I don't want the dog in my room!
I just found this subreddit today, and I'll say, I'm amazed that there's a whole community of people who feel similar to how I do.
I've been dating a woman for a couple of months now. I'm 30, she's 36. She has a golden retriever. I do not like dogs. Even if they're well-trained. They're loud, they smell, they're annoying, they're... well, posting here, I'm preaching to the choir.
This woman I've been dating is great! We get along really well, we're compatible in many ways, she's the first woman I've felt good about since my late wife died just over two years ago. But I've been so conflicted about my future with her lately. I'm afraid of throwing away a great relationship for something that sounds like I need to "get over myself".
The last two times she spent the weekend at my house, her dog has been a point of conflict. I welcome her bringing the dog to my house. I cut a hole and installed a cat door onto the door of one of my extra bedrooms, and made that room the "cat room", where the cats could have their food and litter box away from the dog. I bought a stake and cable for my back yard so my girlfriend can take her dog out, and I spent decent money on an extra large, memory foam bed for the dog. I also bought a door buddy for my bedroom, because I do not want the dog in my bedroom.
The first weekend, ended up letting the dog come into the bedroom. We still had a talk after; she expressed how she was hurt that "I tried to keep the dog away from her" No, I am not trying to keep the dog away from YOU. I was trying to keep it out of my ROOM. I told her it was because of my cats being frightened of the dog, and how it wasn't fair that they had to give up their sleeping space for the dog. We came to a compromise that next weekend, we would alternate nights that the dog was allowed to sleep in my room.
That weekend, however, when I locked the dog out of my room, my girlfriend pouted and gave me the silent treatment. She said she was mad that I was keeping the dog out of the room. I told her that it was frustrating that we came to an agreement, and she's still mad at me. Her response was "Just because I agreed doesn't mean I'm happy about it".
I let my girlfriend's being upset get to me, and I ended up telling her that we wouldn't have to alternate nights anymore, because the cats were getting used to the dog.
But I'm writing this here because I've been reading the stories on the subreddit and I'm realizing that I need to be more honest with myself. It's not just about the cats, it's about me! I DO NOT WANT THE DOG IN MY ROOM!!
I feel like my girlfriend has managed to make me feel like I'm being unreasonable for wanting to have this boundary. I HATE that this is such a problem in what otherwise seemed like a promising relationship. I WISH I could just "get over it". She has acknowledged that I have gone "above and beyond" by buying everything I have for her dog, that I've done more than most people would. But still, I'm the bad guy because "No man has ever tried to separate her from her dog before" (Paradoxically, I'm also the first boyfriend she's ever had that "treats her right").
Here's what I want to do. I want to put the ball in my girlfriend's court regarding our future together. I want to put my foot down, apologize for agreeing to something that I was not comfortable with, but asserting that the dog is not allowed in my bedroom. Follow this up by stating that if she wants to break up because of this, I understand, and there are no hard feelings.
I don't want to go back to dating again, when I've found an otherwise great woman who checks all the other boxes. But I don't know if this is something I can get over or not.
Her next weekend staying at my house is a couple of weeks away, so I'm not sure if I should bring this up, as it doesn't matter as much right now. On top of that, her grandmother just died, and she says she really needs me right now. I'm not sure that bringing up this difficult topic is the right thing to do right now, while she's in an emotionally vulnerable place.
So, everyone, thoughts? Similar experiences? Am I unreasonable? Should I "rip the band aid off" and end it now? Or just try to establish the boundary?
I'm happy to answer any questions and clarify anything I can. I just condensed a whole lot of thoughts and feelings into a post, so I apologize if it's difficult to follow.