Dear Maggie Montclair,
I am a widow with wonderful children who check with me daily to make sure that I am well and have everything that I need. I still drive and do all my own shopping and housework. I am always busy with friends and lead an active social life. In spite of my resistance, they insist that I need a cat or dog for company.
I don't want a dog. Or a cat. Or a bird. I don't have anything against house pets, it's just that I've had enough pets for one lifetime.
When my kids were at home we had dogs, cats, hamsters, gerbils, fish, and a guinea pig. To this day, whenever I smell cedar, I look for a rodent!
My birthday is getting close, and my grandson has been dropping hints that I will just LOVE my present. He says, "You won't be lonely anymore." I say, "I'm not lonely now," but they don't hear me. They all have dogs and cats and just can't imagine that anyone could be happy without a pet.
What do I do if my birthday present is a dog or a cat?
No hair on the furniture, please
Dear Hairless,
I totally understand. Pets are WORK. They must be fed, groomed, taken to the vet, and either walked or have their litter box changed. There is hair that requires extra vacuuming, accidents that need to be cleaned up, and arrangements to be made when you want to take a vacation. There is always the danger of being tripped by having a small animal under your feet. Many a hip has been broken by such a fall.
You can refuse the 'gift' with a 'no thank you.' They can add it to their own collection of pets. If you tell them that you are afraid you will break a hip, they may be disappointed, but I'm sure they do not want to be the cause of an accident. Animals are wonderful loving companions, if you want to be a pet owner. M
P.S. Gertie here: I had dogs all my life and loved every one of them. But, my apartment won't allow them, and now after so many years, I don't think I would go back to pets even if I could. Maybe I'm selfish, but I don't want to be responsible for a pet. I feel lucky just to be able to take care of myself.
I want to come and go as I please and not have to be home to let the dog out. I don't want to have to brush cat hair off myself every time I leave the house. Nothing is really a gift if it causes a person more work or to miss out on the fun part of their life.
If they are so worried about mom being lonely, they can take her out to dinner more often.
