DEAR ABBY: "Leila" and I have been friends since high school. We've grown closer over the last few years.
The problem is her dog, "Prince." Her life is wrapped around that animal. Prince sleeps with her, eats off her plate and drinks from her glass. He has a stroller.
When Leila brought him to the funeral home, it was the last straw. Prince "groomed" himself the whole time, and she had him sit near me. She has also asked me to "baby-sit" her dog at work while she runs errands. (Prince is not a guide dog or service dog.)
Leila frequently invites me to her home to eat, but I make excuses because, frankly, it isn't clean. Prince requires everyone's full attention and often vomits when I'm there. I don't invite Leila to my home because I know she'll bring the dog. I don't like animals on my furniture.
Now don't get me wrong. I like dogs. I have owned several in the past. But I cannot stand that one.
I'm running out of excuses not to visit her. If we go out, we have to cut things short because she has to get back to "him," and I end up being left to pay the check. I am single, with one income. Leila owns her own business, and her husband earns six figures. Help! -- FED UP WITH FIDO
DEAR FED UP: Your problem isn't the dog. It's Leila. She turned you into a baby sitter for her dog during business hours? I can see it happening once during an emergency -- but if you agreed to it after that, then you need to learn how to say no.
As to cutting your visits short because she has to get back to the dog, she could make other arrangements for him while she goes out with you. My advice is to ask her to repay her share of the meal tabs she has stuck you with. If this presumptuous woman disappears after that, your problem will be solved.