I do not like dogs. Nothing on this earth can change that, nothing. Not today, not tomorrow. Whenever I come face-to-face with one, I panic, and it is an unnecessary panic. I have not been bitten by one before, and I have never lived with one. I just dislike those creatures from the depth of my heart.

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Now, the problem is that we are about to move into our own house, and my husband is bent on bringing in not less than two dogs. We have been arguing over this for a very long time, but he seems not to care about my feelings. He says I am being insensitive for refusing to understand him, that he loves dogs and cannot imagine living in his own house without one.

I am a light sleeper. I get deeply frustrated when my sleep is interrupted at night. How should I allow one silly dog, with its unnecessary barking, to wake me up every night? When it barks at midnight and I wake up, I will not fall back asleep until 3 a.m. That alone gives me heart palpitations throughout the following day. That is what happens when I do not get enough sleep, and it is the main reason I would never want to entertain a dog.

Also, I would be the one to find ways and means to feed it, to clean it, to cage it, and all of that. My husband is not a permanent member of our household. He works outside of town and only comes home when he is off duty. He is not even considering a local breed, but those with names as scary as their faces. He also does not want a puppy but a full-grown dog.

With all the problems one can have in a marriage, I never once thought that keeping a dog would be my own cross to bear at long last.

But as for this cross, nothing on earth will make me carry it. It is either he chooses the dogs, or he chooses me. I want him to choose, because I cannot compromise my peace of mind for those creatures. I know of their importance, but no, I still cannot live with one.

Elders, please, how do I clear this obsession from his mind? I need more ideas to face this particular challenge.

—Janice

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