AITJ for secretly taking my dog back from my ex?
Throwaway account
My ex seemingly went crazy after our breakup.
We dated for a very long time, but the last few months our relationship was emotionally draining, especially for me. He was always very stingy and literally obsessed with splitting everything 50/50.
I tried to accept this because I loved him. Him, but over time his character became even more unbearable.
After the breakup, he started splitting absolutely everything between us. Not only shared groceries and household items, but even gifts that he gave me during the relationship. It already looked like a financial calculation.
And the biggest problem became my dog.
I found her abandoned on the street at the very beginning of our relationship, when we didn't even live together yet. I paid for food, vets, care, meaning practically everything. I took care of her upbringing and looked after her every day. He sometimes walked her in the morning.
For some reason, after the breakup, he suddenly decided that he wanted to keep the dog for himself. At first I thought it was a joke, but he seriously refused to return her to me. He said that the dog also got attached to him and that since we lived together for several years, now it is his dog too.
The problem was that at the moment of the breakup, she remained at his home.
For a few days I tried to calmly negotiate and asked to return her, but he either ignored me or changed the subject. One day I saw him in a park not far from my house. He was not alone, and when he got distracted, I called the dog and she immediately ran to me. I took her in my arms and just left.
I warned him that I took her, and he started continuously texting me, accusing, threatening.
Now some of our mutual acquaintances say that I should have resolved this differently. However, they don't know what it's like to talk to him.
AITJ