Dad Feels Guilty for Secretly Replacing Daughter’s Dog After It Ran Away
Parents will often go to great lengths to keep their kids happy. Recently, one dad went the extra mile — 140 to be exact — after his daughter's furry friend ran away, simply replacing it without telling her.
The doting dad took to Reddit explaining he feels "sick to his stomach" for the switcheroo. He just wanted to shield his daughter from heartache.
"I bought my 14-year-old daughter a cockapoo because she has been having a hard time after her mom and I broke up," he wrote via Reddit, according to The Mirror. "But I told her it was because she has been doing well in school and is growing into a polite and caring young lady — both of which are also true."
The daddy-daughter duo spent some time visiting with the pup before ultimately deciding to take "it home with us."
"She loves this dog, Lulu, more than anything in the world, possibly more than me if she ever finds out what happened," he continued. "She spends every second she can with her. However she is unable to take her to her mom's house because of her cats — so she leaves her with me when she visits her mom every other weekend."
When the dad took Lulu out for a walk one afternoon, the unthinkable happened: she slipped out of her collar and ran off.
"It happened within seconds. She got loose and darted off into the distance. I was running after her screaming her name but I lost track of her after she ran over the train line," he wrote. "I spent 24 hours searching for her — no sleep or anything. I contacted all the animal groups in my area and the police. I also put an alert out on my village's Facebook group and a few others too — but nothing."
After panicking, the dad started contacting breeders from "all over the country" trying to find a new brown cockapoo.
"Although I was in two minds, I contacted a bunch of breeders and thankfully one got back to me saying they had one I could buy and pick up at any time," he continued. "So, I set off on a 140 mile round trip to collect this dog."
Despite the dog being two months younger than the original Lulu, he noted the new pup was "female, brown and near enough the same size," so he got her.
"I'll be picking her up from school in a few hours and I'm going to take the new Lulu with me as this is what I'd usually do," he added. "I have never been so anxious in my entire life. I'm not sure what is worse — admitting her dog ran away or replacing it and pretending nothing happened."
Users rallied behind the dad, applauding him for going to the extreme to keep his daughter happy, but sharing he should also probably come clean to her.
"I would not lie about this to your daughter. One way or another she is going to find out the truth. This dog is a different size and also might have a different temperament. You could frame it as you got a new friend while you keep looking for Lulu or something. But don’t lie to her, that is only going to end badly," one person wrote.
"Well damn, at least you know you’re a great father because you care this much," another offered.