Dear Abby: I have a friend who brags nonstop about her boyfriend, her job, her new car, etc. She only comes out of the woodwork every so often to text me things like, “Roy just got a $13 raise at work!” I respond with wholehearted support and congratulations, then don’t hear from her again until days later, when I receive another text saying something like, “My boss said I can work any hours I want from now on!”

I’m not sure why she sends me these messages. Could it be to make me jealous of her “fairytale” lifestyle, which I’m not sure I believe she even truly lives?

We have no other meaningful conversation or time together, and I am growing tired of texts that are solely meant to showcase her wins in life. I have tried to distance myself by responding less and less and not initiating conversations, but then she asks why I’m “mad” at her. I feel like I am nothing more than a wall she posts her accomplishments on. I have no desire to be “friends” with her anymore, but I’m not sure how to get out of it. Thoughts?

Ex-friend

In the East

Dear Ex-friend: Continue to respond to her texts less and less frequently. If she asks if you are mad at her, tell her you aren’t mad, you are busy. If she wants more detail, tell her you have noticed that she has shown no interest in what your life is like, and to you that’s not friendship.

Dear Abby: My mother is getting up in years. Because of a multitude of health problems, she will soon have to enter a nursing home. She currently lives in her own home with her dog, “Skippy,” and is facing the problem of what to do with Skippy when she has to move.

Skippy has growled at people in the past, including children, and has a brief biting history, which limits Mom’s options and makes it impossible for her to bring the dog with her to a group nursing home. We’re unable to take Skippy on because we’re at our legal limit, according to the laws of our municipality, and we know of no one we can place a dog with such issues with. Any ideas?

Needs a Home for Nippy Skippy

Dear Needs: Contact the dog rescue groups in your area. Perhaps they can locate a home for an older dog — I assume Skippy is older — in a household where there are no children. It’s regrettable that your mother didn’t socialize her pet when it was a puppy, because it would have made it easier to keep Skippy with her.

Dear Abby: I have noticed that your letter writers often assign a fictitious name to the person they are writing about. I wonder why they do this. What is the purpose?

John Doe

In Tampa

Dear John: I change all the names in the letters I print. I do this to prevent embarrassment for the letter writer as well as the person who’s being complained about.

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