My mum - who is 82 and has'nt been too well- is coming to stay with us over the Christmas break. She lives on her own and is not too keen on animals. My problem is that our 7 large hairy dogs are used to living in the house with us - in the evening they come into the living room and can flop about on the sofa and floor. When we have visitors they initially greet them VERY enthusiastically with lots of jumping about and trying to sit on their laps etc - after the initial madness they do settle down and just snooze happily. They also send our visitors home with a liberal coating of black dog hairs.
As most of our visitors have similar homes this is not usually a problem. But ....my mum will HATE this and I am inclined to keep the dogs in their dog room and kennels while she is here. However hubby is dead against this saying that it's their Christmas too and if she's coming to stay she should fit in with our routine, the other drawback is that the dog yard is permanently wet and cold due to the blasted fog and even though the dog room is heated they will still stand around outside getting wet, cold and smelly....I really don't know what to do for the best. What would you lot do ?

Yvonne

I'm afraid I agree with your hubby. Anyone coming to my home know what they are coming to, so if they don't like it tough ;) My father visited me yesterday and he isn't overfond of my dogs. Oh, he says hello, but as they don't really know him (he only visits half a dozen times a year, if that ;) ) they really had to get to know him :D Luckily he accepts it as he knows just how much the dogs mean to me. Yes, we've had the conversation about too many dogs, not allowing the dogs on the furniture, but at the end of the day he has come to realise that they are my dogs in my home. His wife doesn't visit :) She's a cat person, really, so dogs should be seen and not heard. ;) Sorry, not in this house :D

Does your mum know what she is in for? If she does, and she is still willing to visit ;) then I wouldn't change anything. You never know, she might be glad of the fuss the dogs make ;)

Can you not come to some sort of a compromise Yvonne?  Maybe introduce your dogs one or two at a time to your Mum?  Maybe they will settle down during her stay into their normal routine.  I think that as your Mum is 82 and not too well, she should really be given some sort of priority as it is only for a short time.  This is only our second Christmas without my mother and I would give anything to have her here with us for Christmas.  :(

I would normally agree with hubby Yvonne but with your Mother being 82 and not in the best of health, then for a couple of days I would give her all possible consideration - at 82 you don't know how many more Christmasses she's got in the bank! ;)  The dogs can have their Christmas a couple of days late - they won't be any wiser!
Maybe bring a couple in at a time for half an hour and then swap them around???

I agree with Val's suggestion. That seems to be the best compromise. :)

Dogs don't know it's Christmas, I guess your mum does.  My OH would have said the same as yours a few years ago but since the loss of his Dad, Mum, Sister his attitudes have changed.  There has to be a compromise.  If your Mum gets knocked down and injured she could be in a very bad way indeed.  Get him to show a little Christmas spirit - I wish my Mum was here this Christmas.

I agree with both :rolleyes: work that one out! :-D

Here's a compromise, no way would I put the dogs out in the garden/yard, they might be hairy :-D but it is foggy and damp and they are used to the house, so no way would they go outside, doesn't sound as though you have a seperte area for them downstairs so could you put a dog gate on your landing/hallway so that they can sit in there or even in your bedroom, you can manoever them around during the day and night to be downstairs when mum is upstairs and vice versa. I know it is a pain having to buy the dog gates but if you put them throughout different openings of the house you can keep them inside but away from mum and you can still given them plenty of attention.

Being 82 I can understand it being too much for her and as already said, you don't know how many more Christmas's she has with you, (morbid talk or what!) so make her visit a happy stress free one.

The dogs will be segregated for a little while but it is only for a few days, and at least they are still warm and indoors, can still see and hear you and give them a nice juicy bone and they won't care so much. ;-)

It's a tricky one isn't it?  I would be inclined to agree with Val though.  You only have one mum and when my mum and dad come round I give them the stage.  I have the opposite problem in that they spoil my dog to the max with food, sweet stuff as well as scraps saved for the visits.  My dad constantly winds her up so she is perpetually excited and bouncing about.  I let it all go over my head though because I appreciate that it's only for a limited period of time and as soon as they've left all returns to normal. Phew :)

My late MIL was quite frail and didn't much like dogs so when she and FIL came to visit they stayed in the very comfortable pub down the road where they were thoroughly pampered by the super landlord and lady. That way they could come up to us during the day when dog duties were done and the dogs stayed in the dog room while they were here. Now FIL, who is 92 and loves the dogs, stays with us. If that isn't a possibility I'd agree with Val.

thanks for your thoughts folks ....we do have a separate room for the dogs which is warm and dry where they have their beds etc but it leads directly out to their yard area and given the chance they will stand around ALL day in the cold and damp whinging to be let in with us :rolleyes:I think we have reached a compromise though... I will go and fetch mum on Christmas Eve, whilst she is here the dogs can be in their room and the kitchen but not allowed through into the living room until she goes to bed. One or other of us will be in the kitchen for most of Christmas day so they will have a bit of company during the day. I will run her home again on Boxing day so it's really only the one day - the dogs are very good actually - once they've had their walks they do settle very well - it's just that we have 7 and they are exceptionally 'in your face' when they first meet anyone. Also mum is getting rather frail and as others have said it really would'nt be fair to distress if we can avoid it - not looking forwrad to the driving though - mum lives in Sussex and I live in Lincolnshire  -that's an 8 hour round trip ....hope the fog lifts !

Yvonne

I'm afraid that visitors always take priority in our house :) Much as I love our dogs, they are dogs and my friends and family are, in general, more important :)

Daisy

Slightly off topic, sorry, but this:

When we have visitors they initially greet them VERY enthusiastically with lots of jumping about and trying to sit on their laps etc -

sounds like heaven :P

Seriously, I hope you manage to work things out with regarding your mum,

Lindsay
x

Hi

I agree your mum should take priority. Just a thought though if she is so frail maybe she will go to bed early then you can get the dogs in. Poss later than they are use to but they still get to come in with you.

Wendy

My friends are, thankfully, well aware that my dogs come first (me, antisocial?  never :D).  Luckily I only have 3 good friends and two of them like dogs a lot - and the third, well, she doesn't but she knows better than to ask me to hide them away if she wants to come over.  As I live 5 hours from her now it's not a problem though :D

My family are also dog lovers, and my two grew up around most of them so again, not an issue.  To be fair, I do stick close to Opi when Nan visits (or visited, unlikely she will again now I'm so far away) - she likes to jump all over her, literally - she'd sit on Nan's head if she could!  So I stay close to keep her on the floor.  But she still doesn't get shut away, I just lurk nearby until she's settled.