Some people take their pets so seriously that even the gentlest joke feels like an attack.

So, what would you do if you referred to your friend’s dog with a silly nickname the way you always do with your own dog, but your friend reacted like you’d delivered a serious insult?

Would you apologize to her? Or would you not see the big deal?

In the following story, one woman finds herself in this situation and can’t believe her friend’s reaction.

Here’s how it all played out.

AITA for jokingly insulting my friend’s dog?

I (25F) was on the phone with my friend (26F).

We both have our own dog, and they are the same breed. I call my dog “Miss Rat” in an endearing and loving way; my friend also sometimes refers to my dog as that.

She calls her dog a number of nicknames, like Miss Honey or Piggy

It all started over what she thought was a harmless comment.

I was on a video call with my friend when her dog came into frame. I said, “Oh, hi, honey, who is that little stinky baby?” and my friend immediately became furious.

Genuinely, she was speaking to me as I had dug into her and insulted her terribly.

I immediately apologized because I didn’t realize it would upset her, but she said that if I couldn’t respect her dog, then I shouldn’t even be her friend, and then she hung up.

I’ve been wracking my brain trying to understand if I really did mess up. I don’t feel like it did. I never would’ve reacted that way had someone said that to my dog, but I know everyone’s feelings are different.

AITA?

Wow! Her friend sounds a little insecure.

Let’s check out what the readers over at Reddit have to say about what she did.

This person uses those terms for their human baby.

According to this comment, her friend should never leave her house.

For this person, the friend is too old to act like that.

Here’s someone who doesn’t think she should apologize.

This is on her friend.

Obviously, she was saying it in a loving way, so her friend needs to lighten up and apologize for overreacting.

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.