So here's the situation: My wife's best friend and her husband invited my family to Thanksgiving dinner. These folks have a large, barky, rambunctious and not very well-trained dog. I'm not too fond of dogs in general, and this particular one has shown aggressive behavior toward me in the past.

I said I'd gladly come to dinner as long as the dog was kept outside while I was in the house. The hostess responded that this was not going to happen because "the dog wouldn't understand" and would "think he did something wrong", therefore she would not accommodate my request.

I found that a bit insulting - after all, why should I want to visit with people who rank a dog above an invited guest? So I declined the invitation (the rest of my family is still going). Now my wife is upset with me, saying I'm being "weird" and I should just "deal with it" (the dog).

Please give me your opinions: Is it an unreasonable expectation to have my discomfort accommodated by the hosts, or have they lost all sense of proportion regarding human vs. canine?

TIA, Michael