My parents ignore the fact that he's a working dog. I remind them, even yesterday, when my mom complained of his uncontrollable energy, that he is a working breed. She threw her hands up and said, "Woop de doo, he's got to get with the program."

I feel forced to take on the extra resposibility, and I'm really resenting it. They told me repeatedly, "You are not mentally fit for a dog, you are not responsible enough for a dog, you do not have what it takes to care for a dog" yet I'm the babysitter, the dog walker, the playmate. My mom saw me playing with him after his walk, which I have not done in a long while, and she says, "See, he gets enough attention" while she spends most of her time barking at him to leave her alone.

It's so frustrating. It's not my responsibility to pick up the slack, yet I feel compelled to because I feel sorry for the dog.