Pets and relationships

If you've got animal roommates and you strike up a relationship with a love partner, you certainly hope for the best. But it doesn't always work. The dog may not like the new boyfriend at all; your cat may express his distaste for the girlfriend's mode of dress in a, um, uniquely feline way. The Wall Street Journal's Elizabeth Bernstein takes a look at what some couples do to work out their pet-paramour differences:

By the time Ellen and Joe Lollman reached their first anniversary, things were souring. They no longer took long walks together or spent weekend afternoons chatting over coffee at outdoor cafes. Each evening they holed up in separate rooms of their home reading or watching TV alone.

Finally, fearful their marriage was on the rocks, the Dallas couple made an appointment with a therapist—for their dogs.

"We both had dogs a lot longer than we had each other," explains Ms. Lollman. Yet it wasn't until she and her new husband moved in together after a long-distance courtship that their faithful companions actually met and, as luck had it, decided they hated each other. The Lollmans were forced to take sides.

Sound familiar? If you find yourself and your love in this situation, there are ways to work it out. It takes patience and maybe a little help from an animal behavior expert, but it can be done. Don't give up on your loves, be they human or animal.