In Dog We Trust

Exactly how much are the animals that live in our homes caught up in our everyday family dynamics? Prologue: Heather and her girlfriend lived with a cat named Sid. The girlfriend showed all sorts of affection toward Sid that she never showed toward Heather. And at some point, against her better judgment, Heather started to become jealous. (4 minutes) The Youth In Asia: When a pet dies, to what degree can it be replaced by another? And to what degree can pets replace people in our lives? David Sedaris tells this story of cats and dogs and other animals. (16 minutes) This story is also included in David’s book Me Talk Pretty One Day. Polly Wants More Than A Cracker: Veronica Chater explains the conflict in her house between her love for her pet macaw—a kind of parrot—and her love for her husband and three kids. The macaw wreaks a sort of low-level chaos in the house, because it wants Veronica all to itself. (10 minutes) Veronica is the author of the memoir Waiting for the Apocalypse. Resurrection: Writer Brady Udall with another story about what animals can take the place of, in our lives and in our homes—this one involving an armadillo. (23 minutes) This work of fiction originally appeared in the Autumn 1999 issue of Story magazine.