AITA for telling my aunt who actually watched her dog and taking the payment for it?

Matilda: My sister Sophia consented to a four-month dog-sitting gig for our aunt, agreeing to a $6,000 payment. Once Sophia understood that the dogs would not be able to stay at her place, she unilaterally delegated the responsibility to me, without any discussion beforehand.

Following Matilda’s intervention, her aunt provided her with $8,000 to handle the costs. Sophia is currently unhappy regarding the funds and the circumstances, whereas Matilda believes she had no other option than to accept the responsibility. Find the complete account detailed below…

‘ AITA for telling my aunt who actually watched her dog and taking the payment for it?’

I am Matilda, I am 25 years old and I share a home with Gregory, who is 29. Although we are both dog lovers, we do not have one. My older sister Sophia, who is 39, consented to care for our aunt Kathy’s two dogs, Wilbur, a husky mix, and Alfred, a great dane, for a four-month duration while Kathy and her husband were overseas. Kathy proposed a compensation of $6,000 for the responsibility. My sister, facing financial challenges due to debt, required the funds but made the decision to accept the offer without consulting her husband beforehand.

Sophia soon understood her townhouse was too small for the dogs, so she asked if they could stay in our yard for one night while she made other arrangements. After bringing the dogs over, she departed and informed me that I would be watching them for the next four months. She assured me I would receive a portion of her payment.

I attempted to contact her by phone, but there was no response. Her spouse informed me that he was unwilling to allow the canines in their home for such an extended duration. I contacted additional relatives, but they all declined, prompting Gregory and myself to assume the obligation, despite the necessity of scrapping our holiday arrangements.

The day after Kathy started her vacation, I phoned her to clarify things. I mentioned that we were feeding the canines but required funds for food and other items since Alfred has a large appetite. Kathy was shocked to hear that Sophia had already received $6,000, in addition to $1,000 for provisions. She promptly contacted Sophia, berated her, and insisted on getting all the funds back. Afterward, Kathy wired me $8,000 to reimburse us for looking after the dogs.

Sophia rang me up, completely distraught, relaying how they’d spent the funds on overdue bills and were forced to withdraw $7,000 from their reserve funds. I responded that I wouldn’t allow myself to feel remorseful, considering she’d been dishonest and abandoned me with the responsibility of caring for the dogs for a period of four months, all while disregarding my personal arrangements. Am I the one in the wrong?

Let’s dive into the reactions from Reddit:

Rhiyxnnxh −  NTA. Lmao so sophia didnt do the job she took on, tried to get paid for it, and then complained when she got found out and needed to give back the money. A shame. What she does with her finances aren’t your responsibility so its fine if you dont feel bad tbh its not your fault she was in debt (i assume).

Chilling_Storm −  Your sister was going to keep all the money for the job that she pawned off on you, and you are wondering if you are the a h for not letting her s**ew you?

EsmeWeatherwax7a −  This is terrible of your sister all the way through–there’s no way someone who says ‘surprise, you have a Great Dane and a Husky for the next 4 months’ is going to be the hero of the story–but the fact that your sister had $7000 in savings to pay her bills when she needed to means she wasn’t doing this out of desperation. She’s just an AH. NTA, and ultimately it’s a very good thing Wilbur and Alfred have a safe and caring place to stay.

voyageur1066 −  Your sister is a l**r and a t**ef. I think you handled this perfectly, and now your family (at least some of them) are aware of how dishonest and unethical your sister is. NTA. And it was really kind of you and your husband to take care of the dogs when your sister abandoned them.

Lucariothrowaway −  Nta oh god what the hell else has your sister taken advantage of you for. This is ridiculous, she was using you to get $7,000 for free while you had to take care of 2 dogs, one of which is a GREAT DANE. Your sister f**king sucks, she spent all the money so she was never even gonna give you half. She was probably gonna passively guilt trip you into telling her to keep it all.

If you’re the one putting in all the effort, what gives her the right to claim half the funds? Plus, she tricked you into taking the dogs, likely knowing from the get-go that she couldn’t keep them herself. She attempted to swindle you; don’t let her get away with it.

Forward-Dingo1431 −  NTA. What your sister did was totally unfair. She tricked you into taking the dogs and left you high and dry. I’m glad you were able to speak with your aunt and let her know the truth.

toosheeptheorist −  NTA – what your sister did is considered fraud – she took money in exchange for services and then reneged on the services. She’s lucky that your aunt only wants the money back and is not pursuing criminal charges. You’re especially not the AH for how you went about it, because how else would you be reimbursed for time, effort and expenses related to the dogs and taking into consideration that you had to cancel your own plans for Christmas.

Onestep420 −  NTA……… how do I get in on dog sitting for Aunt Kathy?

Snackinpenguin −  OP’s sister is a s**t show on multiple levels. Not talking to her husband first? Not doing a trial run with the dogs before committing for so long? Thinking she could take the money, ghost OP and make out like a bandit while OP got stuck with the dogs for months on end? Yeah. Aunt needed to know who was actually taking care of the dogs. NTA.

lostalldoubt86 −  NTA- She took money for a job and then didn’t actual do the job. Your sister is an AH to multiple people here. She lied to your aunt. She didn’t check with her husband before offering to watch dogs for 4 months. THEN, she pawned off the job on you without any payment. I would also argue that her husband is a bit of an AH for refusing to take the dogs, but being willing to spend the money.