Sorry, GaRy, we are at BCV. Gotta love SAB. Not sure where Jilljill will be. And Cindy lives not too far away.
My DIL's have always owned Labs. More specifically, really big, really black Labs. Monster dogs, more dearly beloved than grandkids. I clearly remember when DD and her cousin were starting to walk, the DIL had a "puppy". It was a hazard area for little kids over there. Nice dogs, but you don't wear nice clothes when you go to visit. The slobber and shed factor is very high.
So we have a cat now, we're a one Tonkinese cat family (Elvis wouldn't have it any other way). Even DH, who grew up with the Monster dogs, prefers it this way. Nothing against dogs, really! Dogs are great. Now that we don't have any though, it's nice to have a back yard. Unfortunately, we are not allowed to leave the house for any length of time, since the King requires a lap at all times.
Elvis the King:
<img height=300 src=http://www.mindspring.com/~dancind/elvis.jpg>