My sister and I share a living space, but we couldn’t be more different when it comes to how we treat my dog. I use our towels to dry him off and even let him eat from our plates at the table, believing that he’s part of the family. On the other hand, my sister is extremely germophobic and gets upset whenever she sees me interacting with my dog in what she considers unhygienic ways. She insists that my dog is dirty, despite me taking good care of him by keeping his vaccinations up to date and giving him regular baths.
Things reached a boiling point one day when I used her hairbrush to groom my dog after a bath. My sister was furious. She stormed over, grabbed the hairbrush out of my hand, and tossed it straight into the trash. She began shouting at me, accusing me of treating my dog like he was my son, which seemed to infuriate her even more.
I didn’t understand why she was so upset. To me, my dog is like family, and I always make sure he’s clean before using anything that belongs to her. He had just been bathed and was spotless when I used her hairbrush. I tried to explain that I wouldn’t have used it if he was dirty, but she didn’t want to hear it. To her, it was an unforgivable violation of her personal space and hygiene.
In my eyes, I wasn’t doing anything wrong. I take good care of my dog, and I don’t see why she makes such a big deal out of it. I just wish she could understand how much he means to me, but her strict standards of cleanliness seem to have no room for pets. Our different attitudes toward hygiene and my dog’s place in the household often create tension between us.