Without question man’s best friend is his dog. It is estimated that approximately 48 percent of American households have a dog and our four-legged friends number more than 80 million. They range from the tiny chihuahua to Great Danes. In fact, my little dog Max is loved by nearly everyone. I take him every day to Library Park where dozens of people pet and hold him. He responds by kissing them and loving them. He is a real lover.
At one time dogs were primary hunting companions and served a valuable role in helping man feed his family. Today, dogs are still used for hunting but also for hundreds of other tasks. Recently dogs have proved invaluable in detecting various diseases in humans, especially cancer. What this means is that old Labrador Retriever has a much more valuable role than retrieving a dead duck.
Dogs first bonded with humans about 15,000 years ago and served as both protectors and hunters. In fact, scientists say that without their canine companions many of these original humans wouldn’t have survived.
Loyalty to their human owners hasn’t changed down through the years. A dog gets so bonded with its owner that he/she knows an hour before the owner leaves the home that he is going. The dog often will is very quiet and sulks. The dog also knows when its master is coming home and sits by the door waiting for him with its tail wagging.
A few years ago scientists did a study with one of their group. That professor had a dog and the dog knew exactly when the owner had to leave to go to work and would go to his kennel. The scientists thought the dog was keying on the coat and pants the professor wore each day. The professor changed clothes but the dog still went to its kennel. They then had the professor change his shoes from regular loafers to a different style. The dog just sat by the professor and didn’t go to his kennel. The scientists determined the dog was keying in on the shoes.
Dogs are proving invaluable in detecting cancer in humans, especially lung, bladder and breast cancers. Scientists have long known that cancer puts out a slight odor. Dogs have a smelling ability that’s 100,000 times better than a human’s. In recent years, scientists have discovered that dogs can smell the breath of a person and can detect cancer with a 98-percent reliability. That’s better than most medical machines. They also can detect when a diabetic is having a reaction to insulin and warn that individual, and they can detect a seizure before it happens.
Dogs also have the ability to look at a person’s face and detect that something is wrong. It’s called left gaze bias. They look to the right side of your face, which is less able to hide your emotions, and can instantly pick up what you are thinking. They can only do this with humans, not with other dogs or animals.
We all know how a dog becomes a member of the family and is actually considered much like a child by its owners. When you come home from a work it’s normally the dog that greets you and cheers you up. When my late wife was sick from cancer our little dog would jump up on the bed and cuddle up to her. Somehow that dog knew she was very ill and wanted to comfort her.
The most popular dog in America is the Labrador Retriever. This is a dog that will weigh in excess of 100 pounds but cuddles like a baby. It is completely loyal to it owner.
The bad part of owning and falling in love with your dog is that you will normally outlive it. Putting it down is a gut-wrenching experience. Most dogs live from 15 to 20 years. Larger dogs tend to have shorter lives in comparison to smaller lap dogs.
When your friends and family are angry with you and ignore you, your dog will always be there. All it asks for is your love.
