by Matt Bird

Created on: May 11, 2009

As one of two major pets in the lives of humans - the other being cats - dogs are often considered man's best friend. And while this title may be debatable for some ill-tempered canines, on the whole I think it's an accurate assessment of dogs and their relationship with us.

Think about it. What pet remains so stubbornly devoted to their owners that they'll whine and paw at the door when said owner has gone out somewhere? Will pine away the days sitting in the window, waiting for their faithful pink friends to return from a day at work? Will, when said person comes home, exhibit such bounds of joy that it will seem as though you've returned from a five-year trip to Africa?

Not cats. Not hamsters. Not lizards, nor snakes, nor fish. Just dogs.

There is some method to their madness, of course. Dogs are pack animals by nature, and so they crave the kind of social life that cats don't necessarily enjoy. A dog without its fellows is a dog that's nervous and frightened. So it makes sense that they'd go nuts for companionship. It's more a matter of biology than psychological clinging.

Or is it? Anybody who owns a dog knows they've got a personality. They don't operate solely off instinct, or at least I don't think so. Dogs have a sense of loyalty to their owners, a loyalty engendered through years of kind treatment and mutual love. When a dog's owner is in a pinch the dog will leap forward to defend them, and will perform great feats of daring to keep the ones they're tied to alive. And while cats may save people from horrible fates, they won't usually put themselves in harm to do so. Not nearly as often as dogs, anyway.

Dogs always want to be there at your side. Whenever their master decides to do something, the dog wants to come, too. They're a natural sidekick to mankind, performing their duties faithfully and with an emotional relish that other animals can't match. Seeing the crazed wag of the tail and the strange, toothy smile of a happy dog is enough to endear them to anyone. If you've got a dog as a friend you've probably got a friend for life, and they'll always manage to perk up your day.

Consequently dogs are the animals we're least likely to forget. The names of humans come and go in my mind, and I forget them as readily as I do anything else, but not dogs. I remember the names, looks and personalities of all the dogs in my life. They've impressed themselves upon my mind as far more than just another pet: they're lifelong companions, no matter how long they might live in reality, and most certainly deserving of the title 'man's best friend'.

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