Helping your siblings out when they need something is generally the right thing to do, but only if it goes both ways.

What would you do if your sister refused to watch your dog for no reason, but now she is asking you to watch her kids?

That is the situation the brother in this story is in. Let’s see how the story unfolds.

AITA for refusing to babysit my sister’s kids after she refused to dogsit for me?

I (35M) have a dog.

She’s an old girl (going on 12 now but she was a rescue so we don’t know exactly) and very sweet.

I’ve had her for a decade. she’s really well behaved – she doesn’t get on furniture, she doesn’t bother anyone.

She’s old and tired and just wants to hang out at her spot, eat her food, go on her walks and get her pets. She’s practically a piece of furniture, but one that needs to be fed and walked.

Sounds like a great dog.

It’s probably her age, sure, but she’s been that way for a good while. Even when she was younger she wasn’t super energetic.

All that to say – she requires some work, but she’s not a menace or poorly behaved in any way.

Previously, whenever I went out of town, my dad would come over and take care of her. He loved her and it was a really great arrangement for everyone involved.

He has lost both of his parents.

3 years ago my dad passed away, and since my mom passed a few years prior, it left me and my sister (43F) alone – me more than her, since she has a family.

I had a girlfriend at the time, but we have broken up since.

Still – a few months after my dad’s passing, we wanted to go on vacation, and I asked my sister to take care of my dog.

My dad usually did it by coming over, and I offered the same deal. I offered alternatives too.

She is being ridiculous.

I offered she come over. I offered her older kid (16F, 14 at the time) stay over. I offered to bring my dog over to their place, or even for them to just come over twice a day to walk her and to refill her food and water.

My sister refused outright, she had her hands full with her house and her family and flat out refused to dogsit, even as her own children begged her to let them since they really love my dog.

Nothing helped, she wouldn’t compromise, and I ended up having to send her to a pet hotel. I wasn’t happy about it, and it cost a pretty penny, but fine whatever.

Still, I never quite forgave her.

This time, his sister wants a favor.

Now, my sister asked me to babysit, as she and her husband want to go on a trip for their anniversary – it’s something my dad (and my mom too) used to help them with.

Her oldest, as mentioned, is 16 and her youngest is 8. The older girl can be left alone, but she obviously wants help taking care of her son, and her daughter doesn’t wanna do it, since it’s a lot of work over the course of almost a full week.

I wouldn’t really mind, and I get along well with both kids, but… she wasn’t willing to take care of my dog when I needed her, so why would I agree to take care of her children?

So, I flat out told her no, and now she’s upset. She says with our parents gone we have no one to rely on but each other.

And I told her this was true when I asked for help with my dog as well.

True, it isn’t the same thing. Watching a dog is a lot easier.

She tells me it’s not the same thing, since she has a household to take care of, and I just have myself.

I told her no, I have my dog as well, and she needs care too, and she was being condescending and hypocritical.

She hasn’t really talked to me since, and it’s been a few days.

AITA?

Dogs aren’t kids, that’s true, but if she is unwilling to help him, why should he help her? Other than it could be a fun bonding time with his niece and nephew.

Read on to see what the people in the comments on Reddit think about this story.

Actions, meet consequences.

Yup, this is on her.

This commenter would have done the same thing.

She reaps what she sews.

Yes, of course do it in an emergency.

What goes around comes around.

If you liked that post, check out this story about a guy who was forced to sleep on the couch at his wife’s family’s house, so he went to a hotel instead.