Your dog is truly your best friend — and for most of us, our most loyal friend.
Animals are like humans: they can love, too. It is not hard to believe that animals have hearts just like us; in fact, they are more committed and dedicated than we are. To lose their family is catastrophic.
Dogs and cats grieve just as much, if not more, than humans. Dogs are your best friends, and in most cases you can trust them more than human friends. They are very loyal animals.
Researchers originally believed domestic dogs separated from their wolf ancestors after they began living among humans. However, more recent studies suggest otherwise. Studies of the mitochondrial DNA of wolves and dogs show the two split about 135,000 years ago, according to the Adirondack Almanack.
Archaeological evidence, such as the discovery of buried dog bones near human settlements, suggests dogs and humans began sharing their lives between 10,000 and 30,000 years ago. These studies show dogs were already a separate species when they first encountered humans.
One thing is certain; dogs have been part of our lives and helping us for many many years. And not only have we helped them, but they have helped us by performing a variety of tasks. Dogs have been loyal hunting companions to early humans and are still loyal today, performing tasks like helping those with disabilities to sniffing out cancer in humans. They even help lift our spirits by helping those with depression. Many people have dog loyalty stories based on their relationship with their dog. Part of this is due to the great communication that exists between dogs and humans.
Dogs also display more human behaviors than any other animal. Because of these behaviors, it’s easy to feel like your dog is almost human. Dogs are sentient beings, and like people, dogs have a rich inner life. Dogs feel joy, optimism, anxiety, fear, excitement, sadness and other emotions, just on a different level than most adult humans.
Dogs love sharing our joy, too; just try doing a happy dance without your dog joining in. The empathy that dogs show to humans is similar to their empathetic response to other dogs in distress, in that they wish to alleviate your sadness or stress and share in your joy.
The bottom line is, I think everyone would agree that dogs are an excellent example of loyalty and faithfulness. For more information or stories check out www.cuteness.com.
If you are looking for that faithful and loyal companion, stop by the Central Aroostook Humane Society at 26 Cross Street, Presque Isle. Our hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can also check us out on Facebook.
Please be responsible: spay and neuter your pets.
Gloria Towle is the secretary and a member of the board of directors of the Central Aroostook Humane Society.
