[leslieg]

My sister and I have recently moved into our parents house after they both passed away this year. She has a year old Shih Tzu that gets into everything, jumps on everyone that comes in the door and if you sit down and let her on your lap she pees on you.

My sister does not take out for walks or take her to the dog park. Her interaction with the dog is sitting on the sofa and throwing a toy for her to fetch (which I taught her to do.)

My question to the dog owners here is this: am I responsible to pick up the mess that her dog makes if she goes into my bathroom and bedroom and pulls trash from my trash cans (kleenex, etc) and chews it up and strews it all over the house and patio, or should she be responsible for her dogs actions?

She believes that since we are living together that I should responsible for her dogs mess if it comes from my trash cans because I should make sure that there isn't any trash in them for her to get.

I believe that as the owner she is responsible for all of her dogs actions and that she is responsible to train her dog accordingly. Am I right or wrong here?

Thanks.

[DoggieVogue]

I definitely think that it is 100% her responsibility to train her dog and be responsible for the dog's actions. I lived with someone who got a yorkie puppy and he ran around peeing everywhere and pooping and getting into everything. The owner never was around to clean it up, and my other roommates just wouldn't do it so I got stuck cleaning it because who wants to live somewhere with that mess? That being said, I don't mind picking up some trash here and there because I don't think it's too much of an inconvienence. But it is totally your sister's responsibility. Maybe you should have a talk with her about it. It also sounds like the dog needs much more exercise and training. It's tough to deal with when its not your dog so you are kind of stuck in a tough place, I hope it gets better though! I also hope my response was a little helpful!

[Yogi]

I agree with DoggieVogue. Anyone with a grain of common sense knows that if you own a pet, it is your responsibility and no one else's. If she has children, is she going to pass the responsibility to someone else to be liable for anything the child does? Sounds like she needs to find a home for the dog where it will be better taken care of and trained instead of just having a 4 legged animal she can claim is hers only to have others clean up after it. So long as it is good she takes the kudo's but if bad, she expects you to be responsible. Sorry, pet owners cannot have it both ways.

[Lunareclipse]

It's your sister's dog. It is all her responsibility. If she isn't mature enough to realize that, then she shouldn't have a dog. She needs to buy a small crate for when people come over, so she can put the dog in there and it won't pee on the guests. And she needs to start taking it out every two hours hours to avoid accidents in the house. If she can't do that, then she needs to find someone who can.

[cigwyllt]

Whilst I agree with the others that if the dog is your sister's then she should be responsible for training/caring/taking charge of it/cleaning up after it whatever we say to you probably won't make any difference to her and her attitude. If the dog is getting into your rooms though it is surely your responsibility to keep the doors closed to stop from entering! All our bedroom/bathroom doors are kept closed and the dogs are not allowed into some areas of the house without supervision. As the only adult dog lover in the family I am responsible for cleaning up after them but I do expect everyone else to follow the rules and close the doors or gates behind them.

It sounds like you two need more than advice on dog ownership and training - perhaps you could do with some sort of family counselling to help you live comfortably together. If you are willing to help with the training then she should let you. If the dog is more than she can cope with and you are not able or willing to help her then she should let him go but I think there is more to your argument than the dog.