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Thursday May 31, 2018

Advice on Pets, Life, Love

Dear Dog Lady,

Recently, I was visiting my sister in New York. We took her dog, Bongo, a small hairy mutt, out for a walk. We were on the street going to the park when we noticed an Orthodox family stop and stare at us. The kids looked scared and clung to their mother's skirts when Bongo walked by. They visibly cringed even though my sister did her best to tell them her dog was friendly. Is dog aversion customary in Orthodox Judaism?

Melissa

Dear Melissa,

Dogs are foreign creatures in many observant homes. Caring for animals is hard enough when there are so many religious demands in daily ritual - that's one theory for why many Orthodox Jews do not keep pets.

When the question about whether dogs are considered unclean was posted on a religious blog, a poster who identified himself as a rabbi interpreted the Talmud: "The Talmud does say that it is forbidden to keep a pet that will scare other people, and specifically mentions a barking dog. This is but one example of the Torah's sensitivity to other's feelings." Perhaps the attitude toward keeping pets is more about the humans than the animals. Religious beliefs dictate people should be more tuned in to God and other people than the family dog.

Children can be scared of the unknown if their parents don't take the time to educate and enlighten them. You would think on the streets of New York or any big city, the sight of dogs is common. Parents of any religious persuasion should instill confidence in their children to be less fearful of the unfamiliar.


Dear Dog Lady,

My husband has a virulent kind of asthma triggered by certain breeds of shedding dogs. He can become deathly ill if exposed. But don't get me wrong, we're dog lovers and have a poodle, Oscar, of our own.

My husband's boss, with whom he has a tentative relationship, has a golden retriever and started bringing the dog to the office because the policy changed recently. A golden retriever is a shedding breed that can make my husband start to gasp. When his boss brings her dog my husband avoids meetings in her office. They already have an uncomfortable working relationship so how does he handle this new stressor?

Marylou

Dear Marylou,

Your husband must deal with his boss in a straightforward manner. Sketchiness should be avoided in the workplace (although it runs rampant). He must tell her directly about his asthma condition-even presenting a letter from his doctor, if he really wants to be ultra-professional. He must explain why he avoids her office when her pet is in residence. If she's a conscientious supervisor, she will be attentive to the concerns of her colleagues and leave the dog at home unless she gives fair warning of about flying fur-and officially excuses your husband from all meetings in her office. The boss has no reason to be punitive with your husband. He could earn a couple of brownie points by telling her that he too is a keeper of a dog so she can understand he is not opposed to the species but to the hairy consequences.

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