09/09/2026
I’ve just been reading some utterly ridiculous comments online regarding a letter to the Herald where the author was expressing concern about dog friendly policies being an issue for allergy sufferers.
According to many of those commenting, allergy sufferers are variously making it up, have been wrapped in cotton wool their whole lives, or are looking for attention!
Well here’s something that you won’t know about me - I’m super allergic to pretty much all animals 😢
Wrapped in cotton wool?
I started life at Wheatpark Farm just beyond the Whitletts roundabout where mum and dad had beagles and I showed signs of my dog allergy at an early age.
After moving across the fields to the Hannah Dairy Research Institute where my dad worked it turned out I couldn’t spend too long in with the goats who I adored without wheezing, suffering from rashes and runny eyes.
Mum and Dad then opened Southfield Kennels in Mauchline and I just got on with it - sniffling and scratching my way through life. I started my own wee sideline boarding small animals there, but omg rabbits and guinea pigs made my eyes run 😢
Over the years I’ve taken thousands of anti histamine tablets, used countless bottles of eye drops and puffed my way through hundreds of inhalers. I never did grow out of it, I’m 57 now so I don’t think that I will!
Over the years I’ve been blue lighted after trying pony trekking and spent a couple of nights in hospital after intervening and bringing home a kitten threatened with drowning. I once drove straight from giving a nutrition presentation at a puppy class in a tight space straight to A and E.
I’m more sensible now - I can live with Izzy our ragdoll but it would take me months to get used to another cat and I can deal with dogs in the shop, but I take antihistamines every day and if my immune system is already low with a cold I’m likely to be more susceptible. I take work clothes off as soon as I get home and if I’ve had a lot of exposure I might not risk a puppy cuddle.
And yes, I do choose to avoid dog friendly cafes if there’s not enough ventilation or space. And I have had to ask to move room in a dog friendly hotel.
It’s fabulous that (if your dog wants to! ) you can take him to so many places to share experiences, but venues choosing not to allow dogs in also have every right to do that. Not everyone loves them and some folk like me have to know their tolerance levels.
It’s been a source of such sadness to me that I can’t have my golden retriever at home and share my couch at night with lots of kittens but hey ho - them’s the breaks!
I’ll keep cuddling at work when I can, this pic was me getting too close to a lovely staffy last week 😬
I’ll just keep taking the pills 💊
Catherine
