Woman takes in bearded dragon despite BF being uncomfortable. AITA? BF says yes.
When this woman is annoyed with her boyfriend, she asks Reddit:
'AITA for taking in a Bearded Dragon despite knowing it makes my boyfriend uncomfortable?'
Due to an unexpected bereavement in the family I am currently in the custody of a seven year old Citrus Bearded Dragon called Omelette, I have no idea why he is called that but I think it's an adorable name. No one else in my family was comfortable taking care of an animal more exotic than the typical cat/dog/rodent idea and I know how hard it is for reptiles especially older ones to find a home in animal shelters.
I took him in despite my boyfriends protests, it's worth noting he and I don't live together yet but he feels very uncomfortable and disgust towards reptiles in general and has brought up that if we end up living together he wouldn't be comfortable with Omelette. I returned that we're not living together yet and I want to know he's being well taken care of and not neglected which if I gave him up to a shelter I couldn't ensure.
I'm not exactly a huge fan of Bearded Dragons myself but the more I look after him the more i'm warming to the idea, I just think I owe it to my cousin to ensure his pet has the best life possible, my Boyfriend however doesn't get why i'm fighting him over an animal that isn't mine to begin with and I have no emotional connection to, is it unfair of me to be prioritising Omelette? AITA?
Let's find out.
jbho01 writes:
NAH. You've taken on a pet that's not compatible with living with your BF. That's not a problem in and of itself - you don't live together - but it does show that you're probably not planning on moving in any time in the next few years, and I can see why that would upset him. No assholes.
kasehorizon writes:
NTA. A non live in boyfriend gets no right to dictate what pets you have, especially when the circumstances of your getting that pet are the way they are right now. If he wants to make this his hill to die on, perhaps look into not being in a relationship with someone who throws a fit over a lizard and the theoretical instance of living with it in the future.
trackiedays writes:
Onto the issue. You are NTA for wanting to take good care of a pet from family that can no longer look after him/her. Your bf is NTA for being uncomfortable around lizards, but he is leaning toward TA for deciding what you can and can’t do before you even live together.
No matter what your reasons, when you make a decision for yourself, you don’t have to explain it to anyone, and people are within their rights to disagree, but if they get offended, that’s on them.