Pets need to feel safe in their own home.

In this story, a teenage girl loves and cares for their family dog.

So when her little brother tries to “mishandle” the dog, she gets her from him immediately.

Instead of backing her up, their mom said she was overreacting and told her to let him play.

Read the full story below for all the details.

AITA for telling my brother to let go of the dog?

I (18) have a chiweenie as a family pet.

She is one year old and likes to snuggle.

I am the one in my family who takes care of her the most.

I get home before everyone else because I walk home after school most days.

This teenage girl noticed that the dog doesn’t want to be bothered once she’s already settled.

My chiweenie likes to be with me most of the time because of this.

My brother (6 1/2) likes to play with the dog.

The problem is that he likes to try and pick her up and carry her around.

He usually does this when she is already sitting or lying down.

Once she is settled, my chiweenie prefers not to be bothered. She wants to go to sleep.

However, her brother would always pick her up and refuse to let go.

My brother will try to hold onto her regardless of how much the dog squirms.

He refuses to let her go. He will not listen if you try to tell him nicely.

He will also start crying on purpose if you insist.

This has been a problem ever since we got the dog.

When she and the dog were in bed watching TV, her brother tried to pick up the dog again.

Not too long ago, I was in my bed with my chiweenie and watching TV.

My brother came into my room and tried to pick her up.

She immediately started moving out of his grasp.

He held onto her near her legs. He pulled her closer to him.

I told him to let her go because she does not want to be held right now.

He did not listen.

She told him to stop, and he started crying.

I said it more firmly. He would not budge again.

I demanded that he let go of the dog because he was going to hurt her.

He let her go. He immediately started crying.

He buried his face into his hands and was being loud.

My mom came out of her room. She wanted to know what was going on.

Their mom got annoyed and told her to let her brother play with the dog.

I said that my brother was holding onto the dog.

I said that she did not want to be picked up right now.

My mom got mad. She said we were annoying her with the dog.

She said that she is not just my dog and told me to let my brother play with her.

Now, she’s wondering if she was in the wrong for trying to protect the dog.

I did not say anything back. She would have just gotten more mad.

I resumed watching TV.

My brother stopped crying immediately and played with the dog.

AITA for trying to make sure my brother does not end up mishandling the dog?

Let’s read the responses of other people to this story.

This person makes a valid point.

Here’s a helpful suggestion.

This user shares their personal thoughts.

Here’s another honest opinion.

Finally, this one had a similar situation.

Even a tiny dog deserves a little personal space and some gentle loving.

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.