If dogs were not in your lives when you got married, or you never really had any reason to discuss them, I can see how this could become a conflict in any relationship. I too hope it was out of anger, but still a very mean thing to say.
After reading your thread and others statments, I guess I feel very fortunate that my DH allows me to have the animals I want. He was not necessarily an animal lover before me met, and we've definitely had our battles over other things, (we've been together 23 years) but he KNOWS attacking the animals in my life are just off limits because they are special to me. He loves the dogs though. I have always had a rule in life, and that is that if someone gives you the ultimatum of a choice, them or something else you love, then that's the point in time you chose the other. No one that loves you would ever make you choose them over something else.
Because I do feel the dogs are really "my" thing, I do take extra caution to be the main caregiver, the one to clean up any messes, training, etc. That way, my DH only has to have the pleasure of giving and receiving their love. But again, he does a good job of taking the responsibility when I am not home. Our Mylee is one of the most challenging dogs I have ever had in every way possible to imagine. But my DH is totally in love and there is nothing that dog can do in his eyes that he would be angry for, or at least say something so mean. But if this were early in our marriage, it may have been more of a problem. So, there is hope and I hope you two can work it out so everyone stays and is happy.
__________________ Shelly and the girls  Moka Mylee |