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***** To join INSNA, visit http://www.insna.org ***** From a practical point of view, both dogs and babies create attachments which are clearly parts of social networks. I'm surprised that no one else has noted that the dog-networks have a lot more weak ties, the people who you know because you walk dogs at the same time, but only know in the dog-world. Networks that include babies are more notable for their strong ties, to the point where you don't get to know anyone else but the newborn for the span of several months. A proper analysis would also differentiate cat-people, who don't generally socialize outdoors with their pets, from dog-people who have lots more outdoor networking opportunities. And then you'd have to point at web based services like Dogster and Catster, and do a comparative analysis vs. La Leche League. I'm sure there's a master's degree in here somewhere for someone. Ed father of "Luigi", 7, and "Mario", 3, both boys; and "Naomi", 13 or 14, a cat; and neighbor to a bunch of dogs and their people, generally the dog-people are more visible neighbors than the cat-people all else being equal. _____________________________________________________________________ SOCNET is a service of INSNA, the professional association for social network researchers (http://www.insna.org). To unsubscribe, send an email message to [log in to unmask] containing the line UNSUBSCRIBE SOCNET in the body of the message.