As of Sunday Boris has a brother: Vinnie, a one-and-a-half year-old Labrador mix we adopted from the Oregon Humane Society. Vinnie looks like he has a little rottweiler mixed with the Lab, and when he puts some pounds on his scrawny frame he will be bigger than Boris the Dog-faced Boy. But Boris, the high-strung baby that he is, seems to have established dominance by right of seniority and intense dick-headedness. They seem to have fun together, despite Boris being annoying.

And for myself it is fun to stand and look down at them and address them: "Dogs!" It's like having minions, or peons, or henchmen. "Dogs, come inside! Dogs, go outside! Dogs, form a posse!" So finally I'm accruing a powerbase.