.jpg)
Family dog. Has a nice ring to it. Cozy, warm, fuzzy, Roles off the tongue like "hot chocolate". Why do these two words conjour up thoughts of playing in the leaves in fall, playing fetch with Fido in the spring, or going to the lake during summer time. "Family". "Dog". What does it mean to you?
This is a real shocker, I know, but dogs haven't always been "family" pets. As a matter of fact, the dew claw proves this very point. Believe it or not, but the dew claw was actually used in the wild to rake off the flesh and hyde of a downed prey. This may be a little gruesome, I know, but a very effective way to set-up the "doggie-buffet". So what has changed from then until now? Is Fluffy really different from her ancestors? Does she still have that "wild side"? Or has it been breed out over the last couple hundred of years?
To answer that question, just watch her the next time somebody comes knocking at the door, or she's introduced to another canine on your next walk. You've seen it. You're watching T.V. and outside a car door slams. She growls. The cackles come up. Something inside her says, "This is MY house, SOMEONE is nearing MY domain.". Then you open the door to let your friend in and instead of attacking, she greets the "intruder" with a rolling over on the back and wets on herself! Joking aside, at least she growled. Regardless of the wetting, this is one of her roles. She is still just as territorial as her forerunners. She will try (usually) to protect the pack. Protector. This is still part of her genetic makeup.
Loyal Friend. Why do wolves run in packs? Could it be they were designed to be social? Is being loyal to the pack still part of Fido's genetic makeup today? George G. Vest said it best, "The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog." Wow. Sad but true. How many times have you and I come home from the worst day in human history, and just as we walk in the door, there he is, wagging his tail. Sometimes he gets up right away and hurries to meet you. Other times, he lays where he is, looking up at you, tail thumping the whole time. Just his reaction alone is enough to help you feel better. He's your Loyal Friend. Welcome home.
We could go on and on about the roles of a family dog. Protector. Loyal Friend. So on and so forth. But one thing is for sure. There is nothing new under the sun. Could it be that although Fluffy is now a domesticated pet, the roles from yesterday for her are still the same today? Have the roles really changed that much? Can we simply look back in history to find the answer? Why not?
Comments