AITA for giving my stepson an ultimatum when he unexpectedly brought home an 8 week old puppy?

A Reddit user is currently dealing with a problem: her adult stepson brought an eight-week-old puppy to their house without consulting anyone or acquiring the necessary provisions. This occurred even after they had cautioned him about the difficulties of adding a dog to their home, particularly with their decade-old dog already there.

The older dog is currently miserable. The original poster anticipates that they and their husband will bear the brunt of raising and training the puppy. She told her stepson that if the two dogs are unable to live together peacefully, he must either leave or find a new home for the puppy.

‘ AITA for giving my stepson an ultimatum when he unexpectedly brought home an 8 week old puppy?’

My adult stepson, who resides with my husband, myself, and our decade-old dog, has expressed interest in acquiring his own canine companion. Given his full-time employment, the care of this dog would largely fall to my husband and me.

I already told him I won’t train another dog and I was concerned that our senior dog would not be friendly. She’s never been aggressive, however she doesn’t like dogs that get in her face. Well, he came home the other day with a puppy and zero supplies. No food, no cage, no bowls, nothing. I was visibly pissed & told him I am not training it or going to be in anyway shape of form responsible for it when he’s not home.

Our elderly dog is acting as expected. She growls when the puppy approaches. I informed my son that if our dog and the puppy can’t coexist, he must either leave or find a new home for the puppy. Seriously, what the freak? Am I being irrational?

Here’s what people had to say to OP:

VelvetPenguin87 −  NTA. It seems like your “grown” stepson has no idea the responsibility of dog ownership and has put that burden on you. Stick to your guns on this one, if he doesn’t find a new place to live then start posting online to find someone who can properly take care of that dog (& please do everything you can to make sure the puppy gets to a home where he’ll be cared for!) Hope he spent a lot of money on it and learns a lesson from this.

toosheeptheorist −  NTA – as much as your SS wanted a puppy, he does not own the house. Even if he pays rent, adding another pet to the mix required ALL residents to agree on it. If SS wants a puppy, he needs to be able to care for it, feed it, train it etc and not leave it up to others. Good luck.

Lanky-giraffe-100 −  NTA and your stepson is a j**k. That being said, it’s very common for an adult dog to growl at a puppy. It’s actual communication, and far more preferable than no growling. A growl is a warning. Puppies need to be reeled in and an older dog can really help with that. If you decide to let the puppy stay, they will likely bond but your older dog will do it on her time.

anthroid9246 −  NTA but why is this a you problem and not a husband problem? Where is his father in all of this? Stepson is out of his mind but this does not belong to you. Hubby needs to step up and parent his young ‘un.

extinct_diplodocus −  NTA. Adding a pet to the household requires everyone to agree. He unilaterally got a puppy despite this. Your two alternatives are totally reasonable.

StAlvis −  ESH. I already told him I won’t train another dog and I was concerned that our senior dog would not be friendly. You needed to tell him a hard “**no**.”. He heard “yes, but…”

mdthomas −  You don’t bring home a new pet unless everyone that lives in the home is OK with it.. NTA.

Jealous-Contract7426 −  NTA but why isn’t your husband handling this?

tosser9212 −  NTA. He’s not in a place to train and care for a dog.

Next-Wishbone1404 −  You should never have let the puppy cross the threshold. Take it to a no-kill shelter and tell your stepson he can go get it when he’s signed a lease on his new apartment. NTA.