A combination of approaches — medical control of symptoms, good house cleaning methods and immunotherapy — is most likely to succeed in allowing an allergic person to live with pets.

I was one of those kids…allergic to what seemed like everything.  Trees, grass, and yes…sadly all animals with fur or feathers.   Growing up allergic to pets, having a four-legged friend was never an option in my household.  No matter how much I begged, pleaded our cried, my mother would not give in.  “You have allergies…you can’t have a dog”, she would say. “Maybe a goldfish?”

A goldfish!  While I understand for some people, goldfish can provide a certain companionship, but I wanted a four-legged, tail wagging, face licking kind of friend.  Allergies or no allergies, one day I was going to get a dog.

Now here I am, several years later with two very precious dogs, Oliver and Moose.  Allergies are still a problem yes, but I can go about my day to day activities without the constant runny nose, stuffy head and sneeze attacks.  The key for me was to reduce as much allergens in the household as possible.  This included HEPA cleaners, a pet-free bedroom zone, vacuuming and dusting on a very regular basis, among brushing them regularly.  And let me tell you…Moose is quite the shedder but the maintenance is definitely worth the companionship.

Allergies can be a bit of an obstacle in owning a pet.  If you are contemplating adoption but worried that your allergies won’t allow it, check out the Ottawa Humane Society’s Coping with Allergies fact sheet.  It covers a wide range of information and tips on allergies and pet adoption.  Perhaps having a furry companion can be a possibility!