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In the short story Next to a Dog, Joyce Lambert is a young widow. She is living in a rented room with her old dog Terry. Although she is unemployed, she refuses to take any job that means that she can’t keep her beloved dog--this would rule out any residential position and day-jobs required qualifications which she did not have. Nor does Joyce have any relatives except for her late husband's several aunts who were generally not helpful. She does have a wealthy suitor, but she doesn't love him. How Joyce negotiates her way through all these conflicting demands forms the main plot of the story.

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