Venting alittle, sorry..
I am a bit irritated. And I don't know quite how to handle it. Every Thursday night we have, what we've dubbed our "game night". Whoever hosts, usually cooks dinner (sometimes we eat-out) and we either play a board/card game or just sit and chat. Us and another couple (sometimes one other couple) get together every Thursday and we switch weeks on who is hosting. Us and couple #1 have been doing this "get together" for years, and always have brought each of our dogs to each others houses, so the dogs got their play date, while we had ours. Couple #2 came into the picture in the past 2 years. The wife, we get along great! The husband... not so much. He is nice enough but when it comes to dogs, he has no insight or consideration.
Couple #2's, husband was in town for work, he was in town after about 4 months since the last time we saw him (they recently moved out of the country, for work) and he was the first to show up to our house. He has never been "nice", "good", "understanding".... whatever you what to call it, of Riley and Grace. I think he thinks of them more as a nuisance, even from day one (yet he loves couple #1's dog). Today was no exception.
When he came in the door, the dogs were of course excited to see a new person in the house, but knowing he wasn't exactly nice to our dogs (particularly Grace), I tried to redirected them, go say "hi", come back to me, say "hi" come back, etc... Well, Grace got exited at first and jumped up, he hit her in the face... "whimper"... I asked him, please do not hit her! (not the first time I've asked this! Even told him how to correct her positively). We walked further into the house (I was in the middle of cooking dinner), Grace got the zoomies and jumped at him again, he smacked her again and I hear a YELP and her slinking towards me... damnit... I didn't know what to do at this point... I called her to me, pepped her up and them sent her and Riley outside to run off the zoomies, which then couple #2 and dog showed up and Riley, Grace and Sadie, went on playing, as happy as can be, yet I was still very, very irritated the rest of the evening.
I just don't know what to do. I have told him numerous times, to not hit or interfere with my dogs. (he yells at them for wrestling). So, I try my best to keep Riley and Grace calm at the door or nonchalantly away from him, when he is over. Tonight, I was unprepared... sorry Grace :(
Honestly, if that happened in my home he would be asked to leave. To continue his behavior after being told not to is disrespectful to you. The last thing Grace needs is to be smacked around and if its hard enough to make her yelp he is hurting her not "correcting" her.
ReplyDeleteHope you can resolve the situation.
Since you say you get along with the wife, how about taking her aside and asking her to speak to her husband about keeping his hands off your dogs. If she won't do this, I'd say it's time to un-invite them to your get-togethers.
ReplyDeleteOkay - if that ever happened in my house I would kick the person out. It's my house, my dogs so that means people have to put up with my rules. Really irritates me when people do this. My dogs are like my kids. How would they feel if someone came over to their house and smacked their kid in the face for coming over to say hi? They would be pissed. Pretty much the same situation to me...
ReplyDeleteI hope you don't have to worry about seeing husband #2 again!
I would have told him to leave and that man would never, ever come back to my house again. There is nothing okay about what he did. He may not appreciate Grace's greeting, but there are more appropriate ways to handle it. Would he also strike a child who came into his space uninvited?
ReplyDeleteI'd continue to socialize with his wife/your friend, but I would cut them out of the couple activities. If your friend asks why, tell her it's because she's married to an ass.
I would have told him to leave. Not very politely either.
ReplyDeleteNola's Mom