I think our pets are more adaptable than we maybe want to admit to ourselves.

When we travel, if we can't take Cocoa with us, he goes to the neighbors' house, and likewise, when the neighbors travel, we get their dog, Bo. We tell them they're having a "sleepover." They've gotten so used to this that when the neighbors are gone for a day, if the weather is good and they leave Bo outside, he comes to our house on his own. (We live out in the boonies, at the end of a dirt road, so neighborhood dogs roam pretty freely.)

If we're all gone at the same time, and we have to leave "the boys" at the kennel, we all feel a little downhearted about it. Then, we tell them they're going to "camp."

You get a little crazy with your dogs when you don't have any kids.