As any dog lover knows, whenever you see even a glimpse of a dog, your eyes get big and a little squeal always emerges. We always get way too excited and sometimes we get weird looks from other people for getting so excited. But, it is so worth it because dogs are so cute and seeing one always makes our day! If you’re like me though, you have allergies and unfortunately one of those allergies is dogs. Loving them and being allergic to them is a constant problem, so here are a few struggles that any dog lover with allergies can relate to.

1. All the medication

No matter what type of allergies you have, taking medication is a must. But, for dog lovers it is even more of a must have because we can’t seem to stay away from animals. If the choice is not being near dogs or a ton of medication, we will always choose taking medication because not being able to see dogs would not be an option.

2. Constant hand washing and sneezing

Because we’re on medication, we think we are invincible and can get away with petting dogs without any problems. But, this is not the case. Medication can only do so much, so when we pet dogs our sinuses sometimes flare up and we’ll need tissues constantly. Hand washing helps get the allergens off your skin so after we’re done petting dogs we should wash our hands and this constant chore can get tedious.

3. Wanting dogs of our own

For as long as you can remember, you have always wanted dogs. Maybe you only want one or maybe you want five, but every dog lover wants their own. However, this means a hypoallergenic dog or even more medication with dogs who shed. If you’re like me, a hypoallergenic dog is really the best option. This limits the choice and breed of dogs you can own. But, no matter what, you’ll love whatever kind of dog you can get.

4. Wanting to pet every dog you see

As I said before, a dog lover sees a dog and we go crazy. Our day is made whenever we see them and are able to pet them too. But, our allergies require us to not go too crazy with the affection, which kills us. We want to let the dogs lick us if they want to and pet them as much as we want. But, again, this means sneezing and hand washing constantly. So wanting to give more affection than we sometimes should is a struggle.

5. Always hoping to be a vet

For most dog lovers, since we were young, we have thought about becoming a vet. When asked what we what wanted to be when we grow up, our answer probably included taking care of animals and making them feel better. However, being allergic to dogs, this can be a problem. Even with the best medication, being around dogs constantly as a career can make the allergy flare ups a mess. So being a vet was something we can’t do anymore. But, we find other things we love just as much as dogs and eventually find a career that fits us.