DEAR MISS MANNERS: I’ve begun walking our two beagles around our quiet neighborhood, both for their benefit and mine. One of the dogs has always been chubby, but both are well-loved and have always been well cared for. However, several times, total strangers have approached me and told me that my dog is overweight, even implying that I’m abusing him. One lady we’ve encountered tried to give me a list of dog trainers that could help. How do I respond to these accusations, short of locking the dog in the house and never leaving, which isn’t fair to either of us?
GENTLE READER: “Thank you for the suggestion.”
Before you complain to Miss Manners that such an answer is too polite for someone who just implied that you are abusing your dog, she points out that a five-word answer, delivered with slightly compressed lips, is not an admission of guilt, a display of enthusiasm, nor a commitment to act.
(Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, [email protected]; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)
COPYRIGHT 2023 JUDITH MARTIN
DISTRIBUTED BY ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION
1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106; 816-581-7500
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