The only reason we haven’t broken up yet is that it would make our dog sad. That is where things stand. Our relationship currently depends on the emotional welfare of someone who has no idea they’ve been given this responsibility.
The writing is on the wall. I can see it. Staying together for the dog doesn’t make it harder to read; it just gives us a reason to keep looking somewhere else.
I wish I had a more impressive explanation. Some great unresolved question about our future, perhaps. Instead, there’s the prospect of a sad dog, which turns out to be a formidable obstacle. A relationship can apparently run out of reasons to continue before it runs out of reasons to postpone ending.
So we haven’t broken up. Yet. The dog remains the strongest argument for keeping the household together, despite having submitted no argument at all.
It’s an excellent arrangement for the dog. For now.
