'AITA for refusing to let my sister's dog stay at my house even though she was in the hospital?'

Taking to Reddit's popular 'Am I the A**hole' (AITA) forum, a 33-year-old man revealed his dilemma of not being willing to let his sister's dog, Bailey, stay at his home while his sister, 29, got "admitted to the hospital for an unexpected surgery."

Feeling stuck, the Original Poster (OP) expressed his situation in a Reddit post, titled, "AITA for not letting my sister’s dog stay at my house even though she’s in the hospital?" and the Reddit community had plenty of responses for him.

Man shares being reluctant to let his sister's dog stay at his house

The man began his story by explaining that his sister (29F) was recently admitted to the hospital due to an unexpected surgery and will be there for at least a week.

In a state of panic, she called the OP to ask if he could "take care of her dog, Bailey, for the time being."

Despite loving his sister, the OP shared that he was not willing to let the dog stay. "I love my sister, but here’s the thing: I’m not a dog person. At all," he said.

Explaining his reluctance, the OP added: "I’ve always made this clear. My house is meticulously clean, and I’m not comfortable with animals inside. I also work long hours, and my schedule doesn’t leave much time for walks or proper care."

According to the OP, his sister became very upset and accused him of being "selfish" when he told her he couldn't do it. "She said Bailey is really well-behaved and that it would just be temporary," the OP said of his sister.

Instead, the OP advised his sister to "ask one of her friends or hire a pet sitter," but it seems that her best friend is now out of town and she is unable to pay for one.

She broke down in tears and claimed that the OP was "abandoning" her when she most needed me.

"I feel bad, but I don’t think it’s fair for her to expect me to drop everything and rearrange my life to accommodate her dog. I feel like I’ve been clear about my boundaries regarding pets," the OP noted.

Moreover, his parents were also supporting his sister. "My parents are on her side and are calling me an ahole for not helping my “poor sister in her time of need.” But they live several hours away and can’t take the dog either. I feel stuck," the OP wrote in conclusion.

Reddit community slams OP for 'being a selfish AH'

Several Redditors slammed the OP for being selfish and not supporting his sister in an emergency. One user called him a "YTA" and wrote in part, "YTA - Your sister is having an emergency, and you are being a selfish AH."

The user added, "The word "boundary" has been abused a lot recently and this is an example of it. Your sister is not demanding you adopt her pet, she is not demanding you uproot your life for her dog, she is asking you to help her out for one week. That's not a boundary, that's called "I couldn't care less about my sister, or at least, not enough to help her out in an emergency for a WEEK!""

Another user echoed in their lengthy comment, "YTA. Not necessarily for saying no but for not doing offering to help her find a solution."

A user added, "YTA, you are so concerned about the state of your house and your working hours, you fully overlook any alternatives that include you. Can you stay at her place? Can you compromise that instead of a dogsitter she gets a dog walker and you can keep your workhours and you basically will only do nights with the dog? There is a huge gap between a full on dog sitter and a dogwalker (time wise and money wise). You are not willing to even move an inch in an emergency, it makes YTA."

"YTA. This is an emergency, she wouldn’t be asking otherwise. I hope you never need your sisters help for anything," chimed in another.

Another said, "I hope to god if I ever end up in the hospital my sister would love me more than her clean house. In my opinion YTA. You can twist it how you want but you are zero help to her situation and I feel very bad for her and her innocent dog."

"I’m going to say that YTA. It’s not about “being a dog person,” it’s about helping your family. Yes, this dog is not your responsibility. Yes, you keep a clean house and it is spotless. But you can’t deal with a little dirt and hair while your sister undergoes an unplanned procedure?" commented one.

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