Backstory: I live in a house with 6 guys and now two dogs(my husky and a roommates new pup). We’re all in our senior year besides housemate X (who owns the puppy) and is a year out of school and now works a 9-5 job that has an hour commute. Last year his girlfriend and him bought a Boston terrier puppy that they “shared”. Over the summer they broke up and she took the Boston terrier. My housemate has never had a dog or grow up with a dog. In fact, he’s told me his parents despise dogs. I could tell he didn’t grow up with dogs with how he treats my husky. He gets annoyed by every little thing and to be honest, my dog doesn’t care for him either because of the way he gets treated. To describe roommate x best, he’s “Type A”… easily frustrated, stubborn, always thinks he’s right, and most likely has ADD.
Fast Forward to 3 weeks ago:
Housemate X is still very much heartbroken by his ex girlfriend to the point where he started a poor routine of drinking every night, falling asleep on the couch, and waking up at 5 am to go to work the next day. One morning he tells me out of the blue…”This breeder has a Boston terrier available. I’m going to go see him.” I didn’t really know what to say. Really their was nothing for me to say because he wouldn’t listen to me whether I told him it’s a bad idea or a good idea. Also, since I already have a dog, who am I to tell my heartbroken housemate that he shouldn’t get a puppy? I texted my housemates right away about housemates plan to “go see a puppy” 3 hours away. We all knew his mind was already set on getting him. One of my housemates did reach out and tell him that it might not be a good time since he just started a new job with long hours, he doesn’t have anything ready for the puppy, and that it may add more stress to his life. Well…. 8 hours later he came back with the cutest little Boston terrier.
Fast Forward to Today:
We’re now three weeks in and he’s already over this puppy. He picks and chooses when to spend time with him. Since he works all day and we have class, the 13 week old puppy stays in a crate all day. A lays in a bed filled with urine because he’s got such a small bladder. I’ve already given him 3 baths. When I’m free I spend time with him and let him out. My housemate is constantly going out after work and their has been probably 5 times where he doesn’t come back home until 1-2 AM. Safe to say he made a poor choice of taking on this little guy but like always, he’s not willing to admit to being wrong. His lack of care has resulted in very little training or routine. It’s also added stress to the rest of our house because we are obligated to take care of him most days. What made me come to Reddit and ask for advice though is this… the puppy is terrified of him because instead of correcting bad habits, he will just pick him up by his scruff and yell at him. The puppy doesn’t know what he’s doing or why he’s being screamed at, why he’s always left in his crate, or who his “person” in this world is. Some days I think he forgets to feed him at least once a day and I constantly refill his water bowl because it’s always empty.
I’ve tried to give my housemate training tips, advice, and when I’m home I do everything I can to make the puppy happy. My housemate thinks I’m dramatic and doesn’t bat an eye at anything I say or do to get him to become a better owner. Not only am I stressed. I’m heartbroken and devastated over this. It’s so hard to witness each day. I need advice on what to do about this. What’s my first step? I can’t see this puppy live like this any longer and I know my housemate won’t consider rehoming the poor pup. Thank you in advance to any input or advice. It’ll mean a whole lot.
That sounds really tough, I’d honestly consider moving if I were you. I don’t even know what to say about it, other than keep doing what you’re doing, maybe call your local humane society or something. Because it’s not your job or anyone else’s to take care of that poor puppy, it’s the owners. I’d try get the puppy taken away because owner clearly is not ready for commitment.
Also, you could make it clear to the owner that what he is doing is wrong. I’d do this first, then what I mentioned earlier, second.
If you and the other housemates keep turning a blind eye to his behavior, it’s not going to stop. Someone has to be the one to stand up and say something. You’ve got make a choice of how you’re going to get out of that situation and follow through with it, and consider if your housemate changes his ways or not.
Any way you can figure out the breeder and contact them? If it’s a good breeder (not a backyard puppy mill) they would likely be very interested to know about the poor treatment and possibly want to take the puppy back
