“My parents refuse to visit my new house unless their dog is allowed”

A woman has come to Mumsnet to tell how her parents are refusing to come into their new home unless their dog can come too – she has tried to compromise but was told her proposal would not is good enough

Buying a house isn’t easy – and that’s usually something you don’t talk about until everything is in place.

But once in your new home, most people can’t wait to show off to their closest friends and family.

A woman felt “deflated” after her parents refused to visit her new home unless her dog is allowed to come along.

Speaking to Mumsnet, the woman explained how much she loves her parents’ dog but doesn’t want him walking her brand new cream rugs just yet.

She said: “I just moved into my first home with my partner. We now live about 45 minutes from both sets of parents in the only affordable place in our county.

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“My parents came over to look at the house when we got it about three weeks ago and I invited them to come over this weekend to see the progress.

“My mother said they want to come, but they would like to bring the dog.

“I said you can bring her, but she’s not allowed on the carpet. I have a brand new home with cream carpet. We don’t have pets or children so it stays clean because I want it to.”

To find a compromise, the wife told her mother she could bring her cocker spaniel as long as he stayed in the kitchen during her visit.

But she was told that wasn’t good enough.

She added: “She’s a very hairy, smelly bitch. You don’t want to leave the dog alone for hours, which is perfectly fair enough.

“However, they would be gone for four to five hours at most. Also, my 30-year-old brother lives at home!

“I was frustrated with my mom and that’s literally the text she sent: ‘I don’t want her to be alone. you come here.’

“The way she put the text and expects me to drive away 50 minutes because of the dog, even though I invited her to mine. I don’t mind going to them, but it’s the principle.”

When asked if she has to “spend her whole life traveling to them just because they have a dog,” the woman asked users to share their thoughts on her situation.

One user said: “A dog is part of the family, your family. What if your brother had kids, kids can stink and drool and be messy too. Would you ban them from the living room?

“Ask for the dog to be bathed before arrival, make sure the dog hasn’t just been running around in the mud and ask them to bring their dog bed so they can sit in the bed and not on your rug

“But the carpet will be trampled over time. He really won’t look like what you think, no matter what your intentions, trust me.”

While another user added: “It’s ridiculous that she doesn’t just leave the dog behind, especially when your brother is home.

“Just say you forget and keep saying it. At some point she will realize that her daughter is more important than a dog. People get stupid with their dogs.”

A third user just said, “These are some dog people for you.”

Do you have a dog story to share? Email paige.freshwater@reachplc.com.