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AIBU?

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To feel jealous of the dog

241 replies

TwinklyAmberSloth · 20/09/2026 12:38

DH and I have 3 kids.

We get on fine. No arguments.

But he hardly speaks to me and everything I love/do seems to irritate him. He is just so grumpy.

This morning he was clearly annoyed at me for opening the curtains at 7.30am. I'm an early riser. I go to bed 10pm and read, then try and sleep. I love mornings. DH goes to bed 11.30pm to midnight.

When he then got up 20 mins later, he didn't speak to me at all. He went straight down stairs and was playing with the dog.

He then has a shower, still doesn't speak to me, takes the dog for a walk, then takes DS to footy after shouting at DS (15) to get up. He let DS stay up til midnight then wondered why he wouldn't get up, so I was left to do the wake the teenager bit while DH walked the dog.

On a work day, he comes home then goes straight to the dog. He never asks how my day was. He will then come into the lounge 20 mins later after getting changed and tell me about his work.

I'm a little untidy. He picks up anything of mine and throws it in my office and moans. Ditto for kids stuff. Yet doesn't mind the dog hair everywhere and rolls his eyes if I comment on it.

Every evening he sits with dog on the sofa in his man cave, watching TV whilst on his phone. I sit on my own, or play the piano, or read. He then appears in the lounge about 10.15pm as I am about to go to bed. He hates books, he dislikes music and noise.

I work around 40 hours per week term time, and some work in school holidays. He works 37 hours a week and has flexi time and can WFH half the week. I do all the meal planning, cooking, organising kids stuff (except footy), cleaning, kids evening activities, school stuff.

I'm a lively cheerful person who likes people and has lots of hobbies yet I feel so lonely and dull. He genuinely seems to have no interest in me. Not physically and not mentally. Surely this is not normal for married life? Why doesn't he just divorce me and marry the dog?

I'm not a dog person. But when the last dog died 13 years ago DH was the most miserable git ever, so I had to agree to another dog as it was unbearable. I put rules in place e.g. sleep in utility room, not on furniture unless invited, not upstairs etc... but every single boundary I requested has been ignored.

Even when I do try and have a conversation, he seems to argue the opposite just for the sake of it. A motorbike did a wheelie down our road the other week and I said "what a nob head" and DH muttered "oh FFS just shut up". He likes motorbikes. He spends all weekend in the mancave watching bike racing.

If I'm not being unreasonable, would counselling fix this?

YABU: this is normal. men prefer dogs to people.

YANBU: this is not normal. couples talk and take interest in each others life.

OP posts:
Burtswasps · 22/09/2026 06:23

This has all the hall marks of a Netflix crime documentary that results in one of you killing off the other @TwinklyAmberSloth .

I don’t feel sorry for you or your husband in the slightest - it is the 3 children growing up in the dark household that my heart goes out to. Strangely though you seem very - yeah whatever, about that dimension

Cherrytree86 · 22/09/2026 08:10

If you can’t live separately, how about an open marriage, OP? @TwinklyAmberSloth

pollypot123 · 22/09/2026 08:24

I could have written this post. Same situation in my household, so I feel your pain. It’s so hurtful. My H will never spontaneously hug or kiss me or our son, but he will blow kisses to the dog, and can’t walk past the dog without cuddling him. When he gets home from work, he greets the dog lovingly and walks straight past us both without any hugs or kisses. I pointed this out to him recently as it was really getting me down and I told him how it made me feel (and our son has commented on it too) - he still does it, so now it feels weaponised and deliberate and some sort of power trip. He will fixate on whether the dog has eaten, but never think about whether our son has been fed. He passively aggressively says he needs to walk the dog on the weekends because he’s not been out (ie I’ve not taken him out - I walk him for miles on the days it’s just me at home, and he comes running with me too if I’m short on time). Yet if he wants to go out for the day, he’s happy to leave him for hours saying “he’ll be fine” and it’s me that organises and pays for a dog walker to come in. I can’t reconcile it- especially when our 11 year old has picked up on it and “jokes” that dad loves the dog more than he loves me. Nobody should feel that way. But in answer to your question you YANBU, it hurts and I feel exactly the same.

Hellohelga · 22/09/2026 08:41

You only married because you fell pregnant. You don’t love or like each other. I don’t see things changing unless you split.

lazyarse123 · 22/09/2026 09:08

maxslice · 22/09/2026 03:41

Maybe I missed it, but I don’t think OP talked about opening curtains to wake her son, just her husband. Waking her son up would make more sense as he is a CHILD.

She knew both DH and son needed to be up and out for a certain time.
Opening the curtains on a sunny morning once is not comparable to being ignored all day and every day.

Wiseplumnet · 22/09/2026 09:09

Sounds miserable OP. It seems like you have disconnected from each other. I am an introvert and like my own space and time after interacting with people at work all day, but your husband acts as though everything you do and say annoys him and avoids you when he can. He is ' weaponising' the dog against you too. I couldn't live like this. From my experience it is often men who excel at this kind of domestic grumpiness and resentment. You have nothing to loose by putting all of your cards on the table and sitting him down ( where he can't negate you by walking off) and telling him straight that the marriage is over, unless he engages in serious discussion. At the moment he is getting away with undermining you by treating you as if you don't matter without having to explain himself.Is he is depressed or over burdened? ( hard to see how when all the household organisation is left to you) If so there are better ways of addressing this than his current behaviour Be prepared to walk away . Life is too short and it sounds like your DH needs a shock to wake him up. A neutral councillor may help you both to get to the core of these issues and make a more informed decision as to whether the marriage is salvageable.

Swedemom · 22/09/2026 10:02

I'm so sorry for you OP. Everyone here is just awful to you for just existing and trying your best.

And I'm sorry, but your husband doesn't like you or your children. If you were to divorce he'll be an absent father that never sees his children. I think you should see a therapist for your own sake, you have been put down for such a long time that you need help to build yourself up.

Start living your own life with your children. Stop inviting him into your life and start doing things outside of the house. Teach your children to fend for them selves, since your husband can't be trusted to take care of anything but the dog. Live your life as a single mom and treat your husband as a roommate. That is where your life is heading so you might just as well start to do it now.

Tardigrade001 · 22/09/2026 10:42

You both seem to resent each other and engage in passive aggressive behaviour. Couple therapy might help, if you don't want to separate.

Suzjspik · 22/09/2026 11:03

Can you take more interest in the dog maybe ? Go on walks with him and DH, cuddle up with the dog and your DH. Im a dog person and it would annoy me if my partner was cold with the dog and you seem passive about his feelings when he lost a dog before, its a big deal losing a dog.

Burtswasps · 22/09/2026 11:47

Tardigrade001 · 22/09/2026 10:42

You both seem to resent each other and engage in passive aggressive behaviour. Couple therapy might help, if you don't want to separate.

This is way way beyond couples therapy

lazyarse123 · 22/09/2026 13:15

Suzjspik · 22/09/2026 11:03

Can you take more interest in the dog maybe ? Go on walks with him and DH, cuddle up with the dog and your DH. Im a dog person and it would annoy me if my partner was cold with the dog and you seem passive about his feelings when he lost a dog before, its a big deal losing a dog.

Seriously, the husband shows zero interest in op and their children. Doesn't ask how they are or what sort of day they had and you think op should practically beg for a bit of consideration. It's way beyond the dog.

Bigtrapeze · 22/09/2026 14:46

TwinklyAmberSloth · 21/09/2026 19:29

He likes muttering so he muttered "oh FFS shut up". He mutters a lot when he is annoyed so I heard it.

He often gets pissed off with the kids and walks off muttering and cursing them.

I think the muttering would make it ever so slightly worse for me, TwinklyAmberSloth. This does seem, to me at least, to be an unacceptable way to be spoken to, in your own home or anywhere else. Is this a new thing?

Burtswasps · 22/09/2026 15:42

Suzjspik · 22/09/2026 11:03

Can you take more interest in the dog maybe ? Go on walks with him and DH, cuddle up with the dog and your DH. Im a dog person and it would annoy me if my partner was cold with the dog and you seem passive about his feelings when he lost a dog before, its a big deal losing a dog.

This is so very far removed from this couple as to almost be comedic

TwinklyAmberSloth · 22/09/2026 21:21

Suzjspik · 22/09/2026 11:03

Can you take more interest in the dog maybe ? Go on walks with him and DH, cuddle up with the dog and your DH. Im a dog person and it would annoy me if my partner was cold with the dog and you seem passive about his feelings when he lost a dog before, its a big deal losing a dog.

He would hate me going on the dog walk with him. He seems to love being out on his own with the dog. He chats to all sorts of dog people when he is out. He sometimes lets the kids go, but gets shitty with them if they take too long to get ready.

The dog is his hobby, not mine. I'm not cold with the dog. She is quite sweet. I'm always the first one up so she gets plenty of attention from me in the morning.

I was factual about when the last dog died, not passive. It was really sad. He was upset. But then he stopped being upset after some time, as is normal.

He then just chose to do nothing. Just sit in front of the TV all evening on his phone, which I find really dull. He then wanted another dog, and I didn't. (I'm also allergic, and also have hayfever, so dog + pollen stuck to fur = yuck for me! Dogs are like pollen magnets!).

I realised that the marriage wouldn't survive if we didn't get another dog, so agreed to one with boundaries. Obviously those boundaries then got ignored.

OP posts:
maxslice · 22/09/2026 21:33

lazyarse123 · 22/09/2026 09:08

She knew both DH and son needed to be up and out for a certain time.
Opening the curtains on a sunny morning once is not comparable to being ignored all day and every day.

Edited

I never said it was.

AshCullen1894 · 22/09/2026 21:49

Every update just gets worse. It's not about the dog.

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