Dogs
Really Are Different
Do you agree with these amazing
differences between dogs, cats, and horses and their relationships with us?
Email us below!
April 2017
Barbara "BJ" Andrews, Editor-In-Chief
We'll
start with cats but first, let’s get something straight. 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.
Judges hold dog owners responsible for
anything a dog does but cats can cause accidents, wreak havoc in the
neighborhood, and even attack people with legal impunity. So 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 come running for food. Several takes are
necessary because there may be a fluff on the floor or a foot that needs
grooming. When we set the food bowl down, the cat will arrive at a leisurely
stroll while showing off the latest in tail-hook maneuvers.
Do cats ever seek you
out because you’re you? No. Cat people are largely delusional.
On the occasion that a cat takes time from its busy day to rub
their scent glands across some part of the human anatomy,
cat lovers feel adored. I have always thought it significant
that cats prefer to mark the human face with the glands located
near the anus. Indulgent owners just smile while gently nudging
the cat’s posterior away from their mouth. Can you imagine a dog
owner being flattered by a butt-rub facial??!!!
A dog will follow you because you’re
the pack leader. A cat will follow you out of curiosity, nothing more, nothing
less. Will a cat stand fast to protect you? No.
So
what about horses? Well now, you’re talking to an accomplished horsewoman. I
loved my horses. Fed them, polished them, and learned to trim hooves. I was so
into horses I became proficient in buying auction “snakes” and developing them
into saleable, well mannered mounts. But did I ever have one that would
come when called unless I was holding the feed bucket? No. In no time at all I
realized that Smokey, Flicka, Thunderhead, and The Black were truly works of
fiction.
They say donkeys protect flocks or some
such nonsense. No way. Jacks just go after anything they don’t know personally,
including unfamiliar humans. Horses and mules settled the west and won WWI
for us. Credit where it’s due. But not one went to war without a bit in its mouth!
We have a friend who is a multi-species
trainer and her liberty horse performs beautifully but she could ask him all day
long to fetch the newspaper and he’d just swish his tail
in her face. However... when she asks her German
Shepherd to go out to the round pen and bring her the feed bucket, Colonel not
only does it, he’s delighted that she asked. Let a horse get himself in trouble
and it is a dog that alerts the owner to the problem. Can you imagine it the
other way around???!!
When the day is over,
the horse gladly shucks the reins of civilization and heads for
a good roll. Your dog? If not at your side, he’s waiting at the
door. Think about going out and your dog is looking for the
keys. When your horse sees you hooking up the trailer he
nonchalantly grazes in the other direction.
Your dog will starve rather than leave
you. Unlike mules and horses, military dogs trot happily alongside the handler.
They protect the camps, and boost moral when the going gets tough.
War
dogs suffer in the desert heat and some die with our soldiers in those hard
lands. They find explosives in the mine fields, they find and alert on
snipers. They go in bombed out buildings to search for enemies and clear
the way for their human partners. They didn't enlist but they face each
task with bravery and loyalty unequaled by any other species on earth.
Dogs are different!
Well, I think we
settled that subject quite nicely don’t you? Of course cats and
horses are different than dogs. That is the point. No creature
other than your family members is as unselfishly devoted
to you as is your dog.
No wild horse ever put
his own head in the halter. Capture a pariah dog (jungle Basenji
comes easily to mind) and it will become your friend. Capture a
mustang and you can tame him but don't ever leave the gate open… I don’t know much about the ship of the
desert. My second choice pet has always been an elephant. Although both have
been domesticated for centuries I’ll bet the camel or elephant would be quite
happy to never see a human again.
Only the dog stays because he wants to
stay. And please, don’t tell me how we devolved them into children and that’s
why they are so dependent on humans. Whoever scripted those Animal Planet shows
are obviously cat lovers...
Perhaps, in the
intricate scheme of Creation, a design whereby everything fits
and even the Platypus had a place, Dog was created for one
extraordinary purpose. Unlike any other mammal, Man needs
flattery, support, and unconditional love. He hungered through
centuries of evolutionary progress until The Creator, in His
infinite wisdom, realized He had made Man insufficient in that
regard. So He looked at all the animals He had made and
decided that the wolf, with its highly developed social
structure, would be the perfect example of enduring love.
And
so it was that wolf became Dog, allowing us to share life with a
selfless, inherently good soul, totally free of malice and
deceit. Loyal to the end, Dog is our one true friend.
Horses serve, cats
enchant but only Dog crept to the fire and laid down beside man.
A millennium ago Dog chose Man.
And that’s why dogs are different...
Do you agree? Do you have
something to add to this conversation. If so, tell us,
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