The original poster (OP) is reaching out to the online community because he had a disagreement with his best friend, who has terminal cancer. OP says his friend could pass away at any moment.
OP visited him one day and showed him a picture of a German Shepard puppy that he had just placed a security deposit on to purchase. The puppy would be ready for him to bring home in four weeks. OP says he has always wanted a German Shepard puppy and was excited to show his best friend a picture of it. OP thought maybe the pictures would put a smile on his friend’s face. OP says instead of sharing in his excitement, things became awkward.
When he asked his friend what was wrong, he said he was blindsided by his response. His friend said that his cousin, who was supposed to take his 2-year-old dog, a Pug named Horace, backed out of his commitment and couldn’t take him now. His friend told OP he could save a lot of money on getting a new dog by taking Horace instead.
The problem is that OP doesn’t like Horace. Horace backed away when he looked at him, as they never really connected. OP doesn’t think Horace is a good dog. The main problem is he needs to be appropriately trained. Horace defecates inside the house and tears things up. OP says he’s always yapping and needs something that he never understands, and it’s nonstop.
Moreover, OP just isn’t a fan of the Pug dog breed. He feels like their faces have been hit with a shovel. He says it looks like “they are always gasping for air with their eyes bulged out as if they are stranded without a space helmet in the Martian atmosphere.”
OP says he told his friend, “No, thank you. But, I will try to help you find him a good home.” His friend was shocked at OP’s response because OP had known Horace since he was a puppy.
OP responded, “I know, that’s why I don’t want him. He’s just—not a good dog.” His friend didn’t take this comment well and called him a jerk.
OP wonders if he handled the situation poorly and is indeed a jerk.
One reader wanted to give OP a reality check. Many also said there was still time to train Horace because he’s only two years old.
“So, you’re under this impression that the German Shepard puppy you dropped money on isn’t going to poop in the house and tear up stuff?”
“Honestly. People have the dumbest expectations of getting puppies. Here’s a dog that needs a home right in front of him.”
“With proper training and ownership, a dog is not necessarily destructive. We have a two-year-old dog that has not torn our house up or been destructive. He was properly trained and kept in areas where he wouldn’t tear anything up while being trained.”
Some readers agreed with OP and his offer to find Horace another home.
“I definitely wouldn’t take a pug if it was dropped in front of me for free. I WOULD, however, help find the pug a good home. Which OP offered to do.”
Many readers said that OP wasn’t wrong and was entitled to want something different. But he should have been more gentle with how he talked to his friend.
“Yeah, OP is fine to not take the dog, and helping find it a good home is more than enough but man, you should have said it much nicer.”
“Why would it be OP’s job to care for a dog that he clearly doesn’t like and is not his responsibility? He has no obligation to foster, and his offer to help his dog find a new home was more than generous even if the way he worded it wasn’t great”
What do you think? Should OP take Horace and properly train him? Or should he talk to his friend again and commit to finding Horace a loving home?
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