My neighbor came to my front door last week with her labrador and announced that her pup was pregnant with puppies – and claimed that the culprit was my German Shepherd! I tried to explain that my dog had been neutered many years ago, but she was so angry that she wouldn’t listen to me. We’ve been friends since I moved here four years ago from Michigan, and I want to patch things up, but I don’t know how to deal with the situation. Can you please help?
Signed,
Naughty Neighbor
Dear Naughty Neighbor,
Here are some ideas:
• First, feuds in North Carolina are a long-standing tradition – so welcome to the Tar Heel State!
• That being said, the south is known for its graciousness as well. Devise a peace offering—even though she is wrong. I imagine since you’ve been pals for a few years that you know what she likes: Fresh baked cookies? A floral bouquet? Bourbon?
• Wait a few days to let her simmer down, and during that time, get a copy of the neutering certificate in order to confirm your dog’s innocence. Write a nice note saying you will help her find new homes for the pups. At this point, resist the urge to suggest that she should have taken responsibility to spay her own dog. If she has any common sense at all, she will have already come to this conclusion.
• If those actions don’t work, then this isn’t a friendship worth pursuing. Just move on, and at some point, maybe she will come around again.
So there you are! Problem solved. I hope this helps!
Love,
Henrietta
Henrietta Craven was born and raised in New Bern and enjoys gardening, hunting bears and improvisational dance. She is a self-proclaimed expert on a wide variety of subjects including (but not limited to) fashion, mixology, and cooking. Henrietta resides in a lovely Victorian home in downtown New Bern with her five cats: Graffenreid, Bethune, Devereux, Stanton and Carraway.