Mrs. O & I have begun the discussion, the long-awaited one re: a possible Next Dog. As you know, we had to put our ailing Beagle Snoopy down earlier this spring. He was suffering a variety of ailments that made his life miserable -- and ours rough. We put off the decision as long as possible. But knew it was coming. I always figured that Snoopy would be our Last Dog. I enjoy the freedom of not having a dog, when its time to visit the kids in Portland or far-off Florida. Also, I enjoy not cleaning up dog poop in the back yard. OTOH, it was fun to have a little buddy light up and meet me at the door when I returned home from work. He did a good job as a watch dog, too. Mrs. O isn't sure whether she simply misses her little friend -- or really wants another dog. Color me Undecided.

Question: How did you know whether or not to get another dog after you lost one?