While rehoming your dog might be in their best interest, it doesn't make it any less painful. A man has been left heartbroken after selling his girlfriend's dog without her knowledge or approval because he knew it would be 'happier' with somebody else.
The 29-year-old says he was forced to come to this decision after losing his job and being served with an eviction notice on his apartment. Speaking to Reddit, he explained: "My girlfriend and I moved in together about six months ago. She only makes about £12,000 a year at her lower-paying job so I paid most of the bills.
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"This arrangement worked and I didn't mind contributing that much. However, four months ago, I lost my job. We have no savings and this was a devastating blow and I have not been able to get new employment."
The couple struggled to come up with enough money to cover their rent and were served a 30-day eviction notice after missing their regular payment.
He added: "My girlfriend's response to this was to shut down and her anxiety become debilitating.
"I had to do all the apartment hunting alone. Keep in mind I had to do all this on a very restrictive budget, and on a time restraint because of the eviction.
"I don’t have any family as I was raised in the foster care system and my girlfriend's family couldn’t help us because of unfortunate personal circumstances, which I completely understand but it's still frustrating."
He eventually came across an apartment within their budget - but it didn't allow dogs.
"This meant that I would have to find a home for our dog Auggie," he said.
"I asked our few friends to take him in but we don’t have many, and since we live in a city their apartments also don’t allow dogs.
"I had been providing my girlfriend with regular updates and she was well aware of the situation.
"We had numerous other conversations about this before I finally realised she wasn’t in a stable state of mind and that I had to do something now or we were going to be homeless."
Knowing what had to be done to keep a roof over their heads, the man sold his 27-year-old girlfriend's dog to a couple with children.
He said: "I found a family with young kids who I knew Auggie would love.
"I visited their house to make sure it was a good fit. The meeting went wonderful they even had a backyard and a dog park down the street. I knew he would be happy.
"So Auggie and I travelled to their house multiple times over the next few days to get him adjusted. On the final day I said goodbye to him.
"I didn’t tell my girlfriend I was doing this because I knew she would stop me. The family agreed to let us visit whenever we wanted so I knew she would get to see him.
"This is the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I was in just as much pain as her I was just able to manage it better.
"When I got home I broke the news to her and she instantly broke down. We moved into the new apartment and she’s been crying for days. I feel terrible."
While most users agreed he did right by the dog, others shared their sympathies with the couple as they try to get back on their feet.
One user said: "You were placed in a position where no one wins, and no one won. I'm sorry."
Another user added: "I really have to applaud him for having the balls to do what needed to be done, despite the overwhelming pushback.
"Burying your head in the sand was not an option here, and that's exactly what his girlfriend was doing, so he took control even knowing it would likely blow up in his face."
A third user said: "He went above and beyond to ensure that the dog would be loved and cared for. I couldn’t imagine losing my dog. It would be crippling. Huge props to him for doing the best he could."
Do you have a dog story to share? Email paige.freshwater@reachplc.com.
