It's the same thing every morning, or every time I leave the house for that matter. As I head to the door I have to block her from escaping. After I tell her 'no, get back' I turn, one last time, and say 'goodbye, be a good girl. See you later.'

I wish my baby girl could talk. If she could, I would ask, "Lizzie, would you like a friend, someone to keep you company while I'm at work all day? Or do you prefer your status as the Queen B?"

I have recently been contemplating getting another dog to keep my beloved, yet lonely, 3-year-old Shih Tzu company. I work from 8 to 5 every day and I am so tired of starting my day with a cloud of guilt over my head as I say goodbye to Lizzie.

She hates to be alone and I swear, she tries to figure out every day how to be a better dog. Maybe then, she probably thinks, I wouldn't leave her alone so much.

I fought long and hard to get Lizzie three years ago (my husband didn't like the idea of having an indoor dog) and I have molded her into my spoiled, needy little child ever since.

About six months ago, I bred Lizzie and the result was six beautiful, healthy puppies. I planned to keep one of the puppies to serve as a companion for Lizzie, and as another teddy bear for myself.

When the puppies were born, Lizzie seemed to miss all the one-on-one attention she normally received from me. This had me wondering if she would even want a companion. I wondered if a second dog would make her feel even more abandoned.

Plans I had for a month-long trip to Korea also made me second guess my idea of keeping a puppy. Finding a sitter for one dog for that long is hard enough; finding a sitter for two is nearly impossible. I finally convinced myself that the timing just wasn't right.

When I finally got Lizzie back from my mom a month ago, she had changed a bit. She seemed more independent and I thought the trip to New York, where my mom lives, had toughened her up to some degree. My mom took her on lots of walks, and she got plenty of positive attention and was taken care of very well, but she probably wasn't babied nearly as much as she is under my watch.

Unfortunately, her newly found freedom didn't last long. We're now back to square one. She's needy, dependent and depressed every time I leave the house. I wonder if I should have kept a puppy to keep her company all day.

Some people have suggested I get a cat. That's out of the question due to my allergies, but I have been entertaining the idea of adopting another Shih Tzu. Yesterday, I did a little research and found a 6-year-old male Shih Tzu in need of a home.

The ad reads, "My name is Max. I am a sweet boy. I love to sit in your lap and let you love on me. I am fitting in just fine at my foster home and playing with my new brother. I am crate trained and house broken. I would love to find a nice forever home where I can get all the lovin' that I have missed out on."

Now, if I could only get Lizzie's opinion ... and convince my husband.

Sadie Fowler is a T-G staff writer focusing on human interest feature stories. She may be reached at sfowler@t-g.com.