatoo. His wife was less than thrilled. (iStock)
The Redditor said he then realized his father’s dog was left alone.
"I couldn’t get into the house and had to force the door," he wrote.
"Obviously I was somewhat stunned by grief, and I couldn’t imagine anything other than adopting the dog myself."
He added, "The dog was obviously orphaned. A cockapoo, small, easy, mild, 9 years old, no problems. I took the liberty of bringing her home."
But what some might have considered an act of compassion, even heroism, was reportedly met with anger when the man returned home to his wife.
A chocolate cockapoo poses for a photo. "I took the liberty of bringing" the orphaned dog home, the man wrote on Reddit about his situation. (iStock)
"My wife was a little shy of furious but very, very angry," the Redditor wrote. "She said I should have asked her, that ‘it’s my house, too!’"
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He continued, "I wouldn’t contradict that, but under the circumstances, I was certain that she would understand. I was very hurt by her insensitivity."
He added, "Obviously I was somewhat stunned by grief, and I couldn’t imagine anything other than adopting the dog myself."
"Occasionally she uses this incident to demonstrate how I’m a bully in the relationship," the Reddit writer shared of the standoff with his wife. (iStock)
The couple owns their home; they already have two cats, the Redditor said. He reiterated that the dog is "low maintenance."
Two years after he first took in the dog, the Redditor said his wife still refuses to walk the dog because, as she says, it's "not my dog," he noted.
"It was a duty I welcomed. My wife didn’t want [the dog], but that wasn’t a suitable reason to defy my conscience."
"Occasionally she uses this incident to demonstrate how I’m a bully in the relationship," he also said.
He said it’s not about getting his wife to "do dog chores," and she "doesn’t actually despise the dog" — but she remains firm about not taking care of her.
A light-colored cockapoo sits on a porch waiting to be walked. "It was a duty I welcomed," the Redditor said of taking in the dog. "My wife didn’t want it, but that wasn’t a suitable reason to defy my conscience." (iStock)
"I have been bold enough to suggest it on occasion, such as when we had evening plans and she was already home, but I was going to need to come home versus meeting up, or if I wasn’t feeling great," he said.
He still feels he had "no excuse" to "not take the dog" after his father passed away.
"I’ve been surprised when she holds that boundary," the Redditor continued.
"I’m guessing she would walk her if I was incapacitated (she’d be pissed, though)."
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"Glaucon15" concluded that he still feels he had "no excuse" to "not take the dog."
"It was a duty I welcomed," he said. "My wife didn’t want it, but that wasn’t a suitable reason to defy my conscience."
He added, "I couldn’t imagine being the son who send[s] the dog to strangers or the Humane Society."
A couple fight in a hallway; a chocolate cocapoo is shown at right. "The wife should try to show [her husband] the same compassion she'd want if roles were reversed," one commenter replied. (iStock)
Fox News Digital reached out to the original poster for comment.
Thousands of Reddit users have been reacting to the family drama — with split takes.
"Yes, he was right to take in the poor dog when the tragedy occurred but forcing your spouse to house an animal they never wanted and then [getting] annoyed with them when they don't want to take care of it is pretty weird behavior," Reddit user "stalkertuesday" commented.
"It sounds like she thinks her hubby does what he wants without discussing it. It's not that she thinks his actions of adopting the dog were wrong — but she feels disrespected because she wasn’t consulted."
Redditor "educational-fan-6438" added that the wife's referring to her husband as a bully is "a bit over the top."
"He had to force his way into the house to rescue the dog. Where was it to go?" the same commenter also said.
"She then can't understand that rehoming his late father's companion might be emotionally difficult?" the commenter continued. "The wife should try to show [him] the same compassion she'd want if roles were reversed."
"This is definitely a battle that has little to do with the dog and more about the dynamics in the marriage, or even possibly the wife’s relationship with her deceased in laws," said one psychologist about the marital standoff. (iStock)
New York-based psychologist and cognitive behavioral therapist Jayme Albin, Ph.D, weighed in on the debate, telling Fox News Digital that the argument isn’t really about the dog.
"This is definitely a battle that has little to do with the dog and more about the dynamics in the marriage, or even possibly the wife’s relationship with her deceased in-laws," she said in an email.
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"It sounds like she thinks her hubby does what he wants without discussing it. It's not that she thinks his actions of adopting the dog were wrong — but she feels disrespected because she wasn’t consulted."
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The psychologist suggested the couple should foster more "open and direct communication" with each another.
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