I hate the rain. Recently, I watched six inches of rain bombard my ramshackle home in New England. As the backyard flooded and the basement filled up, I couldn't help but think about buying a pet. It's the loneliness of a gray day, constant rain, and unfriendly Yankee types that started me down this path to pet ownership. You can only take so many Welcome Back, Kotter days before you wonder if a move to the bleak wastes surrounding Boston was the best decision you could have made.

I grew up in a house with a German Shepard. Now, as much as I'd like to recapture my childhood with a magnificent Shepard, I have to face the fact that I am a renter -- and will be for the foreseeable future. This means no "dangerous breeds" and no dogs over 25 pounds. This is a stiff kick in the neck, especially if you've been pining for a pet t keep you company.

So, rather than subject myself to the torture of going to look at puppies in person at the local Petco or animal shelter, I decided to look online. Now, I know what you're thinking, and yes, you're right. It's not the best way to shop, but it gives me some emotional distance on a possible pet. Because, in the end, though I'm hungry for some companionship, I'm also very ambivalent.

So, steering my browser to Google, of course, I typed in puppies for sale. Lo and behold, bingo! I found thousands of sites dedicated to the same emotionally cagey user experience. Now, I could browse through the classifieds and see which breeds would be ideal for my ever-increasing isolation. It would seem I'm not alone in my need for some distance.

One hundred dollars later, I had picked up my brand new Shih Tzu puppy. Pedigree, papers, and a supply of food for less than the cost of my heating bill! What a world. Of course, two weeks into life with Florence (my Shih Tzu) has made be reconsider the efficacy of my decisions, I have to say getting him was the best part.