Your family should always come first. Conversely, setting boundaries and declining help when necessary is perfectly reasonable. The story below is an account of a confused sister. Every year, the original poster (OP) and her family take trips together. OP, however, informed her family that neither she nor her spouse would be able to attend because of her current unemployment. Things were going well at first, but when her brother insisted that she take care of his five dogs the entire journey, t…

The proper etiquette and managing of your pooch in a public place is a tricky subject. Far too many dog owners let their dogs roam—recklessly leaving their dogs free to approach strange humans and unknown dogs without a second thought. Now, I know your dog is probably lovely, your prized little nugget of fluffy joy—but the chances of it lashing out at a stranger are not zero. To make matters worse, every dog owner in existence will give you the “He/she is friendly!” line—whether it's true or no…

It's adorable how some folks treat their animals as humans—personifying them and giving them a voice and thoughts as if they can understand every word we say. I don't mean to sound cynical here. It's beautiful to see people treat their animals like family—they are—and where would mankind be without the companionship of pets? But, the personification should stop here; unfortunately, too many pet owners take personification a step too far and begin treating their pets in a way that doesn't suit t…

This “proud owner of ‘Peanut’” should spend some time looking in the mirror to reflect on why she thinks herself to be above the rules. What stands out to me the most in the original poster's writing is the line, “I apologized and said the most convenient thing for me was to come here with Peanut.” The most convenient thing for her acknowledges

An excellent sign of an obliviously entitled person is someone who refuses to control their pet. Fido might be your best friend, but that doesn't mean you should be letting it roam endlessly onto other people's property or taking off the leash at an explicitly leashed park. It's not often that people actually return to take accountability for their actions on the internet. We're so set in our ways, polarized in our beliefs, and utterly convinced we're right that we tend to struggle to take othe…