A house without fur

Roberta writes: “My husband is highly allergic to fur which means no pets. Bad as that is for me, a pet is all our sixth-grader wants. What to do?”

First, are you sure he’s the right guy? Husbands come and go but an animal’s love is forever (OK, maybe I’d best leave that for Dear Abby while I stick with Dear Tabby).

I, too, was a child desperate for animals. It wasn’t parental allergies that kept pets from our home but a mother who felt cleanliness trumped godliness, and saw animals as a source of dirt. Mom eventually came to believe she too could have claimed “my son the doctor” if she’d only reneged, so you need to think about how hubby’s sneezes are limiting your kid’s career options. That said, I have suggestions.

First, furless pets. For me that was fish tanks, imperfect because one can’t exactly cuddle up with a guppy but, still, the experience was a real joy. There’s a Hermann’s tortoise sitting on my shoe as I type, and there are nontraditional animals which can be appropriate (Russian tortoises, bearded dragons, leopard geckos come to mind). Call me to discuss, since there are traps and hurdles based on individual species and not enough room here to cover it all.

Second, read. I read everything I could get my hands on written about animals. Honestly, I believe that helped direct my future in animal welfare. What bookstores and libraries offered back then obviously pales in comparison to the net, and getting your kid focused on appropriate web-surfing ahead of adolescence may have other benefits.

Finally, volunteering. Your child is a bit young, but 13-year-olds can volunteer alongside a parent here at PHS/SPCA, and one can always be a community volunteer (pet food drives, for example). Some animal organizations (with kindlier insurance underwriters than ours) accept even younger children.

Finally, I wouldn’t rule out divorce, but you already know my thoughts.

Ken White is the president of the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA.