Ranch hand tells friend's girlfriend that his working dog would eat him if he died. AITA?
"AITA for telling my friend's GF that my dog would eat me if I died?"
Listen idk if I said this poorly or if I really am the AH so I just want an outside perspective. I live and work as a ranch hand. I am constantly around Rodeo stock cattle, horses, donkeys, and most importantly working dogs.
We also raise our own animals to process for meat. So I have a slightly different perspective on animals after seeing this side of them, not just the cute house cats and lazy pet dogs.
Well my friend's GF (22 I think?) Was going on and on about how her blue heeler puppy was tearing things up and misbehaving. I tried to tell her that heelers are working dogs that need to be given tasks and that her puppy is only 6 months old so it's bound to misbehave.
But apparently that was rude and she started a whole argument about how I'm a bad person for raising animals to eat and that I have to be cruel to take part in rodeo culture.
Now I know that factories are awful places and that some people don't take care of their stick. Clearly I am not one of those people, our animals have almost 300 acres of pasture land, get fed every day, get hay weekly, water troughs etcetc.
It devolved into this whole debate about how some animals are crested with a purpose LIKE HEELERS. That poor puppy is probably bored out of its mind in a small 1 bedroom apartment and I told her it was gonna go kennel-dumb if she didn't train it.
I started telling her about my personal dog and how I was able to get him trained. His is a working dog, he's very well behaved, he does fun little tricks for snacks and is weirdly offended by me talking on the phone. None of this is signs of abuse! But she insisted that my dog hated me secretly and would eat me if I died. Which.... yeah?
I told her he would! If I died and he was locked in the house with no food or water I'd want him to! But I guess that was the wrong thing to say or I said it rude? I didn't think I was mean about it I was just genuinely baffled that she said that.
That's the way things work, animals will always choose their survival over their affection. But now she's telling my friend that she won't come around me until I apologize and I don't know if that was cruel. So, AITA?
Here's what top commenters had to say about this one:
k23_k23 said:
NTA. "But now she's telling my friend that she won't come around me until I apologize"...why would you apologize, knowing that would makle her come back? Enjoy her absence.
PurpleStar1965 said:
NTA. I have cats. I know they would eat me if I died. Facts are facts.
Mother-Classic-9637 said:
NTA - you tried to help her, she got offended, and then further disliked a fact you told her.
helvetikon said:
Nta. Sadly that heeler will pay for her stupidity probably by getting dropped off at the pound eventually. Happens a LOT with working dogs.
DonkeyRhubarb76 said:
NTA. For goodness sake don't ever explain to her what happens to people who die alone in a house where they kept a herd of cats.
okaysurebutfirst said:
NTA. I mean, you gave helpful advice and valid information. She's judgemental and can't fathom that people have animals for working reasons rather than just pets. You were very patient with her and she was rude. She said the comment about your dog eating you to hurt your feelings and it backfired on her.