ConfessionsVowLamb

31 Aug 3 min read

I’M BEGINNING TO BE AFRAID OF MY BOYFRIEND BECAUSE OF MY LANDLORD’S DOG

I honestly don't know whether I'm overthinking this, but something has been bothering me for months. I have dated my boyfriend for almost a year, and he practically comes to my house every day. Morning, afternoon, sometimes he sleeps over. At this point, everybody in the compound knows him. The strange part is that the dog in this compound has refused to accept him. This dog belongs to my landlord. It is actually a very friendly dog. When I first came to this house, it barked at me too, but after seeing me several times, it stopped. Whenever a new person comes around, it barks for a while, observes them and eventually gets used to them. Even a neighbour recently brought his new girlfriend, and the first day the dog barked at her like she was an intruder. Within two weeks, the dog completely accepted her. But my boyfriend? Almost one year later, nothing has changed. He can sleep in my room all night without the dog making much noise. But the moment he wakes up and steps out of my room at dawn, this dog will start barking like someone has come to steal the entire house. Sometimes the noise is so serious that people will open their doors to see what is happening. My landlord once looked at me and asked, “Madam, what did this your boyfriend do to my dog?” I laughed it off initially because I didn't want to give the whole thing too much meaning. My boyfriend doesn't beat the dog, chase it or even play with it. He barely acknowledges its existence. He simply walks past it. Yet this dog behaves as if it has a personal case against him. Then people started giving me theories. One person said maybe my boyfriend has eaten dog meat before. Another said dogs can sense people's intentions. Someone else told me, “Don't ignore that dog. Animals see things humans don't see.” I laughed when I heard that, but somehow, that particular statement has stayed in my head. Recently, the neighbour's new girlfriend came visiting again. The same dog that once barked at her now wags its tail whenever she enters. She can even walk past it without any reaction. But my boyfriend can enter the compound and the dog will immediately start barking. Sometimes it follows him with its eyes until he leaves. Last week, something happened that genuinely scared me. My boyfriend came to visit and, as usual, the dog started barking. I got irritated and shouted at the dog to keep quiet. My boyfriend laughed and said, “Maybe this dog just doesn't like me.” I laughed too. But as he was leaving, the dog suddenly stopped barking and just stood there staring at him. My boyfriend stopped too. They stared at each other for a few seconds. Then my boyfriend quietly said, “This dog has always looked at me strangely.” I don't know why, but that statement gave me goosebumps. Since then, I've started wondering if I'm ignoring something obvious. Maybe there is a perfectly normal explanation. Maybe the dog simply doesn't like his scent, his body language or something else. But what if there isn't? I have never told my boyfriend how much this has started bothering me because I don't want him thinking I'm judging him based on a dog. Dog lovers, please tell me the truth: why would a dog consistently bark at one person for almost a year while accepting everyone else? Is it normal, or should I actually be paying attention to this? Because honestly, if this dog could talk, I feel like it would have something very important to tell me. 😭🐕