There is a specific kind of audacity that comes with leaving a sick, elderly dog behind when you move out and then refusing every option offered to fix it.

In this story, a couple relocated to their own place and left their ten-year-old dog who was riddled with health problems, from doggy dementia to ear mites.

Due to their complete lack of accountability, the woman’s elderly mother was forced to step in to care for the dog. But as another sibling watched the heavy toll this was taking on his mother, he decided this couple had a choice to make.

He wasn’t going to let this dog threaten his mother’s safety any longer.

Keep reading for the full story.

AITA for asking my sister and brother-in-law to take care of their dog or remove it from my elderly mother’s property?

My BIL got my sister a dog before they had kids.

They didn’t potty train him very well, and he has accidents inside the home. He also barks at everything and even sometimes snaps.

The dog is about 10 years old now, and they have 2 kids.

Lately, his mom has gotten on his sister and her husband about the handling of their pet.

They brought their dog with them when they moved in with my mom so they could save money. They just moved out to their own apartment.

My mom has asked them multiple times to take their dog with them, and they refused.

The dog is stressing her out.

His sister and her husband aren’t exactly the most responsible pet owners.

They haven’t given him shots in several years and refuse to take him to the vet because “they barely have money for their kids.”

My mom, who lives just on social security, takes really good care of her own dog.

I’ve been seeing how the dog stresses my mom out.

But taking care of this unruly dog is no job for an elderly woman.

She’s cleaning his mess several times a day, and she herself is on a walker.

She is a fall risk, and it is very possible that with her eyesight she could slip and fall if she doesn’t see the pee.

Plus, it’s really not fair to the dog.

As a sibling, he’s happy to step in, but his sister doesn’t seem to want the help.

I’d gladly loan them the money to get him care — I live out of state, or I’d take care of it myself.

I am really shocked my sister is doing and allowing this.

I told her she needed to take better care of her dog the last time I was in town, 3.5 months ago, and she dismissed me.

Finally, the couple acknowledged something needed to be done.

About 6 days ago, I texted my BIL — the decision maker of the two — that they needed to address the dog.

I said they needed to decide between one of three options.

One: take the dog to their house and figure out the logistics like other dog-owning families do.

Two: sign and abide by terms and conditions my mom set for the dog to remain there for the sake of her grandson.

The terms were basic healthcare and preventative flea meds provided for the dog, replacement of fence pickets to keep the dog contained when it’s out in her backyard, help two to three times a week to mop her floor, and pay for his food.

Three: put him down if they’re unwilling to care for him.

None of these options seemed like good ones, but the dilemma still remained.

The dog has dementia and paces because he doesn’t know what to do.

Taking him to a shelter would be extra cruel because he’d be even more scared — the dog doesn’t deserve that.

I gave them a deadline to make a choice.

Finally, the sibling is forced to get tough.

They refused my mom’s terms and conditions, and they refused to take their dog.

I am now letting them know they have 7 days to remove the dog from my mom’s property, or I will call animal control and report that they abandoned their dog on my elderly mom’s property — which is a Class A misdemeanor and up to a $4,000 fine where my mom lives.

AITA for making them take care of their dog?

This couple has left the rest of the family no other choice.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about siblings who treat every social outing like a weird competition.

What did Reddit have to say?

The real loser in this situation is the dog itself.

It’s clear this couple isn’t going to make the right choice on their own.

This user would have been a lot tougher from the very beginning.

Animal control is a last resort, but this couple let it get to this point.

A ten-year-old dog with dementia deserves better than being left behind when his owners move out. And he definitely deserves better than being left with a fall-risk senior on social security who has to clean up his messes several times a day while his actual owners eat out and book vacations.

The sibling offered three reasonable options, yet all three of those options were offered. Since they refused to take responsibility for their own pet, this sibling knew he would have to get tough with them. And getting tough might just mean threatening a Class A misdemeanor and a four-thousand-dollar fine.

Some people make the right choice on their own, but other people have to be forced.