love steals us from loneliness?

I think my dog is lonely. He has a teddy bought for 50p at a car boot sale which he carries around everywhere and treats very gently and with fondness. I noticed this, and realised that he doesn't really have any friends and probably uses the somewhat sad little bear as a substitute. The other day, he nudged the speed-dial button on the phone, and Helen and I both mocked him gently because, well, who would he ring? It's not like we can get another dog to keep him company. I think there is very little to be done. We have a lonely dog on our hands. So why am I telling you this? I'm not sure really. It's very possible that I have spent too much time at home with my dog in the past couple of weeks, or perhaps the tale of my lonely dog can be seen as an allegory. Perhaps I'm just the sort of person who notices when a dog is sad. Hard to say...