Here's one thing I don't really get about keeping dogs as housepets: They don't read, write, knit, talk on the phone, or play World of Warcraft. What does a dog in a single-dog household do all day? A cat goes where it pleases, but here in the city a dog can't really go out on its own.

She was pretty upset at first when everyone she knew left her here, but she calmed down after a little while. Now she just seems more bored than anything else. She lies here, with the occasional heavy sigh, looking at the door, sometimes drifting off to daydream. Then a car door slams or the mailman comes and she wakes up and whines a little more...

The only thing she seems really happy about is the prospect of going out, but we're not going to be able to go on walks all day.