Allergic to Humans

Those of you in rescue groups have heard it before, right? "I love my dog, but I'm allergic. I have to give him up." Well, next time, tell them about me. I'm allergic to humans! A couple of thousands of dollars of allergy tests and treatments have revealed that I'm allergic to cats, birds, dandelions, a couple other types of weeds, three types of molds and humans. My allergy test was described by the specialist as "one of the more severe I've seen."

So, now what do I do? If I try to rehome my humans and find hypoallergenic ones, I would have to say good-bye to the ones I really love. Think of it. They feed me a raw meat diet, they take me on walks every day, they play with me, they let me sleep on the furniture (even though that is making my allergies worse) and they spend lots of money to make sure I'm healthy. What if the hypoallergenic humans aren't as fun or nice? What if they have tempers, like my first human, and beat me?

Of course, I have decided to keep my humans. How do we make this work? Well, according to the information sheet, I can't be allowed on any furniture or carpet that they are on. Since our whole house is carpet and furniture, that doesn't make sense. The compromise is that they must dust and vaccuum two or three times a week, and I can't be in the house for an hour afterward (long walks, yea!). They have to wash all my bedding and toys and their bedding once a week in hot water. They have to cover all the furniture with hypoallergenic covers. I have to have shots every two weeks for the rest of my life.

But isn't it all worth it when you find the humans that you love? I can't imagine giving them up.

Love, Fenway