I Do Not Know What To Tell Her

My friend has five dogs – Chet, Ruffy, Bones, Chewy and Saber. Every conversation comes back to them. If I have a new hat, she had one once and Chewy chewed it in half. If I say “my cousin” she reminds me that Bones and Saber are cousins. I get to hear a play-by-play of their daily antics. It is not that enjoyable, but we are friends so I am polite. My dogs are my life, she tells me. Much nicer to me than my daughter. She does not see her grandchildren after Chet bit one of them. Chet is not a bad dog, I am sure she was teasing him, she said. When I mention my dogs, she has to go. She has an urgent something. But yet, I am not only supposed to enjoy her dogs, but….. I am supposed to enjoy it when she puts them on Facetime. They bark “hello” to me, one by one. My daughter never calls me, she laments. I have no idea what to tell her. The dogs bark their agreement.