A very good friend recently came for an impromptu visit on short notice. I was excited to welcome him and his spouse, but they showed up with their two dogs. We have three dogs of our own, two of whom don’t get along well with other dogs. My guest allowed his dogs the run of our house, even after I mentioned that we don’t allow dogs in most rooms of our home because I’m allergic and like to have rooms where I can breathe freely. Worst of all, his dogs weren’t housebroken. I just sort of gritted my teeth and said nothing after it was clear that my guests had no intention of keeping their dogs in the appropriate parts of the house or making sure they went outside, but inside I was seething.
What can I do to ensure this doesn’t happen again? This isn’t the first time people have showed up at our house with surprise pets, and I feel like the attitude is “you have pets, so anything pet-related must be OK with you.” But pets are like children: I love well-socialized, well-behaved pets whose owners understand basic courtesy, but I’m not a fan of animals running wild around my house, harassing my pets, and eating out of the cat box.