A woman recently went to her new boyfriend's house to meet his dog for the first time but was left in shock when the pet allegedly criticised her appearance. According to this 25-year-old woman, she's been dating her 31-year-old boyfriend, Michael, for four months, and had only ever seen his pooch in pictures and videos.
The plan was for her to go to Michael's house and cook dinner, where she could meet his dog at the same time. However, after the couple sat down to talk, she noticed his pet was moving around "in a funny way." Michael laughed at this, and, feeling puzzled, she asked him what his dog was actually doing. It was then that things got weird.
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Taking to Reddit, where she goes by the username u/LauraJade2013, the confused girlfriend wrote: "Michael said that the dog was telling him about me. I was like 'ummm okay?' and then he flat out said that the dog thought I was 'ugly'.
"This shocked me completely. I looked at Michael and asked if he was serious. He started explaining that his dog is 'like that' with 'some' people and that I shouldn't get offended over an 'animal's behaviour'.
"I felt horrible because I, as a person have always struggled with self-esteem and am no stranger to the word 'ugly'. My issue wasn't with the dog but with what Michael said. It's like he was indirectly giving his opinion about my looks and using his dog as an excuse."
An argument ensued, and she ended up cancelling dinner altogether and just heading home. Michael called her several times, and when she eventually picked up, he accused her of "overreacting".
She continued: "He advised me to get rid of the 'toxic' sensitivity I have and deal with whatever insecurity I have as soon as possible because what happen will set the tone for our relationship and eventually our marriage later."
Her sister has since told her she should have just "laughed it off", however she felt she just wasn't able to at the time. With this in mind, she's turned to fellow Reddit users to ask whether she was just being overly sensitive. A number of people have found Michael's behaviour to be disturbing and have even urged her to rethink the relationship.
One person advised: "So either your boyfriend is a total a****** who uses his dog to insult you. Or he truly believes his dog can speak to him telepathically.
"Either way, he is not someone I would lose any sleep over. Thankfully you found out what a weird a****** he is only four months in. Drop the dead weight and tell your sister to get lost."
Another cautioned: "Dogs don’t have those opinions. Michael was being cruel and using his dog as a conduit for that cruelty. Is his 'sarcasm' often at your expense? This is cruelty and rudeness, and he’s showing you what he is really like.
"I’m sure you are not ugly, but he’s played to your insecurity. I loathe people who use sarcasm as a cover for nastiness. Please find someone who deserves you, your cooking and your consideration. Michael doesn’t."
Have you spotted a red flag while out on a date? Email us at julia.banim@reachplc.com
