Dear Prudence,
During the pandemic, my mother adopted a tiny little hellhound and refuses to leave it alone. It comes with her everywhere, from restaurants to the grocery store, and has a hair trigger attack so must be kept in her arms or in a carrier. It has nipped me and my husband several times and drawn blood on my 15-year-old nephew for daring to sit down next to grandma.
I am pregnant, and my mother wants nothing more than to babysit.
We could really use the childcare since it costs about as much as our rent in our area, but I am not leaving a baby with that dog around. My mother insists she will keep the dog in the other room, but she said that before, and my nephew still got bitten. I love my mother, but part of me resents that she is putting this creature over the wellbeing of me and my baby. How do I have this conversation with her?
—Hellhound