1. What is etiquette on returning personal phone calls? 2. What is etiquette on guests insisting on bringing their dogs to your house? Does the owner of the house have the right to decline?

by Angie
(Fayetteville, NC)

Sister in law never returns other family members phone calls. Calls are made to her and messages are left, but no return call is ever made.

My in-laws got a dog after 30 years... Now they take it everywhere with them. We (my husband and myself) do not want them visiting at our house with their dog. (various reasons... new house, territorial cat, allergies, etc) We have asked them to board their dog and come and visit, but they are being demanding.. They make comments like " We should be able to bring our dog and you just have to put up with it" (keep in mind, we never imposed our pets on them or anyone and wouldn't dream of it)

Help...


Apr 12, 2011
Personal Phone Calls and Pets
by: Kevin (Modern Manners And Etiquette)

1. General etiquette suggests that you should do it timely (within 24 hours). However, that is just the general rule.

My sister (as an example) only listens to her voice mails on her cell phone about once a week. If you want a quicker response from her, you need to send her a text message. I would recommend sending her a text message or an email. For some people, returning voice mails is not that important.

2. It is ironic that you should ask this question because this just happened to us recently. My brother's family has a dog and they brought it over to our house. It was shedding and I am allergic to dogs. Needless to say, it was a disaster.

It is really just a matter of being firm with them and letting them know that bringing the dog is not an option. Do not be rude about it, but let them know that it will not work because of your allergies and your cat.

It would also help the situation to provide a solution. This could be something like having the pet stay at a neighbor's house that wouldn't mind, or even you paying the boarding fee for the dog to show that you are willing to make it work.

I hope that helps!