~2 I urbanhound<br > introduction<br >Not too long ago， Nina left her dog at a fancy Manhattan daycare center<br >That evening， on picking him up， she was handed a report card (yes， a<br >report card) that read:<br > Name.- Mack<br > Today I was very: happy & fun<br > My "bus/hess" wa~- normal<br > My best pa/s were: Wink & Sam<br > Fay hangout spot: playroom<br > Commen~s: Mack was absolutely marvelous today， getting along<br > with the gang with no problems!<br > NO doubt about it: New York dog people are a peculiar breed. Some might even say<br >we re ~ t~ mild. Nadia oonfessas that her dates are judged on how well they get along<br >with Masha， her ~011ard-mix; she also admits (quietly) that she selected her sofa in<br >part because it matched Mesha s coat. Meanwhile， Nina s mother complains that Nina<br >t~sets her dog es if he were human (ho isn，t?).<br > We ve stopped explaining ourselves (why waste our breath?). In New York， it s true，<br >there are few open spaces for a hound to ~haes balls or birds. Concrete is more com-<br >mon， by far， than grass. A veterinary checkup can cost as much as a month s rent--lr<br >any nocmal city. Most buildings and shops shut us out ("No Pets Allowed! ). But where<br >else can a dog race， off leash， through the world s most famoL~s park (Central Park. that<br >isl; compete in Halloween costume contests; hang out with friends at Coffee Barks ，r<br >Pros~:~ct Park;， parade at Dachshund Fiestes; or spend the afternoon at a 12.000-<br >