DEAR ABBY: I am writing in regard to the letter from “On the Fence in Nevada” (Sept. 11) (whose mother-in-law dumped her grandchildren’s cat on the side of the road). I work as an animal safety officer for the sheriff’s office, and I also volunteer for a local animal nonprofit. There has been an increase […]

DEAR ABBY: I have been dating “Charlie” for almost a year. We both have children from previous relationships. He has recently been talking about marriage, but as much as I care for him, I am reluctant. When my daughter, “Mia,” was in kindergarten, she was diagnosed with ADHD. I went through some rough times. It […]

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have been married for many years. We have three happy, successful children and a good life together. I love him dearly. I recently discovered that he had been spending a lot of time in erotic online chat rooms. He had hundreds of contacts he was speaking with regularly for […]

Daughter cringes when mom does happy dance DEAR ABBY: I am an 11-year-old girl who loves going shopping and doing various stuff with my mom. But when we go to the mall or stop for lunch and she hears a song she likes, she’ll start singing to it. And if we’re standing up, she even […]

Woman’s size is no deterrent in search for love DEAR ABBY: I’m 32 and a “large girl.” I am also intelligent, witty and fun to be around. I make friends wherever I go. The problem is my mother — who is also big — keeps telling me that heavy women are not desirable and we […]

Guilt mars comfort couple finds in each other’s arms DEAR ABBY: Is there anything wrong with having a lover solely for the purpose of sex? He is grieving for his late wife (my best friend), and I am separated from my husband. We’re both lonely and have supported each other through our pain. A few […]

Art of letter-writing suffers neglect DEAR ABBY: Please don’t think I’m stupid for asking this, but I need some help. The practice of letter-writing appears to be a dying form because of e-mail and texting — which I’m good at. But when I receive a nice gift, I know the proper way to acknowledge it […]

Men applaud the pleasures of being with older women DEAR ABBY: In your response to the letter from “‘Cougar’ in New York” (Sept. 3), you invited your male readers to share their thoughts. Abby, cougars are nothing new. They’re simply out of the closet. Men have been called “dirty old men” for their dalliances with […]

Wife draws line in bedroom over smoking DEAR ABBY: My wife of 25 years, in an effort to get me to stop smoking, refuses to have sex until I quit. It’s been more than a year since we made love. I love my wife with all my heart, and I always will. I plan to […]

DEAR ABBY: On a Sunday afternoon in late September, I got hopelessly lost trying to find O’Hare Airport in Chicago. I pulled off the interstate at a neighborhood exit and asked a man parked at the curb for directions. He was Hispanic, and there was a bit of a language barrier, but he and his […]