Man's Faithful Friend

Every dog breed today is descended from wolves, even the chihuahua! It is estimated that “the dog” was domesticated between 20,000 and 40,000 years ago (that’s how close we’ve been to dogs). It’s hard to believe that the little pooch we love so much actually “comes” from wild wolves. However, it is true!

It is thought that dogs were first domesticated in Europe and Asia. There are lots of theories. One such is that when wolves started to encounter humans (us), instead of running away they ‘decided’ to make friends, perhaps they felt it was a good way to survive. Over time, man and wolf started a ‘relationship’, and somewhere along the line, we realized that being friends with wolves / dogs is a good move for us humans.

In 1789, King Frederick of Prussia said of his Italian Greyhound: “The only, absolute and best friend that a man has, in this selfish world, the only one that will not betray or deny him, is his dog.”

Ogden Nash wrote the poem entitled “An Introduction to Dogs”: “The dog is man’s best friend. He has a tail on one end. Up in front he has teeth. And four legs underneath”. We’ve known the phrase ever since: “A man’s best friend is his dog”.

Today, our favorite ‘friend’ is well-fed, given a comfortable environment to live in and security. What we get from dogs is companionship, loyalty and protection. The two really do go hand in hand. We love them unconditionally and their loyalty knows no boundaries.

It is built into dogs to be loyal. Like the wolf, the dog is a pack animal. In the wild, wolves are extremely loyal to the pack and support the pack — at any cost! Working together, they are expert survival specialists. Dogs may see us humans as part of the ‘pack’ and so are loyal to us at any cost. Studies tell us that dogs have emotions and can ‘feel’. Treat them right, and they are devoted to us.

One breed that stands out to us is the “Golden Retriever”. Even if we’ve never had a dog (like myself) we know of this breed as the dog which is trained to help the blind — a “Guide Dog”. It is (one) of the gentlest and affectionate and is easy to train. It is used in dog shoes, obedience trials, as a gundog and (as already mentioned) a dog to help the blind. It is a powerfully built dog, medium-sized and ‘stands’ from 56-61cm (22-24 inches). The Golden Retriever is intelligent, gentle in nature, calm and extremely tolerant with children. It is one of the most commonly kept breeds of companion dogs.

As a Guide Dog, the Golden Retriever is trained — from a puppy. At ‘Puppy Class’, they are taught such words as sit / stray / down / come and are taught to walk ahead on the lead. When these pups are between 12 and 16 months old, they go on to ‘Adult School’. These special dogs are now introduced to an harness, encouraged to ignore distractions and they learn the basics of guiding: leading a person on in a straight line, stopping and sitting (i.e. kerbs, steps) and avoiding street obstacles. The dogs are now taken into ‘real-life’ situations. It is interesting to learn that during all of this training, the individual dog’s personality is taken into consideration, to help the dog and so that the right dog can be put with the right (blind) person.

The “English Bulldog” is another very popular dog breed. This breed is actually a good family dog and is loving to most children. They are sociable, friendly and gentle and very laid-backed. The male stands 17 inches and can weigh 54lbs. This breed can live from 8 to 10 years. As mentioned before, it is a ‘people-oriented’ dog. It was, however, originally bred for bull baiting and still has that courage, which now makes them good watchdogs. The “breed” actually goes back to the 13th Century.

These are just two of the 194 recognized dog breeds throughout the world. I personally am nervous of dogs because I was bitten by one when I was a little girl. I went for the ball, the dog went for the ball and ‘caught’ my hand instead (no scars by the way). We never kept dogs growing up in the family home so I never really got used to them. Even so, I still think that they are the most loyal domesticated animal / pet we will ever know.

Every year on the 11th of November, we remember the soldiers who gave their lives during the Two World Wars. Recently, we have also been reminded of the animals who “served” also. Think, too, about the fearless Police Dogs, whether detaining a criminal or sniffing out drugs — these dogs have great courage!

We may ‘look after’ our faithful friends but they give so much more in return.

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