The answer was always obvious. No, we can’t have a dog. Dad is allergic, you know that.
Which is as true as it is perfect.
Loyalty, I am in it. In love, in family, in friendship. I am an employee of his business. I compost, I recycle, I take public transportation.
To be completely devoted to an animal again as I have been for so long for my big (four-legged) cat?
No more questions. Freedom, as the other would say. When we go on vacation, we lock the door and ciao bye. No babysitter to be found.
At most I gave in for one fish – there must be five or six of them now, buried under the big tree at the bottom of the garden.
All the same, for a good two years, I gave in to the pleas of my daughter who wanted so much to pet the little dog, over there, who was walking towards us.
It’s a really beautiful little dog you have there! What breed is it? And from there, a good conversation began – mom has a lot of chatter – and Little then had plenty of time to pet the puppy. (That must have gotten on a lot of people’s nerves. My apologies.)
This is how in the neighborhood we know the names of dozens of dogs, but not always those of their owners.
Until Leo.
His masters, Danielle and François, played tennis on a decrepit court in the neighborhood. They had tied up their little dog, who would have liked to be the one chasing the ball.
“Ask them if we can flatter him,” my daughter suggests.
They accepted willingly. Better yet, they invited us to take it on our side of the field. Leo came to be cuddled.
Don’t hesitate to take him for a little walk whenever you want, they told us afterwards.
I replied that we might well take them at their word.
Very quickly, we had their key. Then, well, okay, Leo can come home, but not for long. You know dad is allergic.
Léo ended up having his bowl, his favorite armchair, at our house.
Leo turned out to be the only dog in the world to which my man is not allergic, except for a little sneeze here and there.
When Léo is abandoned by everyone, one Friday evening, we receive a text. In fact, it’s been three days, we missed him sorely, we didn’t dare tell you.
Since then, without adding domestic animals to the universe or adding to the task of veterinarians who are already far too overloaded, we almost have a dog.
My daughter was able to bring it to class. He also visited our octogenarian religious aunt with us. Lorraine’s latest photos even show her stroking the dog’s little black head. Léo had not planned to become the darling of a convent of sisters.
Friends warned us. Owners often get tired of taking care of a dog, you will soon have a lot of pressure to take care of it.
But when you’re dealing with a mistress who prepares a home-cooked meal for her dog every day, there’s not too much risk, especially since Danielle aspires, in her distant retirement plans, to still own a dog and to benefit as many children and lonely elderly people as possible.
Danielle contains her almost jealousy at seeing her Leo so ecstatic when we go to pick him up. And we are careful not to scold her when, obviously, Leo has gained volume.
We also try very hard not to give the dog any identity problems, although we sometimes blurt out: “It’s me, your mom, eh, my Leo? »
The short conversations while passing off the dog ended up stretching out, a lot.
We also sometimes spent New Year’s Day together or had an aperitif.
Seeing us toasting our friendship and feasting, Petite, who has become a teenager, but not entirely modest, whispers in my ear each time: “It’s all thanks to me. »
Tips for successful shared canine custody
- Refrain from stuffing the dog with treats and table scraps. Respect to the letter the diet desired by its owners.
- Let your family determine your childcare needs. It’s his dog, you shouldn’t deprive him of it.
- On the other hand, especially if there are children, owners must be aware that visits should not be too far apart, because we become attached to these little animals.
- Never arrive unexpectedly to look for the animal. Politeness, politeness, politeness.
- When the dog returns from the groomer, shower him with compliments on his beauty in front of his owners. Reassure them, especially since it will soon grow back when the styling of the tail (!) is particular (experienced fact).