FAMILY OR SERVICE DOGS

DOGS ARE DIFFERENT

A CONVERSATION WITH READERS

and Barbara "BJ" Andrews, Dog Breeder, Cat Fancier, Horsewoman

It is how they are different that makes the dog man's best friend, co-worker, and symbol of unwavering loyalty.  Here's my take but tell us (below) what makes YOUR dog different.

Tell us about your dog below or on facebook but first, let’s understand that people who cater to the whims and weirdness of a cat are not “owners.” They are indulgent caregivers, willing servants, but owners? Never! Even the court system recognizes the difference. TV Judge Wapner holds dog owners responsible for anything a dog does but cats have legal impunity.

Let's start with cats. I am a cat lover who once owned an African lioness and who exhibited Bengals before they were TICA registered but I ask you, do cats ever do what you want them to do when you want them to do it? No. Even with those highly trained TV cats that seem to come running for food, several takes are necessary because, well you know, cats are cats. I’ll bet trainers for cat food commercial put a piece of raw chicken liver in the bottom of the cat food bowl … cats are never quite domesticated.  On the occasion that a cat takes time from its busy day to rub its scent glands across your face, cat lovers feel adored.  And that “making bread” thing cats do which so delights a human? Get real. They just as happily knead a roll of toilet paper!

A dog will follow you because you’re the pack leader and he respects and loves you. A cat will follow you out of curiosity, nothing more, nothing less.  Ditto for your horse.  He follows the oats.

All you horse lovers, smile, we're on the same page. We showed a little at halter but mostly I did the games. Barrel Racing, Keyhole, Polebending – the stuff where the only judge was a stop watch.  I loved my horses. Fed them, polished them, learned to trim hooves. I was so into horses I became proficient at buying auction “snakes” and developing them into saleable pleasure horses.

But did I ever have one that would come when called unless I was holding the feed bucket? No. In training "soured" horses I realized there was no comparison in the devotion factor. All those Walter Farley books were in fact works of fiction. Shucks, I have a friend that trained a Brahma bull to be ridden under saddle. That doesn't mean he liked her.  And like cats, horses don't protect you.  They say donkeys protect flocks or herds or some such nonsense. No way. It's just that Jackasses go after anything they don’t know personally, including unfamiliar humans.

Horses and mules settled the west and won WWI for us but not one went to war without a bit in its mouth. Sure, horses pulled cannon and carried the Calvary and all that but they don't do it because they love us. Dogs can carry and pull loads, and in some cultures they are still eaten but the difference is that dogs have comforted mankind both physically and psychologically.

Here's the real test.  Think about going out and your dog is looking for his leash but is your horse thrilled when you hook to the trailer or is he gone? Is your cat concerned when you are sick or is he meowing at the empty food bowl?  OK, that pretty much settles that.

Well, wait, there is one more difference between dogs and any other domestic animal.  Beasts of burden have always gone to war with mankind.  The difference is in the dog's willingness to accompany human friends. That is what we are to dogs.  We're friends.

Of course we care about our other animals but let's face it, they are incapable of loving us the way dogs do.  Only dogs want to be with us.  No other animal really prefers the company of man.  Think about that because it is mind-blowing significant.

The incredible emotional bond between man and dog is poignantly portrayed in this photo.

No earthly creature, not even your parents or your spouse, is as unselfishly devoted to you as is your dog.  It is in his DNA to love you. And puleeeze, don’t tell me how we devolved them into children and that’s why they are so dependent on humans. Who scripted those Animal Planet shows???

So, whatever your faith or beliefs, I think you'll agree, its as though the Creator knew that we were going to need one friend we could always count on and so He made a dog.

What do you believe?  What makes your dog special?  Do you have a hero dog? Service dog?  Does your dog communicate on a level beyond human speech?  Does your dog know when you are coming home?  Has your dog saved your family or protected your home?  Tell us why your dog is different!