[FotoCihasWewb]

He does sound like an asshole, but to a lot of people dogs are pretty much the lowest of the low. Don't look at me when I'm eating, don't lick my hand, don't sniff me, don't touch my things, ect.
And depending on his age and how was raised, beating a dog really is nothing wrong at all. I still get pissed when I think of the things my father did to our old GSDs, he found out that our female chewed his motorcycle helmet the night before - the female who whelped five litters for him to sell - he took the chewed helmet and beat her with it while she tried running away. His father did the same, HE punched a small dog off of a grooming table when it snapped at him out of fear. My brothers treat animals that way now too. The one who owns a bulldog beat it with a metal broomstick until the stick was bent because the dog bit him on the hand.

I'm not defending your FIL, it was WRONG. But he might just view dogs like a lot of people do, and to him it's not like hitting your child. Though I know older people these days who would still take it upon themselves to slap your badly behaved child. My GFIL slapped my niece good when she stuck her tongue out at him, right in front of us.

If you want things to be decently comfortable, don't bring the dog near them, and have get-togethers if your wife wants to, for her, not for him.

Why does it always seem that the wife's/GF's father is an A-hole? LOL