Redditor Divides Internet When They Refused To Tend To Neighbor's Dog While They Were In The Emergency Room

If you're ever unsure, you can always ask the Reddit Community AITA

Kylin

• Published in Interesting
• September 12, 2022

Apartment living can come with its ups and downs. There’s no need to worry about maintenance or lawn care, and some have really nice amenities like pools, gyms, and more.

On the other hand, there can be issues with noisy neighbors, with a reasonable amount of noise to be expected on a daily basis, and hopefully not extending outside acceptable hours. Not to mention, nosy neighbors who love nothing more than to know (and share) everyone else's business.

And if you’re naturally more reserved, living in close quarters to other people, especially the nosy-type, can be a bit anxiety-inducing. Of course, it’s easy enough to exchange quick pleasantries in passing, but proximity doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to be besties with your neighbor.

Recently, a person found themselves in a really awkward situation that left them feeling unsure if they were in the wrong. So, they turned to a popular Reddit community to get some outside perspective, r/AITA, a self-described place to “finally find out if you were wrong in an argument that's been bothering you.”

User Consistent-Staff4349 gave some background about themselves and their neighbor before diving into the conflict in which they may have been an a-hole. A self-described introvert, OP has frequent interactions with an extroverted neighbor while walking their dogs.

Although their neighbor is described as gossip, they exchanged numbers at her insistence, so she could reach out in case she sees “anything sketchy” happening around their apartment complex. OP felt it wasn’t too big of a deal, as their neighbor hadn’t contacted them, until now.

"AITA for Refusing to Walk My Neighbors Dog While She's in the Hospital"

Knowing that OP works from home, their neighbor attempted to call them multiple times while they were in a Zoom meeting. Not taking ignored phone calls for the obvious answer they are, the neighbor follows up with a text asking if OP was at home.

Even after OP explained that while they were at home, they were in a meeting for work at the time and therefore unavailable, their neighbor was undeterred. She tells OP that she is currently in the emergency room and asks that they call her.

Against their better judgment, OP ended up calling their neighbor who asked if they could get a key to her apartment from the leasing office so they could get into her apartment to take her dog out for a potty break.

Neighbor ended up making OP feel like they could be in the wrong for denying their request for help

Besides the fact that they were at work, OP just didn't feel comfortable entering their home without them present. OP also mentions the liability risks they would put themselves in by granting this request, which is completely reasonable, but the neighbor's reaction made them question that.

OP explained that they did not feel comfortable entering her apartment without her home and apologized. Their neighbor did NOT like this, and rudely acted like it would be OP’s fault if something were to happen due to her dog not being taken care of.

Now, I may be mistaken, as an inherent introvert myself, but I would’ve given up attempting to contact OP after 2 unanswered calls. I especially would not have pushed the matter after being given the information that they were in a meeting for work.

But, I’m not OP’s neighbor, and she might have been in a truly dire situation that would have kept her for longer than a few hours. And we weren’t given the information about whether their neighbor had attempted reaching out to anyone else first.

While I can see both sides of this situation, it’s understandable that OP would feel conflicted about how they handled this. So they put themselves up on the chopping block for AITA judgment.

The YTA judgements came in swift and harsh

"It's called being a decent neighbor."

The dog was being punished, not the owner

"Innocent animals shouldn't have to suffer just because their humans aren't perfect"

Is there such a thing as a "good reason" to refuse to help someone?

It isn't about the person - it's about the dog in need

Redditors ended up being more sympathetic to the OP, with an overwhelming NTA responses

Why can't the neighbor reach out to friends or family?

It would be nice for them to help, but OP can reasonably ask them to contact someone else

OP would be opening themselves up to risks by attempting to help

OP is under zero obligation

Pet owners should always have a plan for their pets in case of an emergency

Working from home ≠ available

Another commenter pointing out that OP would be liable for anything that goes wrong if they were to help

It would be a different story for a different relationship

Then there were the folks who felt no one was in the wrong

Both parties reactions make sense

You're not obligated to do things you're uncomfortable with

Neighbor isn't necessarily in the wrong, and neither is OP

"She is entitled to her own feelings, but so are you"

OP confirmed in a comment thread that their neighbor found someone to walk her dog and ended up discharged before too long

What would be your judgment of this user's situation? Would you think they were The A-hole, Not The A-Hole, Everyone Sucks Here, or No A-holes Here.

Ultimately, the AITA community’s final judgment for OP was NAH - No A-holes Here. Both parties' feelings were easy for many to understand and sympathize with, but neither was morally wrong in their actions.

Kylin