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Husband constantly puts the dog above me, what do I do?

neonSummer8296 October 12th, 2023

I’ve struggled with this issue since hubby and I got married 2 year ago. I feel like every time my needs and the dog’s needs (most times perceived needs) clash, my husband always puts the dog’s needs above mine. Earlier in the marriage he used to do it without even thinking about mine, now he thinks about mine and still does it. The most recent example: I got home kind of late today from work. I work in person all 5 days of the week, leave around 7:30 am and get back around 6-6:30 pm so it’s a long day and am usually starving by the time I’m home. He made most of dinner today, so I just had to finish up when I got back today. I told him I’m starving and can we please eat, and that I’ll freshen up after. He said okay and I finished making dinner, only to find him on the phone with a friend. I figured I’ll give him a few mins to finish talking so I told him everything’s done and we’ll eat when he’s done.The few mins turned into over an hour of waiting (they also weren’t talking about anything important or time sensitive, just catching up). My insides were practically gnawing at me and I felt bad that he didn’t even care that I was starving and had told him so as soon as I got home. I still tried to be understanding about it and didn’t say anything to him when he finally got off the phone. Right as we sat down to eat, the dog kept sniffing at it and whining. Whining usually means she wants food or she needs to go out for her business. It’s pretty typical of her to whine at us while we’re eating to tell us she wants our food, butt generally he has already taken her out in the evening before I get home to do her business. He gobbled up his food in 15 mins, pretty typical for him. As soon as he was done, he says “let’s take her out when you’re done”. I said that’s fine. 5 mins later he asks if I’m done yet, while there is very clearly food on my plate. I told him I’m not done yet. 10 mins later, I’ve cleared my plate and am going for seconds when he says “can we go out first on a walk so she can do her business and you can come back and continue eating”. I tried telling him she’s not whining because she needs to go, it’s because she wants food. I even fed her right then, and she gobbled it up in less than a minute, then went back to staring at my plate. He’s like “no she’s still whining she needs to go, let’s just go quickly and you can come back and eat”. I went with it, and ofc the dog didn’t need to go, which she showed us by wandering around with us behind her for 10 mins before picking a spot to pee (if she really needs to go, shes not shy about letting us know and will do it as soon as she sees a patch of grass). Ofc he’s feeling pretty sheepish about it now, and so tried to drag both of us home again, to which I said that were out anyway now so might as well enjoy the walk. We walked 5 more mins and he says okay let’s go home now, you were eating right? I got so mad I just walked off and did the entire round with him following behind me.


Things like this have happened multiple times. Many times he has had dinner by himself while promising me that we’ll go pick up food for me right after and then delaying it until 11 pm and even then being more concerned that the dog hasn’t eaten yet (not even hasn’t been fed yet, but that she hasn’t eaten the food that was given to her yet). I spent the MONTHS of our marriage getting only 3 hours of sleep on average per night because he insisted that the dog has to sleep with us in the bed cause she would get scared sleeping alone and the dog would keep pouncing on my head every night. It only changed after multiple vey bad fights and me finally saying that he and the dog can sleep together and I’ll go sleep somewhere else. The dog had no issues sleeping by herself in her own bed. We have gone on multiple outings that I was looking forward to very much and come back halfway through because he couldn’t stop worrying about the dog being home alone for a few hours, generally this was also accompanied with him being irritable the entire time that we were out. It’s the same even if we leave the dog with someone else.


For some context, he got the dog 2-3 months before we started dating and we didn’t date more than a few months before getting married. The most I ever had as a pet while growing up was a goldfish and it didn’t live long, so I wasn’t really used to pets or thrilled about having one, bu understood the dog was nonnegotiable. I just didn’t account for him being such a nightmare about it, and I think I was more understanding about it when we were dating because she was a puppy then. The funny thing is, the dog likes me more than him I think, she won’t even eat her food until I get home in the evening, even though hubby is home with her all day. We’re definitely more attuned to each other than she is with my husband.


Anyway, please help, I appreciate any and all advice. I thought things will change with time but I don’t really see it happening, just that he’s more aware that something is going to upset me but doesn’t really do anything about it. And worse than that, my judgment has been proven to be right almost every single time in the past relating to the dog and her needs but he still doesn’t listen the next time the situation arises.

2
toughTiger6481 October 12th, 2023

@neonSummer8296

 welcome to the club.............You have become on e of many partners dealing with this same thing.....

Pets are a big interference ... there need to go out / be fed and such interrupt our meals need to cut any day trips to a certain amount of hours to meet pet needs ..... vacations OMG we go driving distance places only....... places that allow pets .... so not the nicest hotels  or rentals etc..  if need to go farther kennels or friend to pet sit are expensive. etc the list goes on and on....

You sound like the sleeping situation you need boundaries with spouse  ...  BUT it is not  all about the dog

in your case spouse in not putting your needs first over phone call to shoot the bull when he KNOWS you are very hungry when you arrive home .......  

1. dinner or plan for dinner not put off for dog or phone calls or whatever .... if so plan to eat alone and you have now become roommates. 

2. he can take dog out while you are eating etc... his insistence it is a group event will only make this issue to grow and become a bigger problem. 

3. if you have a great day out planned and he wants to cut it short he should have transportation arranged for him to get home so you can enjoy your day ...... 

4. finally a pet has needs but they should be trained to work into your schedule NOT the other way around.     

littlebear111 October 13th, 2023

Could you share your thoughts and feeling to him? Or simply tell him you want his care, and even told him what to do.