Some people are great with animals, but some have no idea what they’re signing up for.

What would you do if your mom bought your sister a puppy she couldn’t properly care for, and you quickly realized you were the only one meeting its needs?

Would you step back and watch the dog struggle?

Or would you take matters into your own hands?

In this story, one woman finds herself in this situation and is torn about what to do.

Here’s what’s going on.

WIBTA if I take my sister’s puppy?

My sister (23F) and I (25F) are both college students who are home for the summer.

We grew up in the same house and are both autistic, but we had very different experiences. She was diagnosed as a kid and coddled.

I wasn’t diagnosed, and I was abused.

Neither of us is super well-adjusted; we’re just on opposite ends.

Recently, her therapist suggested she get a rabbit. My mom interpreted that as “she needs an emotional support animal” and decided to get her a dog.

It’s not what the therapist said, but okay.

To ease the stress at first, she offered to care for the puppy.

After searching for a while, my mom realized the only way for my sister to have a well-adjusted dog was either to pay for a trained one or raise a puppy.

So, two days ago, she brought home a puppy.

Since my sister had an all-day class the next day, I took care of the puppy that night.

It was standard puppy stuff: waking up every 1–2 hours, crate training, and all that.

I also cared for her most of yesterday, minus a one-hour nap while my mom took over.

I love dogs, but this is a lot, and I didn’t sign up to be the primary caretaker.

Today I tried to hand things off, but it became clear my sister had no clue what she was doing and hadn’t taken any initiative to learn.

She was shocked the puppy didn’t “tell” her she needed to go out.

I explained that crying means something’s wrong, and she needs to cycle through needs like food, potty, play, etc.

She tried to show her sister what to do.

At one point, the puppy pooped in the playpen because she wasn’t taken out often enough.

My sister cleaned it, but left the poop covered paper towel in the corner.

My mom finally backed me up and told her to follow my lead, so I started trying to teach her.

I explained things clearly, checked for understanding, and gave her step-by-step instructions.

Then, I left for 20 minutes.

Frustrated, she explained to her mother why this was a bad idea.

When I came back, she was on her phone, and the puppy was chewing her shoelace. I reminded her that she needed to stay engaged and gave her a list of activities to cycle through.

Fifteen minutes later, she was back on her phone.

At that point, I called my mom and said I don’t think she’s capable of taking care of this dog.

She agreed, but said maybe it’ll be different when the puppy is older.

I told her I think the issue is that my sister doesn’t naturally think from the puppy’s perspective and won’t put in the effort to learn.

Now, she wants to take the puppy with her to school.

It’s not about empathy, it’s about how autism makes some things harder, and she’s not even trying. My mom got frustrated with me.

Here’s the thing: I didn’t want a puppy, but this one is great.

And I really don’t want to see her neglected and then rehomed because of “behavior issues.”

I strongly suspect that’s what will happen if she goes to school with my sister in a few weeks.

So here’s where I might be the bad guy: I want to either take the puppy myself or help rehome her.

I’m going to try to talk to my mom first, but I’m also leaving a week earlier than my sister.

Would I be wrong if I just took the puppy with me when I leave?

AITA?

Yikes! Something needs to give here.

Let’s see what advice the readers over at Reddit have to offer.

According to this person, she shouldn’t take the dog without asking.

This reader thinks the sister may not even notice.

Here’s a great point.

For this person, the therapist is partially to blame.

She should talk to her mother, because taking the dog without asking will probably cause a lot of problems.

This whole thing is a mess.

If you liked this post, you might want to read this story about a teacher who taught the school’s administration a lesson after they made a sick kid take a final exam.