A friend so loving that even if you yelled at them or called them a name in the heat of anger, they would still be there for you. They would stay by your side no matter what. Always with the same enthusiasm as the day you met. One whose only desire in life is your approval and your company. One who would fend off an attacker and give their life in an attempt to protect yours.
I'm talking about dogs. Man's (or woman's) best friend. They'll never lie to you; never cheat on you; and never do anything to deliberately hurt you as long as you treat them in a loving way and feed them.
How did we develop such an association with these animals? Scientists say that all dogs evolved from wolves. The theory is that we were hanging out around a campfire and a hungry wolf came up to check us out. Someone gave him a hunk of meat or a leftover bone and he decided to stay for a while. There was something special about that wolf. He wasn't afraid of us. When he got to know us, he found out we're really worth hanging around. We would give him food and affection, and just like any loving creature, he got a great sense of satisfaction from giving to us.
Over time we bread these animals to be more friendly. The process is really pretty simple and it's been recreated in modern times. All you do is find the litter at a couple weeks old and try to touch them. The ones that don't growl at you get pulled and bread with other more friendly dogs. They did this with Foxes about 50 years ago and they found that to go from completely wild to completely tame takes only ten generations. Interestingly, when this happens, they lose their perky ears too.
From there, it's mostly about looks. I have a friend with a dog that looks very much like a baby seal. Another with a dog that has 6" long cat fur. Small dogs, giant dogs, bald dogs and hairy dogs. They run the gambit of looks and traits. Dalmatians with their deafness. German shepards with their fearless loyalty. Samoyeds with their love of close contact. Dobermans with their aggressive territorial instincts. Dogs that are so ugly they bridged that gap back to cute. You know the one's I'm talking about. Basenjis, Beagles and other hounds with their keen noses, hunting instincts...and their annoying baying at the moon. Ugh! But you gotta' love 'em. Especially Beagles! Never has a finer looking animal roamed the face of the Earth as the Beagle!
Dogs. Our best friends! From the common wolf to all the different breeds we have today in just a few thousand years. To us, they are companions. To them, we are gods.
All I can say is, top this one.
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