Woman refuses to let her neighbor 'borrow' her golden retriever for wedding photos. AITA?
"AITA for refusing to let my neighbor 'borrow' my dog for her wedding photos?"
I (26F) have a golden retriever named Bailey. Bailey is pretty much the sweetest dog on the planet—super friendly, loves everyone, and has that perfect golden fur that looks great in photos.
My neighbor "Karen" (yes, that’s actually her name, I’m not making it up) is getting married in a few weeks. We’re not close, but we’ve always been on friendly terms—small talk in the hallway, exchanging cookies during the holidays, that sort of thing.
A few days ago, Karen knocks on my door and asks if she can come in to talk. I thought it was something important, but instead, she starts gushing about how beautiful Bailey is and how she would "perfectly match" her wedding color scheme. I was a little confused but thanked her for the compliment, thinking that was it.
But then she drops the bomb: she asks if she can "borrow" Bailey for her wedding photos. When I say "borrow," I mean she wanted to take Bailey to her wedding venue, dress her up in some floral dog collar, and have her pose with the bridal party for a few hours.
She even said it would "mean the world" to her and that Bailey would get to be part of something "truly special." She promised to take good care of her, and I could pick her up afterward.
I was stunned. I tried to explain that Bailey isn’t just some prop she can use for her photoshoot—she’s my dog, my family. Plus, Bailey gets anxious around large groups of people she doesn’t know, and I wasn’t comfortable with the idea of her being away from me in a strange place.
Karen didn’t take this well. She started getting upset, saying that I was being selfish and that it’s "just a few hours." She said she’s always admired Bailey and thought it would be "the perfect touch" to have her in the photos. When I still said no, she accused me of ruining her wedding dreams and stormed out of my apartment.
The next day, I got a call from one of our other neighbours, who said Karen was telling everyone that I was being "completely unreasonable" and that I was "holding my dog hostage" just to spite her. Apparently, she even tried to get another neighbor to talk to me about it, as if that would change my mind.
Now, a few people in our building are giving me weird looks, and I overheard someone saying I should "just let her have the dog for a day, what’s the big deal?" I feel like I’m losing my mind here. AITA for refusing to let my neighbor "borrow" my dog for her wedding photos?
Here's what top commenters had to say about this one:
Feeling_the_Mode said:
NTA, What a weirdo, and your neighbours are weird too.
Wild_Jean said:
NTA. It's your dog and you have every right to refuse.
CurlyPearlie182 said:
So she wants to borrow your dog for photos - meaning she wants to put cool pics on her IG for others to see and have them think it’s her dog? NTA.
Sea-Excitement8001 said:
NTA. If she wants a dog in her wedding pictures she should get one herself. Never heard something this ridiculous.
Lucky-Guess8786 said:
NTA. What a crazy ask! Someone is delulu to think that she could use your puppers as a wedding prop. NTA. As for your neighbors, tell them you refuse to attend the cult that is Karen and her bridal audacity.
Spicethrower said:
If she wants to have a dog to not ruin her"special day " she should've gotten one of her own. But, of course now that you ruined her plan, I can only see her pulling some move like getting one and then returning it when she doesn't need it anymore. NTA.