Our friends graciously let us puppy sit their 8 month, maltese poodle when they head out of town. Needless to say, we hardly object. Walking her on the streets of New York can lengthen one's commute time considerably - every 10 steps, someone practically screams 'oooooooooo' and asks a handful of questions which we answer as if the dog were ours. Her name is Pigeon - Pidge for short.