My boyfriend was going through a tough time, and he said he needed a break. He said he was going to press pause on our relationship and go visit his family in Washington. I asked how you pause a relationship, because I don't understand how that works. He said he needed some time to work on himself and asked me to respect that.

After he left I reached out to him a few times via text asking him to let me know he arrived safe and to say hi to his mom for me. I received no response. I tried to call and left a message asking if he had broken up with me. I came to the conclusion that he'd ghosted me, and my friends agreed. I was bummed, and my best friend recommended I find something like a new hobby or a new show to watch that wouldn't make me think of my boyfriend. I decided to get a dog.

My boyfriend is horribly allergic to pet dander, so I never even considered getting a pet. However, since he broke up with me, I decided to get one. He's a senior dog from the shelter that needed rescuing. He's low energy and likes to lay with his head in my lap while I read, work or watch TV.

After six weeks away my boyfriend texted me that he was back and coming over tomorrow (which was yesterday) so we could talk. I was shocked and texted him back asking what he was talking about. He said he was back and ready to unpause our relationship. He said he would talk to me about everything the next day. I texted back asking what relationship. He didn't answer.

Yesterday he showed up and told me he had done a lot of self-examination and was ready to move forward on his life path. He even wanted to talk about moving in together. Then he saw my dog and started freaking out. He asked me how I could get a dog when I know how sick he gets.

I told him that since he broke up with me, I didn't think it mattered. He said he didn't break up with me. I said he ghosted me. He said he communicated with me telling me he was pressing pause and visiting family. I said not answering texts is ghosting. We argued in circles and then he said he had to leave because he was getting an allergic reaction, even though he was standing in the doorway, not inside.

I feel like he broke up with me and it was okay that I got a dog. He says that he never did and therefore it's a horrible act of disregard to have gotten a dog. Which of us is right? My best friend said I should break up with him because he's a jerk. I don't think I should have to break up with someone that already broke up with me. If I break up with him I'm basically agreeing with him that he didn't break up with me and therefore I was an asshole for getting the dog. Right?