Her Ex-Husband Doesn’t Want Their Daughter’s Service Dog In The House Since She Has The Same Name As His Girlfriend
This woman was finally able to get a service dog for her teen daughter, who has a chronic disease, and the pup has made a major difference in her daughter’s life.
But now, her ex-husband doesn’t want to allow the dog into his house anymore because his girlfriend shares the same name as the canine.
For a bit of background, she and her ex split up nine years ago, and they don’t have an official custody agreement in place. Rather, her daughter just sees her ex two or three weekends each month, depending on scheduling.
That was all well and good until around three months ago, when her ex decided to move his girlfriend of just six weeks into his house. Apparently, he claimed he was “too old” to be playing the “silly dating” game and wanted to take the next step.
“Ok, fine. His life. I’ve met her three times during drop-offs, and she seemed fine. I remarried three years ago, and we have all co-parented very well,” she explained.
But it was after her ex’s girlfriend moved in that the issues started, all due to her daughter’s German Shepherd service dog.
They got the canine, a seizure response dog named Sherry, about eight months ago. And the process of getting the pup wasn’t an easy endeavor.
Sherry actually cost almost $20,000, which is why it required a lot of research and financial work to buy her daughter the dog. But in her mind, the effort was so worth it.
“Sherry has been a godsend. Before she came along, my daughter had wicked anxiety about going anywhere, especially school or out in public,” she recalled.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
And while her daughter is medicated and closely monitored, she still has “breakthrough episodes.” That’s why, prior to having a service dog, her daughter would sometimes refuse to leave their home for days at a time, forcing her to hire a tutor to come to their house.
Yet, once Sherry entered the picture, that all changed. Sherry now stays by her daughter’s side wherever she goes and has gotten quite popular at her daughter’s high school. Not to mention, her teen’s personality has become practically extroverted, and she’s even joined a theater club.
“My daughter says just knowing that Sherry is with her lessens her anxiety as now she knows when something is going to happen and that ‘coming to’ with Sherry curled up next to her comforts her and makes her know that she’s safe during them,” she detailed.
While she’s thrilled about her daughter’s relationship with Sherry, though, her ex’s girlfriend feels differently. Why? Well, his girlfriend’s name is ironically “Cherie,” and she’s not happy about sharing a moniker with a dog.
In fact, Cherie actually tried to demand that she and her daughter change the dog’s name. She honestly laughed in response to that and said it simply wasn’t an option. After all, Sherry is a highly trained and 3-year-old service animal, so you can’t just change her name.
“I told his girlfriend if she didn’t like sharing her name with a dog, she could change hers. That didn’t go over well,” she revealed.
Then, just yesterday, her daughter returned home in tears. It turns out Cherie told her that Sherry is no longer allowed to tag along during visits.
She was understandably livid and told her ex that their daughter would not be leaving Sherry behind. In response, he pointed out how their daughter spent years without Sherry and was “ok,” so he argued that she’d be fine now, too, since he “knows what to do.”
“I said that his knowing what to do wasn’t the issue. I said that our daughter was not ‘ok’ before. She was anxious, borderline agoraphobic, and miserable,” she noted.
To her ex, that didn’t seem to matter. Instead, he just accused her of being a “drama queen” and insisted that their daughter wasn’t allowed over to his house if she brought Sherry.
This was her final straw. She wound up telling her ex that their daughter wouldn’t be visiting him anymore, and now, he’s accusing her of “parental alienation” and threatening to take her to court.
Meanwhile, her daughter is stuck in the middle and torn about what to do. On the one hand, her daughter obviously wants to see her dad, but she also doesn’t want to be without Sherry by her side.
This has left her wondering what to do and whether not allowing her daughter to go to her ex’s house without the service dog is justified or makes her a jerk.
Do you think her daughter’s condition is more important than her ex’s girlfriend being upset about having the same name as a dog? How do you suggest she proceed?
More About:Relationships
