'I rehomed my step-daughter's puppy – my son's pet needed peace and quiet'

A woman has come under fire for rehoming her step-daughter's puppy while allowing her son to keep his pet - and she is now questioning whether she made the right choice

A woman has been criticised for rehoming her step-daughter's puppy while allowing her son to keep his pet. The 27-year-old explained how she has been married to her husband, 48, for two years - and became a step-mum to Lana, 13, on her wedding day.

She also has a 10-year-old, named Zul, from a previous relationship. On Reddit, she said: " Before our wedding, my husband and Lana won a "teacup" Pomeranian puppy at an auction. Lana was thrilled, but I have a phobia of dogs, which my husband knew about. He believed a very small dog would be a good compromise, and wanting to please him, I agreed. Lana named the puppy Pipi."

However, she admits to disliking Pipi because he's "constantly attacking her ankles". She said: " Pipi was truly an awful dog. He constantly bit my ankles, and being home all day, I suffered greatly. I cried every day due to fear and stress caused by it. Concerned for my well-being, my husband decided Pipi should stay in Lana and Zul's room. Lana was disappointed but complied."

When her mum came to visit, she came with a gift for Zul - a parrot. The new parrot, however, caught the attention of Pipi who viewed it more as a toy than a pet - meaning the two couldn't be housed near each other. She added: "[My mum] trained it to sing pretty songs and talk. She said her spirit is in the bird, and it made Zul feel closer to his grandmother so yes we needed to keep it."

"My husband is not fond of the noise it makes. We said we would keep it in the kid's room. My son named him Pear. Pear's presence upset Pipi, who growled and tried to jump on Pear's cage, terrifying the bird and causing him to lose feathers. Zul was distraught, fearing for Pear's life, as he learned birds can die from stress-induced heart attacks. I assured Zul that I would protect Pear from that nasty dog."

Believing Pipi was the problem, the woman and her husband agreed to rehome Pipi - but Lana was devastated by this outcome. She said: "I was unsympathetic, insisting that Pipi was nasty and a mean dog who didn't belong in our home. I told Lana my sister's husband, an animal trainer, could take Pipi and train him to be a better dog, and she could get Pipi back when she was 18 and moved out."

"I told her she could have a nice and cuter animal like a hamster or fish. When Lana was at school, we took Pipi to my sister's. Lana was heartbroken and furious when she found out, stating she hated me and refusing to speak to me. We grounded her for speaking that way, but now I wonder if I'm being too harsh.Wanting to know whether she's in the wrong, she has taken to social media to ask users for their thoughts. In response, one user said: " Looking for some outside perspective, she decided to consult social media to see if others felt she’d handled the situation correctly.

One unimpressed user commented: "This woman is disgusting. I will not be surprised if something happens to that bird." Another shared a personal anecdote, adding: "This happened to me with my cat when I was sixteen, even down to the suggestion of getting a hamster."

One user expressed regret, saying: "There were hints months prior and I wish I'd seen the signs before it happened. I miss her so damn much and I still don't know what happened to her." Another commenter found it bizarre, stating: "I am still trying to wrap my mind around her saying they cannot get rid of the bird because her grandmother's spirit is in it. That's just weird."

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