"If and only if you don't think your sister will overreact, tell her that your husband freaked out and panicked and blamed the dog, but that he's sorry. Offer to pay to have it professionally cleaned. Try to laugh it off about him panicking and being an idiot (all true!) and apologize profusely insisting that if you were there you would obviously not support laying the blame on the dog. Also send some dog treats for Stewart."
"I feel kind of bad for the dog (who I will name Stewart)! Here Stewart is minding his own business when some kid shows up and marks their turf (voluminously no less) and then Stewart probably ends up getting reprimanded for it. Alas, Stewart will not understand at this point if you send your husband or Dylan over to apologize. Poor Stewart."
"Recently, my husband, "Matt," stopped off at my sister "Allie's" place with our almost 4-year-old son "Dylan" to return a wet/dry vacuum I had borrowed. Allie had to leave the room to change her son's diaper, and when my husband turned around, he saw Dylan urinating against the living room wall! He told Dylan not to say anything, and when Allie came back, he told her the dog was responsible."
A father witnessed a nearly four-year-old son urinating on a living room wall and panicked, blaming the family dog and telling the child to stay quiet. The child said he needed the bathroom but couldn't get an adult's attention. The husband promised it would not happen again after being confronted. The recommended approach is to admit the husband's panic and false blame if the sister will not overreact, apologize, offer to pay for professional cleaning, and send treats for the dog. If revealing the truth would provoke family drama, avoid disclosure unless the child may later reveal the incident.
Read at Slate Magazine
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