Dear Annie: A friend of mine is facing a painful choice, and I can’t stop thinking about it. She has dogs she loves dearly, but the man she’s dating is allergic. Not “a little sneezy,” but truly can’t be around them. She feels like she’s being asked to choose between her pets and a relationship that could become something real.

I keep thinking about an associate of mine from a local board. She was in a serious, loving relationship with a man who was kind, gracious and clearly devoted to her. The problem was her cat. He was allergic, and it wasn’t something he could just push through. In the end, she chose to keep the cat and the relationship ended. Years later, I ran into her at a fundraiser. She told me she regrets choosing the cat over a long-term partner. The cat has since died, and she’s alone with a lot of sadness and “what ifs.” She says she hasn’t met anyone since who treated her as well as he did.