Family Dukes it Out Over Dog

Dear Mik Chiks,
Let me start by saying that I am NOT a heartless meanie.  Don't believe me?  Read on and feel the pulse of my fully functioning heart throughout.

With the holidays fast approaching, our smallish extended family is busily planning the Christmas get-togethers at our respective households.  You know the drill.  Christmas Day at home, then on Boxing Day (um, that's the day AFTER Christmas for all those who don't share in this strange and unusual paid holiday), we head down to meet up with my parents, grandparents, my brother and his brood.  That's where the fun begins.

My brother and his girlfriend Sharon live with her teenage son and have part time custody of my bro's 7-year-old twins.  So they're all living snugly together with their cute dog named Abby in a small home about 1.5 hours away.  I mention the cute dog because... well, therein lies the problem.


My bro's GF is rather attached to her dog.  And as cute as this black lab is (at least I think he/she is a black lab - he/she is after all black and short haired and sort of looks Labradorian), the rest of us are not dog lovers.  That's the part where you assume I'm heartless.  We LIKE dogs, as in we don't kick them or aim at them with our minivans.  We just don't LOVE them.

So the problem is that my bro and fam are coming down to Christmas dinner and want to bring their pup.  My dad, after months of grumbling about the whole thing, has asked that they not bring the dog. 

(Neither my mom nor my dad like to have dogs of any sort in the kitchen while there's food being prepared or eaten.  My son and husband are allergic to dogs and the last time my grandma was there with my bro's pup she had a slight asthma attack.  I could go on about the reasons my pa had for his decision, but the bottom line is that no dog is welcome past his front door.)

This request of my dad's has been met with full scale hostility and drama from my brother and his girlfriend.  Now Christmas may be called off completely.  OK, that could be going overboard a tad, but you get my drift.  The puppy has caused a lot of poopy.  (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

I believe the military term is impasse.  No one wants to move.  Dad says no dog.  Bro and fam say that's not fair, the dog is part of their family.  So bro says they no come with no dog.

What do we do?  Is there anything I can do to help?  Does anyone know of a decent kennel that will take a dad, I mean DOG for Boxing Day?  Bro offered for all of us to come to his house, but there likely isn't enough room for us to be even remotely comfortable for the whole day.

Help Mik Chiks. 

Signed,
Dogless and Digging It!

P.S.  No pooches were harmed in the making of this coNUNdrum.

Dear Dogless and Digging it,

Your family could give new meaning to "Boxing" Day by turning it from a day to remember the less fortunate, to a ten-round event. They're just that good.

Your bro and his girlfriend are waaaay out of line, and I'm not referring to their matrimonial state.  The family has a long-standing history of not being dog-lovers, this shouldn't have been a shocker to your brother—makes us wonder if it's a power issue.  We don't care how much you love your dog and how great your dog is, you don't have the right to subject others to allergy-causing, shedding-in-the-potatoes pets.

 

But that's no reason to be insensitive about your bro's (and his girlfriend's) feelings. 

Some possible solutions:

• 1.       Do you know anyone with an RV that could be parked in your parents' driveway, in which Abby could watch cable while your bro and his girlfriend enjoy family time?

• 2.      Is there any space in your parents' home where the dog could be cordoned off?  Where allergens might not interfere with breathing, and where hair won't garnish the pumpkin pie.

• 3.      Is it possible for your family to meet in the middle somewhere? Find a nice hotel that's offering a lovely Boxing Day Buffet and go out to eat? A neutral place where Abby can't come anyway may be what you all need. Plus, think of how nice it'd be to have someone else do the cooking this year!  Then after a few hours of food and family, everybody could go home to their respective homes, humans, and hairy pets.

• 4.       Do your parents have dog-loving neighbors by any chance—who might understand the situation—allow Abby a play-date at their house?

No matter what happens, we think you should make a point of buying a gift for Abby. A bag of yummy treats or a kerchief or something special like that. Also, send her a heartfelt card explaining how you wish your family wasn't so sensitive to her kind, and that you hope she doesn't feel like the Canine Non Gratia.  Don't get sarcastic by reminding her that absence makes the heart grow fonder.

You, who seem sane and caring and not heartless at all, should let her parents know the effort you're making to accommodate their pooch.

Abby is sure to understand.
Even if her parents don't.

All in Goodwill,

Maddie and Lisa

Well Wise Readers, any suggestions for Dogless?