Grandmothers Dog

[smallisland]

My Mum has a LARGE rescue dog with behavioral problems. It especially becomes anxious around children growling and snapping when they go near it.

I have dd's 6 & 4 who like the dog and talk about it, but they are also very frightend of it, and other dogs as a result.

My Mum has very kindly and generously agreed to have her gd's for a week so that my DH and I can go away together for a much needed break and to celebrate 10 yrs together and a big birthday.

My Mum agreed to have the dog go and stay with friends down the road who she has a reciprocal dog sitting arrangement. She knows that my DH and I are not happy about her looking after the children with the dog. However, in a conversation today when I tried to confirm that the dog was staying away the whole time my Mum announced that she thought it would be 'ad hoc', ie. she would have the dog at home a bit with my dd's. I told her I was really unhappy about this and that I felt it was irresponsible, I admit perhaps not the right word to use but it was how I felt She then resentfully said that she would have it stay with the neighbours all week. We ended up arguing, she put the phone down on me.

AIBU to be upset that she is contemplating having the dog at home with my young girls when she knows that they are scared and that the dog snaps? I am really grateful that she is helping us out but I can not compromise on safety and I do not trust the dog.

"Your mum should absolutely be allowed to keep the dog at home since you are imposing the kids on her. "

You would put this dog with two children which this dog has been explicitly clear over and over again it resents and finds stressful. But as far as you're concerned as long as the children adhere to human-imposed rules about behaviour, which the dog doesn't understand the first word of, that's alright on the dog is it? The dog doesn't like these kids sitting still and talking, what is it you think you can get them to do for a week solid that the dog will accept?

If I ever get hit by a bus I very much hope my collie does not end up in the hands of someone like you. He's scared of carrier bags, with logic like that you'd be tying him up outside Tesco because it was his town before they built the shop eh.

It never ceases to amaze me how much anthropomorphism passes for a love of animals. Or how destructive that can be.