The Susan Sequel

Everyone has pet peeves; those little pesky things that drive you crazy for your own personal reasons. However, not everyone started their own blog so I get to tell you about just one of my many pet peeves.  Dogs… yes, dogs! Don’t get me wrong, I am a HUGE dog lover and have one of my own (her name is Riley and, of course, she is perfection). Rather, my pet peeve is the misguided concept of the hypoallergenic dog! If you don’t know (and why would you), I am severely allergic to dogs, despite having lived with one for almost my entire life.  I went away to college and arrived home on my first winter break to discover that I was allergic to Micky Mantle, the poodle I grew up with (my father didn’t have a boy and yes, he named the dog after his favorite baseball player). Apparently, it’s called a college allergy (I swear I didn’t make that up), where one can lose an immunity when they are away from the particular allergen for an extended period of time.  Needless to say, I was swollen and devastated and couldn’t even fathom ever owning another dog (that is, until I had kids and was willing to risk my respiratory system for their happiness).  To make a long story short, I took allergy shots for a full year prior to getting my first dog as an adult, Sophie, the amazing goldendoodle (may she RIP).

Which brings me full circle to my actual pet peeve… the reactions I receive when people discover that I am severely allergic to dogs. In the majority of cases, you would think that I had told them that I had killed JFK or Abraham Lincoln in a former life instead of telling them that I couldn’t pet their precious pup for medical reasons. Inevitably, they will then tell me that their dog is hypoallergenic and that “no one” has ever had a problem being around their dog (if you couldn’t tell, I’ve done this drill a few times). At this point in the conversation, I generally like to take a moment to reflect on the ability of said individual to turn my allergy into their own personal affront!  FYI, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A HYPOALLERGENIC DOG! In fact, if I had dollar for every person who told me their dog was hypoallergenic, I wouldn’t be writing this blog! Yes, there are dogs that are more tolerable to certain people and certain situations, but there is no such thing as the “perfect, hypoallergenic” dog that would allow me the luxury of burying my face in their coat (even my perfect goldendoodles have caused sneezing, wheezing and the unfortunate swelling that makes me particularly attractive). And I know all the details about the amazing qualities of the labradoodles, goldendoodles, dalmadoodles and snoodledoodles.  But unless you are offering me a cheese doodle, I am allergic to it (trust me, I would much rather be allergic to cheese doodles… I do love their fluffy goodness)! And while I have learned how to live with a dog, I still heavily rely on my go to allergy kit of Benadryl, Zyrtec, eye drops and baby shampoo (bet the baby shampoo threw you for a loop).

So, if you happen to meet someone who says they are allergic to dogs, please don’t take it personally. Your dog is perfect; they all are. It’s me who isn’t perfect and, if I’m okay with that, you can be too!