Dear Abby >> A friend retired, moved and gave me her well-paying, once-a-week job doing industrial cleaning. It pays a sizable chunk of our bills. My husband, who agreed to work with me doing this, gives me a hard time every week by being late.

We need to be there after business hours at 5:30 p.m. so we don’t interrupt anyone while they’re working. I have to remind my husband EVERY Wednesday that we need to be AT THE JOB. It causes fights.

I’m angry that he doesn’t respect how important this job is to me. How can I handle this? I can’t lose this job.

— Timed out in the Midwest

Dear Timed out >> How important is it that you start promptly at 5:30? Could all the work get done if you started at 6? I know you are a stickler for promptness, but who set the hours?

However, if the problem persists, remind him that the extra income helps to pay important bills. If that doesn’t motivate him, stop fighting, contact the friend who gave you the job and ask if she has any suggestions about someone who could do what your husband has been doing. I wish you luck.

Dear Abby >> We’ve lived in our working-class urban neighborhood for decades. We have always made friends with our neighbors, including a young couple with a toddler two doors away. We don’t socialize with them other than to chat when we see them on the street, and we gave their daughter a onesie on her birthday last year.

Just before the pandemic, they acquired a rescue dog, which they often leave in their backyard. The animal barks nonstop for hours. We’re home most of the time

What’s the best way to handle this? Friends who know more about dogs than we do tell us it’s impossible to break dogs of this habit. Do you think that because we haven’t complained they think we’re OK with it? We want to be good neighbors.

— Not OK With It in California

Dear Not ok >> Dogs have been known to bark because of separation anxiety. If your neighbors are away when their dog is creating a problem, and you have expressed nothing about it, you or your partner must let them know. The conversation doesn’t have to be confrontational, but nothing will change unless YOU step up and bark about it. Do it now, before you lose your minds.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.