BIL brought dog that growls at children to Christmas dinner

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH claims he explicitly told BIL no dog. Dog ended up being tied up in the freezing cold but BIL still seemed eager to bring the dog in. There were eight kids under 12 in attendance, including two toddlers and two babies.

Previous experience with this dog was Thanksgiving dinner where he brought it without permission and no warning it growls at children. For about the first hour BIL would pin the dog to the floor whenever it growled at a child. As time passed and the dog seemed to relax, BIL helped himself to the dinner I cooked and stopped monitoring the dog, so I was left frantically trying to carry a 20 pound baby around while keeping between the f--king dog and my toddler. DH said "What do you want, I'm eating!". SIL gaslighted me saying "It's not a pitbull".

No apology forthcoming. Clearly he and the other in-laws don't think he did anything wrong.

I am considering the nuclear option and reporting the dog to the city. If I did that I would be the big bad meanie forever of the family. Amazingly, BIL is a licensed childcare provider and works in a public school as some kind of an aid for people with special needs.

Is it an over-reaction to report the dog?

Is no one gonna mention the 20 POUND BABY?????

Yes he is 9 months old and weighs 22 pounds and it is physically difficult/hurts my back to move around with him in my arms. And he does insist on being held. If the dog started attacking the toddler I guess I would have to drop him on the floor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP why in the world did you let that dog in your house?

Your house your rules. You and DH are stupid. God forbid anyone got bit at your house you are responsible.

I love dogs however not in my house would i allow anyone to bring an aggressive one over.

He did not tell us it growls at children before he brought it over. In fact, I didn't know he was bringing the dog over at all, either time

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Your BIL is a terrible person and your family is really irritating.

I would email everyone to explain that I could not enjoy my own holiday meal because I had to keep a baby away from a growling dog. I would point out that even though they think a growling dog isn't dangerous, everyone else knows that it is. Therefore,you refuse to allow that sort of danger in your house from now on, particularly as NO ONE helped you manage the dog because they were all gorging themselves. So the dog is not allowed on your property henceforth. Alternative arrangements have to be made for his care, as of course BIL is always welcome.

That's what you'll write. Now, if BIL takes offense and declines future invites, it might be a relief!

Sorry, I did not see that it was at an AirBnB. That's really tricky. I would work on your husband to get his support to request that the dog not come next time.

DH claims he was explicit and said no dog. Even after I left he was trying to guilt him into letting the dog in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH claims he explicitly told BIL no dog. Dog ended up being tied up in the freezing cold but BIL still seemed eager to bring the dog in. There were eight kids under 12 in attendance, including two toddlers and two babies.

Previous experience with this dog was Thanksgiving dinner where he brought it without permission and no warning it growls at children. For about the first hour BIL would pin the dog to the floor whenever it growled at a child. As time passed and the dog seemed to relax, BIL helped himself to the dinner I cooked and stopped monitoring the dog, so I was left frantically trying to carry a 20 pound baby around while keeping between the f--king dog and my toddler. DH said "What do you want, I'm eating!". SIL gaslighted me saying "It's not a pitbull".

No apology forthcoming. Clearly he and the other in-laws don't think he did anything wrong.

I am considering the nuclear option and reporting the dog to the city. If I did that I would be the big bad meanie forever of the family. Amazingly, BIL is a licensed childcare provider and works in a public school as some kind of an aid for people with special needs.

Is it an over-reaction to report the dog?

So let me get this straight. A month ago this dog growled at children. Every person there, including your DH was not concerned. Given that there were 8 kids there, I assume that the parents of these kids were not concerned. And nobody was hurt.
A few days ago you were at a separate event where the dog was kept outside. No growling and no incident.

What is the issue?

The first event I was hosting and it was only my children. He lied and said he asked permission. He did not.

Second event was the Airbnb potluck. He would have brought the dog into the house with 8 kids had I not thrown a tempter tantrum. Ironically I did leave with the baby and had McDonald's for Christmas dinner, after cooking for an hour and running errands getting last minute items for the group dinner. My husband stayed with the two olders but the whole event was ruined for us.

So he brings the dog, you tell him the dog can't be around the children, so the dog stays outside the whole time. Yet you leave and eat McDonalds anyway? It certainly didn't have to be ruined at all. You chose to let it be ruined.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm so confused. Are you trying to report the dog for growling at Thanksgiving?

Or for being tied up outside during Christmas?

Because BIL persists in bringing it around children and I'm afraid some kid someday is going to get bit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm so confused. Are you trying to report the dog for growling at Thanksgiving?

Or for being tied up outside during Christmas?

Because BIL persists in bringing it around children and I'm afraid some kid someday is going to get bit.

So let's play this out.... Say you do "report" the dog. Who are you calling and what do you expect will happen as a result?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH claims he explicitly told BIL no dog. Dog ended up being tied up in the freezing cold but BIL still seemed eager to bring the dog in. There were eight kids under 12 in attendance, including two toddlers and two babies.

Previous experience with this dog was Thanksgiving dinner where he brought it without permission and no warning it growls at children. For about the first hour BIL would pin the dog to the floor whenever it growled at a child. As time passed and the dog seemed to relax, BIL helped himself to the dinner I cooked and stopped monitoring the dog, so I was left frantically trying to carry a 20 pound baby around while keeping between the f--king dog and my toddler. DH said "What do you want, I'm eating!". SIL gaslighted me saying "It's not a pitbull".

No apology forthcoming. Clearly he and the other in-laws don't think he did anything wrong.

I am considering the nuclear option and reporting the dog to the city. If I did that I would be the big bad meanie forever of the family. Amazingly, BIL is a licensed childcare provider and works in a public school as some kind of an aid for people with special needs.

Is it an over-reaction to report the dog?

So let me get this straight. A month ago this dog growled at children. Every person there, including your DH was not concerned. Given that there were 8 kids there, I assume that the parents of these kids were not concerned. And nobody was hurt.
A few days ago you were at a separate event where the dog was kept outside. No growling and no incident.

What is the issue?

The first event I was hosting and it was only my children. He lied and said he asked permission. He did not.

Second event was the Airbnb potluck. He would have brought the dog into the house with 8 kids had I not thrown a tempter tantrum. Ironically I did leave with the baby and had McDonald's for Christmas dinner, after cooking for an hour and running errands getting last minute items for the group dinner. My husband stayed with the two olders but the whole event was ruined for us.

So he brings the dog, you tell him the dog can't be around the children, so the dog stays outside the whole time. Yet you leave and eat McDonalds anyway? It certainly didn't have to be ruined at all. You chose to let it be ruined.

1. I was extremely mad and not in the mood to enjoy dinner with irresponsible @holes
2. Had I not pitched a fit he may have tried to sneak the dog in. He had repeatedly shown sneaking behavior and disregard to parental preferences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH claims he explicitly told BIL no dog. Dog ended up being tied up in the freezing cold but BIL still seemed eager to bring the dog in. There were eight kids under 12 in attendance, including two toddlers and two babies.

Previous experience with this dog was Thanksgiving dinner where he brought it without permission and no warning it growls at children. For about the first hour BIL would pin the dog to the floor whenever it growled at a child. As time passed and the dog seemed to relax, BIL helped himself to the dinner I cooked and stopped monitoring the dog, so I was left frantically trying to carry a 20 pound baby around while keeping between the f--king dog and my toddler. DH said "What do you want, I'm eating!". SIL gaslighted me saying "It's not a pitbull".

No apology forthcoming. Clearly he and the other in-laws don't think he did anything wrong.

I am considering the nuclear option and reporting the dog to the city. If I did that I would be the big bad meanie forever of the family. Amazingly, BIL is a licensed childcare provider and works in a public school as some kind of an aid for people with special needs.

Is it an over-reaction to report the dog?

So let me get this straight. A month ago this dog growled at children. Every person there, including your DH was not concerned. Given that there were 8 kids there, I assume that the parents of these kids were not concerned. And nobody was hurt.
A few days ago you were at a separate event where the dog was kept outside. No growling and no incident.

What is the issue?

The first event I was hosting and it was only my children. He lied and said he asked permission. He did not.

Second event was the Airbnb potluck. He would have brought the dog into the house with 8 kids had I not thrown a tempter tantrum. Ironically I did leave with the baby and had McDonald's for Christmas dinner, after cooking for an hour and running errands getting last minute items for the group dinner. My husband stayed with the two olders but the whole event was ruined for us.

So he brings the dog, you tell him the dog can't be around the children, so the dog stays outside the whole time. Yet you leave and eat McDonalds anyway? It certainly didn't have to be ruined at all. You chose to let it be ruined.

1. I was extremely mad and not in the mood to enjoy dinner with irresponsible @holes
2. Had I not pitched a fit he may have tried to sneak the dog in. He had repeatedly shown sneaking behavior and disregard to parental preferences.

Look, I'm not saying the guy was in the right to bring his dog. He likely wasn't. But you made the choice to let it ruin your day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH claims he explicitly told BIL no dog. Dog ended up being tied up in the freezing cold but BIL still seemed eager to bring the dog in. There were eight kids under 12 in attendance, including two toddlers and two babies.

Previous experience with this dog was Thanksgiving dinner where he brought it without permission and no warning it growls at children. For about the first hour BIL would pin the dog to the floor whenever it growled at a child. As time passed and the dog seemed to relax, BIL helped himself to the dinner I cooked and stopped monitoring the dog, so I was left frantically trying to carry a 20 pound baby around while keeping between the f--king dog and my toddler. DH said "What do you want, I'm eating!". SIL gaslighted me saying "It's not a pitbull".

No apology forthcoming. Clearly he and the other in-laws don't think he did anything wrong.

I am considering the nuclear option and reporting the dog to the city. If I did that I would be the big bad meanie forever of the family. Amazingly, BIL is a licensed childcare provider and works in a public school as some kind of an aid for people with special needs.

Is it an over-reaction to report the dog?

So let me get this straight. A month ago this dog growled at children. Every person there, including your DH was not concerned. Given that there were 8 kids there, I assume that the parents of these kids were not concerned. And nobody was hurt.
A few days ago you were at a separate event where the dog was kept outside. No growling and no incident.

What is the issue?

The first event I was hosting and it was only my children. He lied and said he asked permission. He did not.

Second event was the Airbnb potluck. He would have brought the dog into the house with 8 kids had I not thrown a tempter tantrum. Ironically I did leave with the baby and had McDonald's for Christmas dinner, after cooking for an hour and running errands getting last minute items for the group dinner. My husband stayed with the two olders but the whole event was ruined for us.

So he brings the dog, you tell him the dog can't be around the children, so the dog stays outside the whole time. Yet you leave and eat McDonalds anyway? It certainly didn't have to be ruined at all. You chose to let it be ruined.

1. I was extremely mad and not in the mood to enjoy dinner with irresponsible @holes
2. Had I not pitched a fit he may have tried to sneak the dog in. He had repeatedly shown sneaking behavior and disregard to parental preferences.

Look, I'm not saying the guy was in the right to bring his dog. He likely wasn't. But you made the choice to let it ruin your day.

I will absolutely not be gaslighted about safety issues around my children. If that constitutes letting it ruin my day, so be it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH claims he explicitly told BIL no dog. Dog ended up being tied up in the freezing cold but BIL still seemed eager to bring the dog in. There were eight kids under 12 in attendance, including two toddlers and two babies.

Previous experience with this dog was Thanksgiving dinner where he brought it without permission and no warning it growls at children. For about the first hour BIL would pin the dog to the floor whenever it growled at a child. As time passed and the dog seemed to relax, BIL helped himself to the dinner I cooked and stopped monitoring the dog, so I was left frantically trying to carry a 20 pound baby around while keeping between the f--king dog and my toddler. DH said "What do you want, I'm eating!". SIL gaslighted me saying "It's not a pitbull".

No apology forthcoming. Clearly he and the other in-laws don't think he did anything wrong.

I am considering the nuclear option and reporting the dog to the city. If I did that I would be the big bad meanie forever of the family. Amazingly, BIL is a licensed childcare provider and works in a public school as some kind of an aid for people with special needs.

Is it an over-reaction to report the dog?

So let me get this straight. A month ago this dog growled at children. Every person there, including your DH was not concerned. Given that there were 8 kids there, I assume that the parents of these kids were not concerned. And nobody was hurt.
A few days ago you were at a separate event where the dog was kept outside. No growling and no incident.

What is the issue?

The first event I was hosting and it was only my children. He lied and said he asked permission. He did not.

Second event was the Airbnb potluck. He would have brought the dog into the house with 8 kids had I not thrown a tempter tantrum. Ironically I did leave with the baby and had McDonald's for Christmas dinner, after cooking for an hour and running errands getting last minute items for the group dinner. My husband stayed with the two olders but the whole event was ruined for us.

OP, the more you post, the less sympathy I have for your situation, and I say that as a person who is super vigilant about dogs around my kids. Your BIL didn't ruin your Christmas. Neither did your husband. That was all you. It is completely inappropriate to make rules for someone else's event in someone else's space. That it was an AirBNB is irrelevant unless it was YOUR AirBNB, but it wasn't. You threw a temper tantrum and left with your baby why, exactly? Because your BIL didn't want to tie his dog up outside? Because other people didn't agree with your overreaction? If I was your husband, I would be absolutely furious with you for this whole situation. You are justifying extreme overreactions and rudeness as "protecting your children" and it ruined Christmas dinner. You are the only one doing any any damage here and you owe everyone a giant apology.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH claims he explicitly told BIL no dog. Dog ended up being tied up in the freezing cold but BIL still seemed eager to bring the dog in. There were eight kids under 12 in attendance, including two toddlers and two babies.

Previous experience with this dog was Thanksgiving dinner where he brought it without permission and no warning it growls at children. For about the first hour BIL would pin the dog to the floor whenever it growled at a child. As time passed and the dog seemed to relax, BIL helped himself to the dinner I cooked and stopped monitoring the dog, so I was left frantically trying to carry a 20 pound baby around while keeping between the f--king dog and my toddler. DH said "What do you want, I'm eating!". SIL gaslighted me saying "It's not a pitbull".

No apology forthcoming. Clearly he and the other in-laws don't think he did anything wrong.

I am considering the nuclear option and reporting the dog to the city. If I did that I would be the big bad meanie forever of the family. Amazingly, BIL is a licensed childcare provider and works in a public school as some kind of an aid for people with special needs.

Is it an over-reaction to report the dog?

So let me get this straight. A month ago this dog growled at children. Every person there, including your DH was not concerned. Given that there were 8 kids there, I assume that the parents of these kids were not concerned. And nobody was hurt.
A few days ago you were at a separate event where the dog was kept outside. No growling and no incident.

What is the issue?

The first event I was hosting and it was only my children. He lied and said he asked permission. He did not.

Second event was the Airbnb potluck. He would have brought the dog into the house with 8 kids had I not thrown a tempter tantrum. Ironically I did leave with the baby and had McDonald's for Christmas dinner, after cooking for an hour and running errands getting last minute items for the group dinner. My husband stayed with the two olders but the whole event was ruined for us.

So he brings the dog, you tell him the dog can't be around the children, so the dog stays outside the whole time. Yet you leave and eat McDonalds anyway? It certainly didn't have to be ruined at all. You chose to let it be ruined.

1. I was extremely mad and not in the mood to enjoy dinner with irresponsible @holes
2. Had I not pitched a fit he may have tried to sneak the dog in. He had repeatedly shown sneaking behavior and disregard to parental preferences.

Look, I'm not saying the guy was in the right to bring his dog. He likely wasn't. But you made the choice to let it ruin your day.

I will absolutely not be gaslighted about safety issues around my children. If that constitutes letting it ruin my day, so be it.

No one is gaslighting you. In fact, it seems to very much be the other way around. There is not a safety issue here. There is the POTENTIAL for a safety issue, but your actual issue is that you're mad at your husband's family for not kowtowing to your "parental preferences."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH claims he explicitly told BIL no dog. Dog ended up being tied up in the freezing cold but BIL still seemed eager to bring the dog in. There were eight kids under 12 in attendance, including two toddlers and two babies.

Previous experience with this dog was Thanksgiving dinner where he brought it without permission and no warning it growls at children. For about the first hour BIL would pin the dog to the floor whenever it growled at a child. As time passed and the dog seemed to relax, BIL helped himself to the dinner I cooked and stopped monitoring the dog, so I was left frantically trying to carry a 20 pound baby around while keeping between the f--king dog and my toddler. DH said "What do you want, I'm eating!". SIL gaslighted me saying "It's not a pitbull".

No apology forthcoming. Clearly he and the other in-laws don't think he did anything wrong.

I am considering the nuclear option and reporting the dog to the city. If I did that I would be the big bad meanie forever of the family. Amazingly, BIL is a licensed childcare provider and works in a public school as some kind of an aid for people with special needs.

Is it an over-reaction to report the dog?

So let me get this straight. A month ago this dog growled at children. Every person there, including your DH was not concerned. Given that there were 8 kids there, I assume that the parents of these kids were not concerned. And nobody was hurt.
A few days ago you were at a separate event where the dog was kept outside. No growling and no incident.

What is the issue?

The first event I was hosting and it was only my children. He lied and said he asked permission. He did not.

Second event was the Airbnb potluck. He would have brought the dog into the house with 8 kids had I not thrown a tempter tantrum. Ironically I did leave with the baby and had McDonald's for Christmas dinner, after cooking for an hour and running errands getting last minute items for the group dinner. My husband stayed with the two olders but the whole event was ruined for us.

OP, the more you post, the less sympathy I have for your situation, and I say that as a person who is super vigilant about dogs around my kids. Your BIL didn't ruin your Christmas. Neither did your husband. That was all you. It is completely inappropriate to make rules for someone else's event in someone else's space. That it was an AirBNB is irrelevant unless it was YOUR AirBNB, but it wasn't. You threw a temper tantrum and left with your baby why, exactly? Because your BIL didn't want to tie his dog up outside? Because other people didn't agree with your overreaction? If I was your husband, I would be absolutely furious with you for this whole situation. You are justifying extreme overreactions and rudeness as "protecting your children" and it ruined Christmas dinner. You are the only one doing any any damage here and you owe everyone a giant apology.

That's fine. No more Christmas dinners. I'm not hosting 20 people in my 2 bedroom apartment. I'm not cooking for an hour and spending money to have McDonald's for dinner. If my MIL wants to choice her adult son's feelings for his dog over seeing her grandchildren, fine with me. I don't like her as a person anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH claims he explicitly told BIL no dog. Dog ended up being tied up in the freezing cold but BIL still seemed eager to bring the dog in. There were eight kids under 12 in attendance, including two toddlers and two babies.

Previous experience with this dog was Thanksgiving dinner where he brought it without permission and no warning it growls at children. For about the first hour BIL would pin the dog to the floor whenever it growled at a child. As time passed and the dog seemed to relax, BIL helped himself to the dinner I cooked and stopped monitoring the dog, so I was left frantically trying to carry a 20 pound baby around while keeping between the f--king dog and my toddler. DH said "What do you want, I'm eating!". SIL gaslighted me saying "It's not a pitbull".

No apology forthcoming. Clearly he and the other in-laws don't think he did anything wrong.

I am considering the nuclear option and reporting the dog to the city. If I did that I would be the big bad meanie forever of the family. Amazingly, BIL is a licensed childcare provider and works in a public school as some kind of an aid for people with special needs.

Is it an over-reaction to report the dog?

So let me get this straight. A month ago this dog growled at children. Every person there, including your DH was not concerned. Given that there were 8 kids there, I assume that the parents of these kids were not concerned. And nobody was hurt.
A few days ago you were at a separate event where the dog was kept outside. No growling and no incident.

What is the issue?

The first event I was hosting and it was only my children. He lied and said he asked permission. He did not.

Second event was the Airbnb potluck. He would have brought the dog into the house with 8 kids had I not thrown a tempter tantrum. Ironically I did leave with the baby and had McDonald's for Christmas dinner, after cooking for an hour and running errands getting last minute items for the group dinner. My husband stayed with the two olders but the whole event was ruined for us.

So he brings the dog, you tell him the dog can't be around the children, so the dog stays outside the whole time. Yet you leave and eat McDonalds anyway? It certainly didn't have to be ruined at all. You chose to let it be ruined.

1. I was extremely mad and not in the mood to enjoy dinner with irresponsible @holes
2. Had I not pitched a fit he may have tried to sneak the dog in. He had repeatedly shown sneaking behavior and disregard to parental preferences.

Look, I'm not saying the guy was in the right to bring his dog. He likely wasn't. But you made the choice to let it ruin your day.

I will absolutely not be gaslighted about safety issues around my children. If that constitutes letting it ruin my day, so be it.

No one is gaslighting you. In fact, it seems to very much be the other way around. There is not a safety issue here. There is the POTENTIAL for a safety issue, but your actual issue is that you're mad at your husband's family for not kowtowing to your "parental preferences."

Any reputable source on dog behavior will tell you a dog that growls at children is dangerous around children. Stop gaslighting. Gaslighting is narcissistic abuse. I'm not having it from anybody.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH claims he explicitly told BIL no dog. Dog ended up being tied up in the freezing cold but BIL still seemed eager to bring the dog in. There were eight kids under 12 in attendance, including two toddlers and two babies.

Previous experience with this dog was Thanksgiving dinner where he brought it without permission and no warning it growls at children. For about the first hour BIL would pin the dog to the floor whenever it growled at a child. As time passed and the dog seemed to relax, BIL helped himself to the dinner I cooked and stopped monitoring the dog, so I was left frantically trying to carry a 20 pound baby around while keeping between the f--king dog and my toddler. DH said "What do you want, I'm eating!". SIL gaslighted me saying "It's not a pitbull".

No apology forthcoming. Clearly he and the other in-laws don't think he did anything wrong.

I am considering the nuclear option and reporting the dog to the city. If I did that I would be the big bad meanie forever of the family. Amazingly, BIL is a licensed childcare provider and works in a public school as some kind of an aid for people with special needs.

Is it an over-reaction to report the dog?

So let me get this straight. A month ago this dog growled at children. Every person there, including your DH was not concerned. Given that there were 8 kids there, I assume that the parents of these kids were not concerned. And nobody was hurt.
A few days ago you were at a separate event where the dog was kept outside. No growling and no incident.

What is the issue?

The first event I was hosting and it was only my children. He lied and said he asked permission. He did not.

Second event was the Airbnb potluck. He would have brought the dog into the house with 8 kids had I not thrown a tempter tantrum. Ironically I did leave with the baby and had McDonald's for Christmas dinner, after cooking for an hour and running errands getting last minute items for the group dinner. My husband stayed with the two olders but the whole event was ruined for us.

So he brings the dog, you tell him the dog can't be around the children, so the dog stays outside the whole time. Yet you leave and eat McDonalds anyway? It certainly didn't have to be ruined at all. You chose to let it be ruined.

1. I was extremely mad and not in the mood to enjoy dinner with irresponsible @holes
2. Had I not pitched a fit he may have tried to sneak the dog in. He had repeatedly shown sneaking behavior and disregard to parental preferences.

Look, I'm not saying the guy was in the right to bring his dog. He likely wasn't. But you made the choice to let it ruin your day.

I will absolutely not be gaslighted about safety issues around my children. If that constitutes letting it ruin my day, so be it.

No one is gaslighting you. In fact, it seems to very much be the other way around. There is not a safety issue here. There is the POTENTIAL for a safety issue, but your actual issue is that you're mad at your husband's family for not kowtowing to your "parental preferences."

Any reputable source on dog behavior will tell you a dog that growls at children is dangerous around children. Stop gaslighting. Gaslighting is narcissistic abuse. I'm not having it from anybody.

DP. I'm on your side that the dog should not be around children but accusing people of gaslighting for pointing out that a dog tied up outside isn't going to hurt your children inside makes you seem off your rocker. No one is gaslighting or abusing you on this website.

[Anonymous]

Is it possible that the dog was growling because the kids were messing with it and the dog wanted them to stop?