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When your lover loves another, things can get interesting. You might face some frustrating challenges if a precious pet is wallowing right in the middle of your new relationship.

A new lover holds so much possibility. You adore everything about him - that is, until he brings you home to meet his...dog. "What a cute dog!" you exclaim, as your new four-legged friend proceeds to jump up on your chest and lick your face. When he calms down, he rests his head on your leg and leaves a lovely trail of slobber that you're not sure the dry cleaner will be able to get out.

Sharing a Romantic Dinner

Dinner time! Whew! The dog has his bowl, and you and your guy can sit at the table gazing at each other with lust. Aw! Your guy starts nudging your foot. Wait! That's a slurping lick, not a sexy game of footsie. Yuck! And your guy isn't looking deep into your eyes, he's smiling at his buddy, waiting not so patiently for table scraps. Hmm.

After dinner, you and your guy are ready for some snuggle time in front of the TV. But big buddy is too. "He's got to be right next to me when I'm on the sofa," your guy says proudly, expecting you to ooh and ah at his giant baby lodged securely between you two. Oh boy! You're definitely involved in a threesome now.

Making the Connection

But your annoyance dissipates as your guy puts his arm around you and holds your hand. Never mind that your hands are resting on the dog's neck. You can overlook that as he rubs your shoulder with the other hand in that sexy way and lets you know he's thinking about a lot more than just snuggling on the sofa. Wow! Great chemistry.

Even when you've adjusted to sofa snuggling with your new canine buddy, there are more challenges ahead. At some point in the dating timeline, you and your guy will move the action to the bedroom. You've been imagining this moment for weeks! (Or days - who's counting, anyway?) But in the middle of the passionate kissing and the frantic undressing, you feel another set of eyes on you. Big buddy! He's right next to you, watching your embrace with a quizzical look. You gently pull away and point at the offending ogler. "Don't mind him," your lover says with a laugh.

But you do mind. "Can't we put him outside the bedroom?" you ask politely. Your lover agrees, but you sense a bit of annoyance on his part. Hmm, maybe he's annoyed that the action was interrupted, you think hopefully.

Sleeping It Off

If all else goes well, you snuggle under the covers for some post-coital cuddling. When your guy gets up to turn out the light, he opens the bedroom door. Oomph! Big buddy jumps on the bed, with his head resting right on your...upper thigh? "Oh, isn't he adorable? He wants in on the action! Don't you, big guy?" your human guy gushes in that baby-talk voice you're already starting to hate.

Hmm, you think, how can I handle this gracefully? "I'm really not comfortable sleeping with a dog in the bed," you say as you snuggle up against your lover's chest. "Can he sleep on the floor tonight?"

Making the Choice

His body language changes immediately. Your guy stiffens, and not in the way you want when you're close together in bed. He sits up. "You don't like my dog?"

"It's not that," you say, stammering a bit. "It's just that I'd like to sleep with you without having dead weight on my feet and dog breath in my face."

"Whoa! Really?" he says, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "My buddy has been with me through thick and thin. We're a package deal."

What the...? you think. Depending on how strongly you feel, you might compromise and stay the night. But this relationship is doomed to be a threesome - and you're the third wheel.

If he's not open to compromise with his dog, what other issues are you going to be dealing with down the road? Unless you're in love with both of them, trot out of this one as fast as your two legs can carry you!