'AITA for breaking up with my boyfriend after he lost my dog while I was on vacation?'

A 24-year-old woman was devastated after learning that her boyfriend lost her 12-year-old dog, Milo, while she was on a three-day vacation. Despite noticing strange interactions between Milo and her boyfriend, she trusted him with the dog.

Upon her return, she ended their relationship and blocked him, though friends and family have criticized her decision as unreasonable. Was she wrong? Here’s what Redditors have to say!

Woman shares strange interactions between her boyfriend and her pet

A Reddit user named anamariia5 shared her story in the AmITheA*****e section, reflecting on her four-year relationship with her boyfriend. She began by describing her deep bond with her 12-year-old dog, Milo: "I have had my dog, Milo (12F) for her whole life, we grew up together and it's really hard for her to get to trust other people. She has always been an anxious girl, but she is the light of my life and was always by my side even in my worst days."

She went on to explain how she introduced her boyfriend to Milo and her mother, noting that she found his behavior toward the dog strange. "He did not acknowledge Milo in any way, which is fine, I did not expect him to be all over her, considering she does not like that, but I still found it pretty strange because he said he absolutely LOVED dogs and to be honest, I believed that because he would always pet dogs when we were outside," she wrote.

Despite the initial oddness, Milo eventually warmed up to him. "Any interaction for the past 3 years with her was limited, but Milo warmed up to him, she would greet him, go to him for pets (witch he sometime gave) and accepted him on our daily walks."

She also recalled a difficult time when Milo had a severe tooth infection, causing her right eye to swell. During this period, her boyfriend helped take Milo to the vet. However, when she spent the following weeks tending to Milo, she noticed that her boyfriend seemed "pissed every time I brought her up, talking about her progress. Looking back, that should have risen some red flags, but I guess I brushed it off."

OP explains how her boyfriend lost her dog

The original poster then recounted her plans for a three-day vacation at her grandparents' house, where she initially arranged for her best friend, Alex, to look after Milo. However, her boyfriend intervened, insisting that he could take care of Milo instead, claiming, "he loves Milo and wants to go on walks with her, I reluctantly agreed, considering this "love" for her was out of the blue."

On the second day of her vacation, she received a phone call from her boyfriend, who casually said, "Milo really likes to stay outside." It was then that she discovered her dog was missing. "HE LEFT MY SWEET GIRL OUTSIDE, HOURS AT THE TIME, ALONE, AND WOULD CHECK UP ON HER HOURLY!!!" she wrote.

"Mind you, I live in an apartment and I don't have a backyard. Me and my mom left as soon as I told her and we arrived back home at around 9PM," she added.

Following the incident, she blocked her boyfriend on all platforms and began searching for Milo. "I have printed posters, went out everyday for hours at a time and put her on Facebook groups around my area (if you have any advice of something more I could do, please let me know)," she shared. 

Despite her efforts, her boyfriend and his friends called her an "a*****e" for blocking him and prioritizing her dog. "I know for a fact this is not true, but I don't have anyone else to ask, besides people that are really close to me and would be biased," she added.

She concluded, "My boyfriend lost my dog, he was never close to her and is calling me an AH for breaking up with him.."

Redditors support woman's decision to end relationship with boyfriend

After the 24-year-old woman decided to break up with her boyfriend for losing her dog, Redditors rallied behind her, supporting her decision to end the relationship.

One user wrote, "Can you go on your local radio show or similar? A story like this would interest them and could get everyone looking for Milo. NTA of course, and dump the abusive a*****e of a bf."

Another wrote, "After only reading the title, I feel confident in saying NTA."

A third person added, "Definitely NTA. But I’d check all animal shelters in the area to make sure your dog wasn’t surrendered to one of them. I wouldn’t put it past him to do something like that. And get a new boyfriend." 

A Redditor claimed, "NTA. It's feels like he'd planned it all along. Why would he insist on looking after her? I hope and pray you find her soon, and regardless, NEVER speak to him again. Please update us 🙏." 

Another commented, "NTA, even if he didn't do it on purpose he should've known better, block him and his whole friend group. I hope you'll find your dog, keep looking for her." 

A user stated, "NTA. I hope you dumped him! He was jealous of your dog and purposely got rid of her!! What a callous b*****d! Don’t ever take him back!"

Another comment read, "NTA!!!! He’s a horrible person and so are his friends. Stay far away from him. I hope you find your dog."

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