wisewoman, I love the idea of a rent-a-pet center, BTW. I would love to borrow a couple of your dogs for a day or two!

A friend recently told me a little nugget of wisdom she got from a kind landlord when she was looking for a place for her mom: Did you know that if you get a dr.'s order saying you NEED a pet for your health, they HAVE to let you have one? I don't know if that's just in MN, where she is, or all over, but I'm going to check it out! Every day I long for the companionship of some little furball. When I first went into the hospital, my best gf from grad school sent me a cute little stuffed dog. I hung onto that thing for dear life, literally. It's plush enough that "petting" it can trick you into thinking it's real fur, and I found it extremely comforting. In fact, most nights I still sleep with him. But real would definitely be better!