yes, there are a lot of reasons as to why it could be the case, but on the other hand without more information on the whys and wherefores it is implied that OP's wife doesn't care that he'll be spending the holidays alone.... and, to me, that does not bode well...

87 - I've been married 14 years - so I feel free to dish out advice. And I wouldn't worry about the traveling if she 'didn't trust him to take care of the dog.' Not indicative of a healthy relationship at all.

Yeah, I'm not trying to stick up for the wife. Unless OP twisted her words, the comment and action about the dog were both bitch moves (teehee). I was moreso responding to the assertions that she's cheating or they should divorce based solely on the fact that they'll be apart for the holidays. I haven't spent any away from Mr. Doe, but I understand having to choose between seeing extended family or being together. It's not always an easy choice.As you mentioned, we just don't have enough info to draw conclusions. She could be a monster bitch, or he could've agreed to the holiday plan months ago, and is just throwing a pity-party now. Nothing absolutely points to a shitty marriage.

Moreover, there are so many reasons why spending Holidays apart isn't necessarily indicative of impending divorce. Hubby could have a job that requires him to be at home or near work (maybe on-call for something? maybe shift work?) and wifey wants to visit family. They could have grown children (maybe from previous relationship(s)) that wife wants to visit. Maybe they spend all their free time together, so being apart for Holidays isn't such a biggie. Maybe the holidays aren't such a huge deal to them, or the family considers it a bigger "thing " than the couple. Maybe every single family member on hubby's side is dead, or an asshole, or both. Maybe hubby hates her family. Maybe her family hates him, so it's better that he stay home. But yes, definitely divorce because of one silly incident involving trust issues and a dog. seriously, people?!

99: I've only been married for 5, but my in-laws have been happily married for 30+ and I can easily see them in this situation. He's a contractor and lives in Kuwait; she splits her time between Kuwait and MD. They have pets in both places. (Her live-in daughter is a vet tech, so she shares the pets here and takes over while my MIL is in Kuwait.) If my FIL's schedule picked up, I'm sure she'd hire someone to do the walking, grooming, etc. while she's in the US. The extra duties would stress him out, whether he'd admit to it or not. I can't excuse the way OP's wife phrased it; it was a bitchy thing to say. I'm also not assuming this is OP's situation at all. I'm just pointing out that there *are* situations that explain the action, without entailing an imperiled marriage.

Wow, that's a really insightful analysis. Where can I learn to judge and condemn people on no evidence?