Dear Prudence,
About six months ago, I moved in with my fiancé. Then he started talking a lot about getting a dog. I did not want a dog. They bark all hours of the day and whine to get taken out in the morning. You have to plan so much of your schedule around them, and I just didn’t want that as a newly cohabitating couple. I also have major sleep issues that can exacerbate existing health problems. My fiancé finally wore me down with the promise that he would take care of everything and the dog wouldn’t bother me.
The dog is bothering me. I don’t have to do much of the work, but the dog keeps waking me up. I’ve asked my fiancé multiple times about a bark collar; my fiancé is worried about it hurting the dog. The dog whines at our bedroom door to wake me up well before my alarm. I’ve talked to my fiancé about putting him in a crate on the other side of the house, and again, he’s worried about the dog. This is starting to affect my health and my fiancé thinks it’s just an adjustment period. Everything just seems to be falling on deaf ears. I’m now not only worried about whether I can live with a dog but whether I want to stay with my fiancé. I didn’t realize how much he loved dogs until we got one. I like dogs but don’t want them as pets. I’m worried my fiancé might be one of those people who needs a pet to be happy. I love absolutely everything about him but this one thing. I’m starting to wonder if this is a deal-breaker. Am I overreacting? What should I do?
—Doggy Day Care