My Aunt wants to take her dog back that she gifted me. Please help, absolutely devastated?

[Anonymous]

So my aunt decided she didn’t want her 4 ur old chihuahua anymore cause she wasn’t home enough to take care of her and was going to Europe for a month. I offered to have her and she gave her to me saying it was a PERMANENT thing.

it has now almost been 3 months since we’ve had her, I absolutely adore her so much and love her with all my heart. I just lost my 15 year old dog this February and was devastated so she really helped me heal. She is saying she wants her back and I keep saying no but she is still asking whenever we talk?

am I the ass hole for saying no?

she is registered under my name now she she is my dog.

Updates

+1 y

She did have her for
About 4 years

Updates

+1 y

To clarify:

My aunt is very very wealthy, her and her husband earn over 500k a year, so she can get a new dog without question.

She gave her to me because she said she was never home to look after her, the dog was alone a lot and not getting much attention and because she was going to Europe for a first class holiday she wanted to SELL her dog online But I offered to take her. She agreed this was a PERMANENT thing.
I guess she just misses her. I absolutely love and adore her

[Leapfrog00]

You're not the jerk here. It sounds like your aunt is used to getting what she wants. I see a lot of people here I'm giving you the legal number jumbo, but that's not what you're asking. What you're asking as if you're the one who's in the wrong here.

It's unethical for her to even ask for your dog back. Also, that's not good for the dog if he or she it's going to get bounced around in homes.

I have an aunt who took it upon herself to steal my Yorkie, take it with her and never give him back. My dog got really sick and stopped eating, slept all day, and eventually died.

Your aunt here needs to learn a lesson and the proper way to take care of animals. She needs to learn she can't just play mother to a doggy anytime she wants.

I can tell you exactly what she's doing here in this situation. . . She's getting inside your head, making you feel guilty, and trying to guilt you and to giving your dog back.

Whatever she says, whatever she does, don't do it. It's your dog, you're the one taking care of the little thing, you're the one giving it the love it deserves. Someone like your aunt has no business with an animal. It's irresponsible to give someone a dog and ask for it back.

It's your dog, I'm sure the dog is happy where it's at now.

[Asker]

Thank u very much for ur advice

[molonski2]

No , you are certainly NOT an arsehole for saying no. Animals are not toys , especially these little dogs they need someone there all the time , they are like a child , she has plenty of money , she should not have been " selling " the dog in the first place.

She may miss the dog now , but the same thing will happen as previous , you have done the right thing and cared for and loved the animal.

Stand your ground , she is an Indian giver , and you are the best for the interests of the animal , please , Stand your ground.

[Screenwriter]

Well, your aunt shouldn't have asked for her back, but the animal was her dog for 4 years. You've had it for 3 months. Your aunt made an error. We don't know why. She sounds like she has emotional issues. But you do too. You're missing your old dog.

The bottom line is there are hundreds of dogs waiting for adoption at your local shelter. Give her the dog back and get your own. And don't ever babysit that animal for your aunt again. No matter how much she begs. I'd give her a wide berth and tell her how much she's hurt you.

Time will heal your wound from your lost dog, and it'll wound your aunt for being so feckless.

[Asker]

The dog is legally mine now I’ve paid all the fees and she’s registered under me. My aunt NEVER looked after her much, she was always travelling and the dog was put in kennels

[red324]

If the dog is clearly happier with you, which itnsoujds like it is, I'd keep it. Dogs don't belong in kennels

[Screenwriter]

The point is she's asked for it back. There is no "legality" to you having a dog. It's not a child, whether it's registered under your name or not. She had this animal for 4 years and changed her mind about your having it. Give the animal back, ask her for the money you've spent on it and get your own pet that was not your Aunt's before! You're being unreasonable.

You don't know how happy or unhappy the dog was. You can't ask it for feedback. You might be a better dog owner than she was. That might be a fact, but not of this cancels out the simple fact that SHE WANTS THE ANIMAL BACK.

Maybe you should cancel your relationship with this aunt after you return the animal and get your own. She clearly has a screw loose. But be kind to this old fool. Return it. She's wrong, granted. But so are you. Take the high road.

[Asker]

You obviously haven’t read the whole point.

She literally wanted to dump the dog off while she went GALIVANTING off in Europe. After consideration im in the right, screw her she’s my dog now

[red324]

Good for you. The dog will be happier with you, you can't abandon a dog and go out of town for a month at a time.

[Jamie05rhs]

@Screenwriter Everything you said is correct.

[Screenwriter]

@red324 She didn't abandon the dog. She gave it to her niece to take care of. You are acting out of grief and are being judgmental. Get your OWN DOG!!! Whatever she's done, there is no need to be mean. She didn't starve the dog or beat it. I'm sad for you if you think you're right. You never have to talk to your aunt again in life. But give her back her dog. She wouldn't have asked for it back unless SHE MISSED IT. Her taking a vacation in Europe is no more galavanting than if you took one and boarded an animal while you did. She "gave" the dog to you because she trusted you'd take care of it. Then decided she'd made a mistake.

You don't know what this woman's problems are. Give her her pet back. Really.

[Screenwriter]

@Jamie05rhs It doesn't seem to matter. But thanks for the support. Few seem to agree.

[Jamie05rhs]

@Screenwriter I know.

[jennifer_bloom]

See if you can bribe your aunt by giving her enough money to buy her own dog and maybe she will let you keep this one. You are legally allowed to keep her dog, but she is family and you don't want your aunt to feel bad - feelings are important too, not just legal status and legal positioning in your conflicts with family. So if you can negotiate a financial settlement that would allow both of you guys to be happy.

[Asker]

She is very very wealthy she can afford her own dog so bribing her won’t work. I really absolutely love the dog, so much so I would risk a conflict with my aunt in order to keep her

[Jamie05rhs]

@Asker That's incredibly stupid to disregard the feelings of your own family member.

[Jamie05rhs]

@jennifer_bloom I think your input was very wise.

[jennifer_bloom]

@Jamie05rhs Thanks : ) I wish both of you good luck : )

[AviatorTom]

Your aunt correctly identified that she was not properly caring for the dog. It's the dog that's really important, not your or her feelings. The dog is better with you. Stand your ground. It's the right thing to do... for the dog.

[Paris13]

She Has Her own Reasons. Perhaps She Feels She would Miss her dog. Offer to babysit. xxoo

[GoodGuyBreakingBad]

Your aunt is very selfish, and you are in the right. I would speak with a local Humane Society in your area or a No kill shelter, tell them she gifted the dog to you, and Now she wants the dog back, but you are concern about your aunts mental status around the dog also have friends, family that know you stand up for you. Also contact the local police and explain your aunt is threatening to take the dog back after all these months you had her also tell them you have information or the dog's chipped stating it belongs to you trust me I believe that you are better off having the dog your aunt is being greedy and this is horrible thing but stay strong also contact attorney who can stand up for you too if you need to do so.

[Zatsuma]

You had a verbal agreement, you are in the right. The other way you can make it clear of your agreement being broken by her is to ask for boarding fees and expenses for the cost of looking after the dog for all that time, and don't be cheap about it as you have given up your time and love too.

[MementoMori777]

You mean she wants your dog? Lmao

She can't, tell her to get another one lol

[Asker]

So I’m not being an ass hole for not giving her back?

[MementoMori777]

No the dog isn't hers anymore, it's been yours for 4 months now, it's no longer her dog, its your dog, she can't just give you something and then take it back, she s being the asshole for letting you get attached to the dog and then try taking it back

[Asker]

Thank
U so much for ur advice

[MementoMori777]

💯💯💯

[Lliam]

You're aunt sounds spoiled and selfish. She's only thinking about herself. She's not thinking about what's best for that pup. She just thinks of it as a toy. And she's not concerned about your feelings, either.

So I would highly advise you to remain firm and, for the pup's sake, tell your aunt that it belongs to you now. You will give it the best life.

Auntie can easily buy a new dog that she can treat like a disposable toy.

[Meropatrick]

This is a jerk move from her side. She told u the dog is yours and made u keep it for 3 months until u grew to love it and now she want it back. I say dont give it back. Because she didn't leave it for u to babysit only right? She said its urs forever. Let her learn a lesson to keep her words next time.

[Anonymous]

if the dog is registered under your name now, you pay for it, take it to the vet, care for it, and your aunt said this is permanent, you may have a civil case going on here... but i wouldn't take it to the courts. you need to have a sit down talk with her. i also wouldn't trust her again as she may neglect the dog since she was the one who couldn't be there in the first place.

[Opinion Owner]

also sorry about your loss of your previous dog. i just lost my dog too back in march :(

[Blueeyes81]

Not the asshole. I was in a similar situation. I had a coworker who had ptsd and got into some bad shit. He was going to rehab for 90 days and was planning to drop his dog off at the pound. I offered to take the dog with the understanding it would now be my dog.(the dog was 6 months old and infested with fleas when I got him.) He agreed. About 6 months later he kept hinting that he would like the dog back. Told him it doesn't work that way.

Tell your aunt to kick rocks.

[RingOfFire]

This is wrong of her. But if she is in love with the dog, it is understandable the she may have changed her mind.

Tough one. You should tell her how devastating it is to you and ask her if there is any way you can keep the dog because it would be very painful for you and you thought it was yours for life.

[es20490446e]

If she was in love with the dog why didn't she take care of it, and she made sure it was a permanent gift?

I think she just changed her mind till she gets it back, then she will perceive the dog as before.

So I won't give it back.

[RingOfFire]

According to the original post... which was the only thing here to read when I wrote my response, her aunt wanted to give her the dog:

"cause she wasn’t home enough to take care of her"

That means the aunt was concerned about the dog's welfare and did want it to be taken care of.

[es20490446e]

Ummm 🤔

Maybe we would need the other version of the history to know.

[MrOracle]

No, she's the asshole for continuing to ask. It's one thing to ask ONCE, but if the answer is "no", she needs to accept that and act accordingly.

[es20490446e]

What I see in your aunt is a person that didn't take care about the dog when she had it, and know she cares just because she doesn't have it anymore.

This makes me conclude that she's not really reliable for taking care of it.

So thinking about the well-being of the dog, I won't give it back.

[es20490446e]

I think your main concern isn't that you are giving the dog back, but that you really don't trust your aunt for taking care of a dog you now feel empathy towards.

[Jamie05rhs]

Technically your aunt is wrong. She made a mistake by giving the dog to you and saying it was permanent.

HOWEVER, it is still her dog. I think the right thing to do is to give the dog back to your aunt.
But you should still visit them!

[Asker]

It is not her dog anymore legally, I have registered / paid fees and it’s all under my name now. She is not the owner legally anymore

[Jamie05rhs]

I don't care about "legally.". That's not what we're talking about here. We're talking about what's MORALLY right.

[DextroShade]

Wrong, it WAS her dog and now the dog belongs to someone else.

[Jamie05rhs]

@DextroShade Wrong.

[Anonymous]

that’s selfish of her.. she wasn't able to take care of it and gives it to you (permanently) and now says she wants it back? don’t give it to her. if she threatens or forces you, just know that it is legally your dog if it is out under your name !

[jshm2]

If you've registered the dog under your name, then it is your dog. It's nothing to do with price.

[scentoflavender]

Fuck that bitch. You keep that baby and give her all the love she can handle. Someone who would give up heir do for such a dumb reason doesn't deserve dogs.

[catarecute]

i would give her back but keep her under your name incase you regret it you can get her back. she probably regret giving her away. but then if you do you will feel like what she is feeling.

[Mariammhan]

Don’t give the dog back she obviously can’t take care of it. Just because you miss someone doesn’t mean your good for them.

[PizzaDaddyo]

Fuck her for that and get it licensed now under you so she can’t have it. Hurry!

[spartan55]

She's trying to degift a dog? Wow, that's some audacity

[Jersey2]

You bonded with the dog and legally it is yours. You can offer to buy her one or just let her buy it. She did own it for 4 years though. You could also get a new dog yourself. Tough decision.

[Jersey2]

If she had sold the dog she wouldn’t have the option to take it back. She should see giving it permanently to you as the same thing. Perhaps you can come over for visits and she could come to you as well so she gets time with the dog.

[Anonymous]

No you are not cause she said you can keep it and now she's changing it
BitnI understand how she feels cause she had it for 4 years...
You don't have to return it cause she says so, legally..

[Sasha0426]

Why does your aunt want the dog back? She admitted she couldn’t take care of her and agreed to make her legally yours. So, what’s her deal?

[scooogy]

Suggest her to adopt a kid, as soon as things might repeat, she likely gets what she's dealing with here. This dog is a living creature, no inanimate plaything.

[Yellovv]

If I was in your place I didn't give that dog back, because when you get it and adopted one time that's yours, also don't invite her to your home she might try to take your dog back without you knowing, that's silly what she did..

[DextroShade]

You just have to stand up to her and say "No, the dog is mine now because you gave it to me and I don't have to give it back."

[Anonymous]

she said it was permanent. under no conditions do you have to return the dog.

[Anonymous]

She GIFTED it to you. You don’t have to give it back to her. 🖕

[Sparkie460]

She said it was a permanent gift for you. She should not be asking for it back.

[Sparkie460]

She's a bigger asshole now

[Aakash_Hangargi]

To keep your realations strong gift her a new puppy 🤓

[Anonymous]

She gave you the dog and the dog is in your name. So no you are not an A hole.

[Anonymous]

Just keep the dog, she can't take back gifts.

And you both should be getting rescue dogs, not dogs you need to pay money for.

[REX_JSWL]

You can't give something and take it back
Tell here you are emotionally attached

[Kingofkings1992]

Fuck her. She is the asshole. Not only should you keep the dog, you should flaunt it in her face that you’re going to.

[jimmy2]

Wow neither are you a winner on this one will hate the other and that may go on for years
To prevent what I just said forgiveness is needed on both

[whistlingwh0res]

tell her " you bitch this is my dog now. back off!!"

[Black_Diamond]

Get a dog that looks like it..
Decieve that brain and help it heal

[smashleyy]

No you shouldn’t let her guilt you. It’s your dog

[Asker]

Thank you. I guess I just feel a bit bad cause she had her for like nearly 4 years. But I love her so much and we’ve bonded so much. She has so much love living with me and someone with her 24/7

[WhitneySnow]

I think you’re right

[sheenagwapa]

what you did is just fine. don't give it back!

[KrakenAttackin]

This is bullshit. Keep the dog.

[msc545]

Keep saying no. The aunt is the asshole.

[shades777]

it ain't her dog no more, she's being a bully

[noohair]

You are not the asshole.

[Anonymous]

I've seen this on reddit lol

[sirderpsalot123]

She's the asshole

[Jmmmfi4]

No she is