Dogs are great. Cats are pretty good too.
Some advice about vacations--sometimes, the best thing to do is to just take a trip somewhere locally. Hop on a bus and go to the other side of town, drive to the next town over, or take a walk where you grew up. I also like taking "one day" trips where I can get to another city within a few hours--they can be taken over a weekend, involve only one night at a hotel, don't require airfare, and can be a lot of fun depending on what you like to do. If you're into animals, for example, visit some other city's zoo. If you want to visit some prominent landmarks, by all means go for it.
Gettysburg is a good place to go for a getaway if you're in PA, especially if you are into the Civil War. There's enough to do in the park itself plus there's some nice shops on the outskirts of town. Civil War buffs can also drive to Antietam the next day, which isn't too far from Gettysburg and is also very nice (although you're best off visiting Hagerstown if you want a city to spend the night in--not much around Antietam itself).
Civil War battlefields aren't the best place to meet singles (unless you happen to cross paths with another Civil War buff who is looking for someone) but they are fun to visit, even if you just go to take a walk around the parks. (Make sure you get someone to take your picture behind one of the big cannons!)