We all love to spoil our pets just a little too much. After all, who can say no to their adorable, fuzzy (or scaly) faces? But a few pet owners sometimes end up going above and beyond to make sure their furry friends have the best possible living conditions.
A woman wondered if she was wrong for refusing to allow her homeless parents to sleep in the room she had designated for her pets. Despite her offering the couch as an alternative, they preferred to stay in a hotel. Netizens debated whether she should have helped them out or they should have been happy with the living arrangements she offered.
Pet owners tend to put a lot of effort into pampering their little friend
Image credits: Chewy / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
But one woman’s parents called her out for not letting them stay in her “pet room”
Image credits: OldTarwater / Reddit (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Mizuno K / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Sonodemaisbicho
Image credits: cottonbro studio / Pexels (not the actual photo)
There are a lot of pluses to pet ownership
Given the current economic climate, many folks opt to have a pet instead of having a child, while many families have both. In the US, nearly 70% of households report having at least one pet at home, which indicates an increase in pet ownership of about 20% since the 1990s. The most popular pet is a cat, closely followed by dogs.
Besides being cute and fun to be around, pet ownership comes with a number of benefits. Dog ownership has been correlated with a decreased likelihood of dying from heart disease, although scientists believe that it’s not the dog itself, per se, but the fact that the owner needs to walk it, take it out to do its business, and play with it.
However, in most cases, pets do help decrease stress and improve blood pressure, both of which do have measurable, positive effects on a person’s health. Other research suggests that a pet is correlated with reduced anxiety and depression, so all in all, pet owners have a lot they can thank their little friends for.
Image credits: cottonbro studio / Pexels (not the actual photo)
The real issue isn’t the pets, it’s the parent's behavior in the past and present
So it seems only fair that OP would want to provide a very comfortable living environment for her pets. Unfortunately, we all most likely know someone who either neglects their pets or simply has too many to take care of properly. So a person who has worked hard to buy a home (like OP) is well within their rights to do what they want, even if that extends to the animals living in a room set aside just for them.
Of course, the real crux of this story isn’t really the pets, it’s OP’s relationship with her parents. She has stated that they were quite controlling, to the point where she had to get therapy to help herself. It might appear that even if the room was vacant, she still might not let them stay there, as she has made a point to keep them out of her life.
While some commenters (you can find their posts further down in the article) argue that she should still help her parents out, it’s also worth noting that healthy boundaries, particularly with controlling people, are vital. As some other comments note, it could be hard to ensure that “crashing on the sofa” for a few days doesn’t turn into weeks and months.
Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio / Pexels (not the actual photo)
There are other ways OP could help her parents
The pets are, perhaps, a convenient excuse, but even if they didn’t exist, OP isn’t perhaps entitled to hand over a whole room to her folks. After all, they turned down the living room, which is a fruitless and dramatic gesture from people who are literally homeless. If she does decide to help them, perhaps she can provide some money to stay at a hotel while they find some longer-term solution.
However, OP’s parents do appear to be quite proud for no apparent reason and will perhaps decline financial support if they are feeling slighted. This is ridiculous behavior for people who have nowhere to go, but it would explain why OP was so hesitant to let them stay in the first place.
Some folks needed more info
Many thought she was entitled to do what she wanted with her own space
But some thought it was cruel to leave her parents effectively homeless
