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• One family found themselves divided for the holidays after a father’s new relationship disrupted long-standing traditions

• Tension rose as the changes directly affected how they celebrated with their dogs

• The situation left his kids to decide whether they wanted to attend Thanksgiving at all

When the holidays roll around, most families look forward to shared meals, old traditions and the grounding comfort of being together.

But for some, the season also brings complicated choices, especially when new relationships and long-standing habits collide.

One Reddit user recently found themselves facing an emotional dilemma involving their father, his new girlfriend and the family dogs.

“My dad has been dating someone for the last 6 months – my mom died 3 years ago pretty devastatingly,” the user wrote in a post.

Although the loss of their mother still looms large, they’ve tried to be supportive as their father moves forward. Yet, despite only having met the girlfriend once, she is already being woven into major family plans.

The father wanted her included in the upcoming holiday gathering so she could, as the user explains, “get to know us better.”

The complication, however, centered on their pets.

“There’s one condition- we both live far away and have dogs. I live 4.5 hours away and she lives 2.5 hours away,” the poster explained. “She can only stay the night with her dog at his house she says.”

So, the dad asked the poster “not to bring” their 75 lb. pit bull to his house since his girlfriend is insistent on bringing her “dog-aggressive” 5 lb. terrier.

The girlfriend says “she will not be able to stay in town without the dog and would have to leave the holiday early if our dog is present,” the poster wrote, which is very different from how the family typically celebrates.

“We’ve spent every holiday with our dog at the family home and feel a bit upset that we can’t spend the holiday with our dog since we will be staying there as well,” they wrote. “My siblings love our dogs and have a dog of their own which will also not be able to come. They gave me one weeks notice to board the dog.”

Not only would their own dog have to stay home, but so would their siblings’ dog – all because, as the girlfriend said, “her dog is so aggressive that separating them the whole time will make her terrier very paranoid.”

Even confining the larger dog to a bedroom was, according to her, not acceptable.

“Keep in mind, our dog loves other dogs and is an absolute angel & loves people,” they wrote of their pit bull.

Underneath the situation is a deeper emotional pattern. The user noted, “My dad has a history of prioritizing his new girlfriends and having to make sacrifices to make them fit into the family – including our time with him.”

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With so few opportunities to gather as a family, the Reddit user couldn’t help wondering whether asking to bring the dogs anyway was an unreasonable request.

While some commenters argued that the girlfriend should be the one making adjustments – since she is the one with the aggressive dog – others felt the original poster should respect their father’s request.

“Your dad’s home and he said not to bring your dog. Not your home, not your decision,” one user wrote. “Leave the dog at home or don’t go.”

Another commenter pointed out that finding a boarding spot a week before Thanksgiving is nearly impossible, suggesting the poster either stay home or spend the holiday with their siblings, “who are in the same boat you are.”

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