Who's Right?Who should get up to walk the dog in the morning?
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In short
Nobody is automatically in charge: a dog adopted together is a shared responsibility. The fairest way is to count every walk of the day, then split them according to each person's schedule.
Both sides
Inès is the one who really wanted Pistache. I said yes, but it was mostly her idea. She already gets up at 6:30 for work, while I finish late and go to bed after midnight. I take the dog out every evening, so it makes sense for her to do the morning walk.
Yes, I suggested getting a dog, but we decided together and adopted him as a couple. And because I get up early, my mornings are already a rush: shower, breakfast, train. The morning walk takes a good half hour, while the evening one is often ten minutes outside the building. I'm not refusing to do it, I just want it to be fair.
The verdict
The "you're the one who wanted it" argument doesn't really hold once the dog has been adopted by mutual agreement. From that point on, the dog belongs to the household, and both partners accepted what comes with it.
Thomas makes a fair point: he already handles every evening walk, and his late hours make very early mornings harder for him. But Inès raises a real imbalance: the morning walk is the longest one, and it falls exactly when she has the least time.
What matters is the total time spent on the dog, not the number of walks. On that basis, Inès has more of a case: the current split weighs more heavily on her, even though Thomas isn't acting in bad faith.
The compromise
Thomas takes the morning walk two weekdays and one weekend day, and Inès does the rest. Whoever skipped the morning does a real twenty-minute walk in the evening, not just a quick lap around the block. Check in after a month.
Who do you think is right?
Pick a side.
Frequently asked questions
Should the person who wanted the dog do everything?
No, not if the adoption was a joint decision. The one who wanted the dog can take on a bit more at first, but the load should then be shared.
How do you split dog walks fairly?
Count how long each walk takes, not just how many there are. A thirty-minute morning walk isn't the same as a ten-minute evening one.
What if one partner works unusual hours?
Build the schedule around real working hours instead of fixed roles. Whoever can't do mornings can make up for it with other tasks, like feeding or grooming.
Can you push back the morning walk to sleep in?
Dogs adapt fairly well to a steady routine, but they need to go out soon after the night. It's better to set a realistic time and stick to it, whoever is walking.
Guide Couple disputes: the guide
Written with the help of AI, reviewed by the Who's Right team · This is not legal advice. How Who's Right decides
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