Sorority dog fight

Can exposure to a dog really be a trigger for Crohn’s? Or is it the stress associated with the exposure?

Crohn’s is immune-related, and might get worse when the immune system is stimulated - lots of things make it worse.

I don’t think it’s an undue hardship for someone with a dog to find dog friendly housing.

My daughter helps train service dogs for autism.

Those dogs are trained to lie across their “kid” when the kid has a meltdown. The pressure is supposed to be helpful. Maybe it’s similar for anxiety.

Related to OP, there are some kids who have received dogs from the program but can’t bring them to school, usually because of other kids’ allergies.

Of course, a living situation, like being at college is more complicated.

Weighted blankets are popular, and non-allergenic.

Well, yeah, but that’s like telling the other girl, “What’s your beef? Lots of people take antihistamines (or use Breathe Right strips, or whatnot).”

After a careful review of the pertinent facts, I note the following. Madeleine and her dog are both cute, while Allergy Girl has apparently declined to be pictured, doubtless for good reason. Madeleine is studying psychology, while Allergy Girl openly admits she’s angling to be a corporate stooge by taking up marketing.

Judging from the legal kerfuffle, my conclusion is that both these women are trouble and I endorse the idea of throwing them both out and keeping the dog, but if push came to shove, it’s definitely the marketing maven that has to go. She’s probably a closet cat lover, too. :wink:

I wasn’t responding to the sorority girl, but rather to the idea that there are places where you can’t bring a dog. If what you are looking for is the weight, weighted blankets work very well for many people (I’ve used them for anxiety and they are popular with people dealing with autism). Of course, if your panic attack makes you unable to move, someone else will have to drape the blanket over you - a teacher in school, or a sorority sister in a sorority.

One of the issues with a disability (mine is severe anxiety and depression) is that I can’t expect the world to work around me, sometimes, I need to work around the world. I can’t always have the experience I would like to have. I can’t handle big crowds of people - so I can’t go to concerts any more or the State Fair. I can’t hold the types of jobs I held for thirty years. Not without risking an addiction to benzos.

I do wonder what happens to the anxiety prone sorority girl when she gets out in the real world and you don’t get to lie down and have your dog lie on top of you when you are overwhelmed. From my experience with a similar disability, she’d going to have to come up with a better coping mechanism.

(The ADA does a lousy job of protecting you in these sorts of cases, since the accommodation has to be reasonable and you have to be able to do your job. Its really hard to do a job while under your desk in a fetal position - even though I happen to think crawling under your desk is a perfectly reasonable accomodation).

Lots of people are standing at their desks now, you should get to crawl under yours, if you want.

That was flippant, and I apologize. I hope your days get better. I do see us slowly moving toward a world that’s more accommodating to everyone, even if it’s in fits and starts. Maybe I’m too optimistic.

We’ll just have to wait and see what our robot overlords think. If they don’t kill us meatbags outright, it’ll be a tossup whether they prefer us as square pegs in giant cubicle farms or as pets who deserve to live in a robot paradise. The second would be better for anyone who needs accommodations. I don’t think they’re gonna go the human battery route.

I was leaning towards Allergy Girl. After all, allergies are difficult to live with and, in all likelihood, Dog Girl is going to have let the dog go sooner or later, might as well be sooner. But, since Allergy Girl is a confirmed cat lover, I say kick her out.