well it worked for telemachus

I was feeling a bit blue this weekend until I ran across this passage in the Odyssey:

...he went to the place of assembly spear in hand - not alone, for his two hounds went with him...

Smooch-fest! Belly rubs! (O&P were discomfited by being called "hounds" at first but were mollified when I explained that I was using the term generically.)

Also, this: Dogs: an uncomplicated relationship (from The Guardian).