Revenge is mine?

I very often hear people say that their dog or cat is retaliating by urinating in the house or on a personal item. They say that "he ran and hid when he saw me because he knew what he did was wrong".  But having treated and studied animals for most of my life, I would suggest that your dog or cat is survivalistically dependent on his or her ability to read subtle body language cues. When you come in the door and see the urine spot, you tense up, you sound angry and you move subtlety different than usual.  So the pet runs and hides.  Animals lack the higher brain functions necessary to link a behavior that happened hours before to the present.  If your pet was previously litter or house trained and now is not, I would strongly suggest seeing a veterinarian for some diagnostic testing.  There are many medical reasons for inappropriate elimination and your veterinarian is trained to help you get to the bottom of this frustrating issue.  If your pet has a medical reason for this behavior, don't you want to help?  Of course you do. Please do not be too quick to diagnose your pet with a behavior problem.  Let your vet make the diagnosis and use his/her expertise.  Whatever the cause, your vet is there with you to be a healthcare team for your pet.