Internet supports husband who gave up his wife’s dog after she had an affair

A man’s decision to give up his dog to his wife, whom she left because of an affair, has gained support online.

In a post on Reddit, “Am I the A******?”, u/Ok-Confection7563 shared the story of why they took in their ex’s dog after she said she left to live with her new boyfriend. Since going live, the post has received 8,800 upvotes and over 1,000 comments from people supporting the original author of the post (OP).

In the post, OP explained that after their wife left them for someone else, she took all their stuff — except the dog. Claiming her new boyfriend had allergies, she promised to take care of the puppy, but ended up blocking OP so he couldn’t contact her about the dog.

After saying they had been taking care of the dog for months and made several attempts to contact the owner, the OP found the dog a new home with a friend. Two months later, the OP says, the ex-partner showed up again, demanding the dog back and threatening legal action when he was told the dog had already been given away. Newsweek spoke with divorce lawyer Derek Jacques about the potential legal ramifications of their dispute.

Reddit users, however, overwhelmingly supported the author of the original post, praising him for his responsible approach to the situation.

“She abandoned the puppy. You found him a good home,” wrote u/Special_Ad1555. “You did the right thing.”

“Yes, she is a terrible owner. I am glad she is no longer a pet owner,” wrote Ok-Panic-9083. “I would not dare to abandon my cat and block the only person who has my furry little one.”

Several commenters, including u/Harryplt7, highlighted the OP’s efforts to find a safe home for the dog: “Honestly, finding a home for the puppy took more effort on your part than most people would consider appropriate. It’s good that you considered the dog’s well-being.”

Legal perspective

Derek Jacques, divorce lawyer and owner of The Mitten Law Firm, said: Newsweek that while the threat of legal action may seem alarming, when it comes to pets, the stakes are lower than you might think.

“Pets are considered property legally in a divorce,” Jacques said. “Legally speaking, it’s no different than if your wife left you a set of dishes.”

Since, as Jacques stated, the woman clearly abandoned the animal, he thinks the OP acted reasonably under the circumstances.

“It seems like the ex-husband did the best thing under the circumstances. He did everything he could to find the right home for the dog,” he said.

Jacques also speculated about the legal consequences the woman could face if she decided to file a lawsuit.

“If the ex-husband’s account of the facts is accurate, I imagine the lawsuit would not succeed. He made an honest attempt to return the dog and cared for it for some time before finding it a new home,” Jacques said. “If the dog was part of a divorce agreement or decree, the ex-wife would have grounds to sue, but legally, in this scenario as presented, she doesn’t have much of a case.”

Newsweek We reached out to u/Ok-Confection7563 via Reddit for comment.