A mum-of-three has been praised for teaching her teenage daughter an important life lesson after she left the family's pet dog outside all day in a heatwave. The young girl, named Janie, has been forced to quit her favourite hobby and get a part-time job to pay off the £2,000 vet bill.
Taking to Reddit, the woman explained that her chihuahua cross, Pebble, fell seriously ill as a result of her 15-year-old daughter's actions. It was Janie's responsibility to make sure the dog was inside before going to school - and when she forgot, Pebble collapsed in scorching 41C heat.
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The post on Reddit has been upvoted more than 18,000 times, with the majority of users in agreement that Janie should have to work to pay the large vet bill.
Her mum explained: "The deck is off limits because there's no shade on the deck. The problem is Pebble loves the deck because he can watch the cars, people walking on the trail behind our house, and he can see our neighbour's chickens."
Two weeks ago, Janie let Pebble go out onto the deck, but then accidentally left him there when she went to school.
Now, Pebble has made a full recovery but the family have been left with an expensive vet bill, and her two other daughters are refusing to talk to Janie.
"Janie was upset about Pebble when he was in the vet but now she's very nonchalant about what happened because he's fine," she said.
"My husband and I have been talking about what to do with Janie. We decided on making her get a job to pay for Pebble's vet expenses (close to $2,000 after insurance).
"Janie's very upset about it because she has to quit swim team to get a job and says that we're ruining her life over a mistake."
Social media users acknowledged that it was a mistake but had little sympathy for Janie after the pooch nearly died.
"She knew the routine and knew better than to let the dog out onto the deck in the first place," someone said.
"The worst part is she doesn't even feel bad about it now that the dog is okay," another agreed.
"The sacrifice she's having to make is the lesson. It's painful to fix a grave mistake," a third commented.
Though some people disagreed that Janie should have to pay the full veterinary costs herself.
"A $2000 debt is overboard for a teen who doesn't even have a job offer. $2000 is a huge debt for many adults to tackle," a person wrote.
One Redditor suggested: "Why not compromise with having her volunteer for animals that have been hurt or neglected?"
What would you do in this situation? Let us know in the comments.
