Stray cats can be seen all over Japan: under parked cars, in alleyways, or in the parks being fed rice by "o-baa-chans." But you never see stray dogs. Why not? Is it the fault of Viagra? Cats are getting it but not dogs?

At first I thought that dogs were just smarter than cats and had emigrated. After all, there are no fire hydrants in Japan.

Where would they emigrate to, you ask? To the many little dog havens throughout the world where dogs live happy lives of self-rule. In these special places, dogs are free to laze around all day and are rewarded with head pats and are hand-fed by passersby, usually tourists. Take Pompeii, Italy, where the dogs lie around the ruins letting the sun-baked stones warm their bodies. It's as if they are there to protect the souls of the dead. Go to any of the plazas in South American cities and you'll see dogs gaily trotting around in small groups, noses to the ground as they sniff out their next meal. They dine on popcorn, ice cream drips and anything left under a park bench. In Bali, dogs along the road are as common as chickens. They lie and watch the world pass and, come evening, rummage through the leftovers of five-star hotel restaurants. It's a dog's life!