Would this be a deal breaker for you?

[User5612347]

I'm in my 50s and recently started seeing a man my age, he's divorced with adult children. He lives rurally and has a one year old labrador. We see each other regularly and get on very well, but it's not serious yet.
He's asked me to go away for a weekend with him and I agreed. I asked him last night about what arrangements he's made for his dog while we are away. The dog can't go to kennels because it's not had it's vaccinations. He's leaving the dog on a long chain with access to a shed and outside and his adult sons will pop in when they can and walk the dog.
I've never had a dog myself but this doesn't sound right at all. I feel like I'll be worrying about the dog all weekend.

Ugh. Cheap bastard for not having the dog vaccinated. Cruel for leaving an inside dog outside.

Horrible man.

Sod that. I'd dump him, tell him he can go on the trip himself, that jump the fence snd rescue tye dog quietly while he was away, leaving the lead behind so it looked like the dog escaped.

Why hasn't this man got his dog vaccinated? Why does he make the dog sleep in the porch? Why can't he get a pet-sitters like loads of other people do when they go away? I would not wish to be with someone who has such a callous disregard for animal welfare.

He sounds dreadful and you've definitely made the right decision, OP

Could you report him to the RSPCA for not vaccinating and being cruel? Sorry, this is probably a dim thing to suggest. The thought of that poor dog has upset me 🥺

He sounds like a horrible cruel person.

It would definitely be a deal breakers for me.

Who will feed it / give it water?

I wouldn't leave my cats alone all weekend without someone feeding them and they have a cat flap.

Bloody hell no. And it's not a country person thing - we're country people and have working dogs. No way on earth would I be happy with this, not even for the kennelled ones. They need interaction and someone on site! I would worry about him being stolen and if he is an indoor dog he will be utterly miserable and upset being on his own and outside all of a sudden.

Thats awful! I would never do that to my dog for a few hours whilst I was in the house never mind on a holiday. Why can't the dog stay in the house? If the sons are going to help. Or a dog sitter?

I wouldn't be going on holiday if my dogs weren't in a home looked after

I've heard of lots of people doing this.
I don't have nor will I ever have a dog but it fed watered and walked
What's the problem?

A week end right?
So likely Saturday it the only full day is going to need walled/company?

Disgusting excuse for a dog owner

My friend has proper working dogs, who work sheep. The dogs do not live in the house, they live in a stall in a barn. When they go away someone stays and even though they can’t work the dogs they take them out every day for hours just letting them run. By ‘normal’ dog standards they have a rough life, outside in all weathers, no petting, no grooming and nothing he same boring diet but she wouldn’t by consider they’re welfare when going away. And when one got injured they were off to the vet asap.

so it’s not a country vs town thing. It’s and irresponsible owner thing.

He’s a cruel moron. Better luck next time.

I don't think that's ok I'm sorry dogs need stimulation love and affection to me that's down right cruel also why hasn't it had its vaccinations doesn't sound like it's very well looked after and that's a major red flag for me personally

People used to send kids up chimneys and down mines. Doesn't mean it's not abusive.

I couldn't be with a man who would treat his dog like this. It would be a relationship ender for me.

OP has said she’s throwing him back. You’re making absolutely the right decision.

People who live in the countryside does seem to get used as code for 'I treat animals like shit'.
I've grown up in the countryside and it's not true OP. It's only the most uneducated, rough ones that do.

And also, why isn't the dog vaccinated? He's basically just rough as fuck, OP.

We haven't had a deep discussion on previous relationships but he prides himself on being laid back and has mentioned a few times that his ex wife was very uptight.
He's not tight at all and seems very comfortable financially. Now I'm wondering if the uptight ex was in charge of boring things like dog vaccinations.

This would be a complete deal breaker for me.
He should have his dog vaccinated whether it's going to kennels or not. Why wouldn't he? They get their first jags as puppies and then boosters annually. It's nothing to do with kennels it's about their welfare. If he doesn't want to care for the dog he should re-home it.
Is he normally cruel to animals?

What?!?!

Deal breaker.???

That's terrible.

If this is not what the dog is used to this is not on at all. It would put me right off. A one year old lab needs company and stimulation 🥺
it’ll be the thin end of the wedge 😔

Besides all the comments previous posters have made about how bad this is, it’s also completely unnecessary. Kennels will generally take dogs that have only just been vaccinated, so that the vaccine probably wouldn’t actually be effective yet, as long as the paperwork is in order- obviously there are some emergency situations where dogs need to be kennelled unexpectedly, so this is quite common. And kennels are unlikely to be fully booked at this time of year, unless you were going away in half term. So he could perfectly well have sorted this all out at short notice if he’d wanted to, it would just have cost him £100 or so all in, and protected the dog’s health into the bargain. The fact that he hasn’t done all this and clearly doesn’t think he should have tells you a huge amount about him.