The million dollar question that often arises in our mind is “Why do humans keep pets”. Some people say that pets are animals which can scarcely survive alone in the wild. So human beings provide them with all kinds of nourishment and protect them from the dangers they could otherwise face. Some say that pets are different from other animals in that we see them as ‘friends’ rather than ‘food to eat’. Some even say that pets are humans with ‘fur’ which I believe is true. Dogs are the prodigious version of the people. Pets are the best kinds you can have at home because not only is it aesthetically pleasing, but they give us a warm feeling with company. And when it comes to the word ‘company’, Dogs are the masters in this field.
Yes, a dog can always be a man’s best friend. They are probably the best ever creation on Earth. To have a dog as a pet is the most beautiful gift an individual can ever get. A quote by Josh Billings says it all. “A Dog is the only thing on Earth that loves you more than he loves Himself”. After years of growing and maturing, we establish that the most important thing we demand from a relationship in any instance is not only full acceptance and trust but a compatible energy, a strong feeling of love moving through the entire body. Our dogs can give us that. Dogs have their unique way of expressing compassion. They will move around the house aimlessly, trying to grab your attention showing that they are never better off without it, licks and hugs will come as compliments. A dog will always be our faithful partner no matter what the situation is. It would always like to be fed, pampered and taken care of. Just a little consideration from your side is all that they need. Dogs usually bestow a lot of favor upon us in return for a really minimum amount of the same. They can readily be given the status of a best friend.
Certain breeds of dogs show different behavioural traits. Behaviours of Domestic dogs or CANIS LUPIS FAMILIARIS are influenced by social, genetic and environmental causes. Nowadays dogs have the ability of remembering a stock of about 340 words. Their level of intelligence is rapidly grabbing the spotlights. It is also said that dogs were able to be domesticated by and succeeded in coming with human contact because of their social nature. Dogs generalize their instincts to include humans in their pack. They show behaviours and mannerisms similar to the humans and considering them a part of our species is worth it. Dogs titillate our inner selves. They are capable of exercising a variety of roles like taking care of the children, guarding the house etc. They are our beloved companions. It is hard to be precise about when this friendship actually began but sources reveal that in the Chauvet caves in the Ardeche region of France, a 50 metre trial of footprint made by a boy of about ten alongside those of a large ‘Canid’ that appears to be part wolf, part dog was discovered. The story ascertains us that dogs have the potential to merge with the humans and build up their own space in our hearts. It is even said that humans don’t domesticate dogs but rather the dogs have domesticated the humans. Wouldn’t anyone want a partner who worshipped them, loved them, always welcomed them home enthusiastically, was content with lifelong loyalty and protection? Observe your dog closely. It will give you that same sensation. Your pet dog will never run away if it gets a chance, rather it would stay glued to your side, lick you, startle you with occasional jumps and fidget restlessly maybe by plucking at your clothes or spinning around only to compel you to coodle it like your baby. Dogs are a strange, volatile, contradictory yet sticky phenomenon. They are crafted, shaped, moulded with focused effort. And yet, true friendship between the both of you, once recognized, in its essence will seem effortless. Dogs value companionship and if isolated are often distressed. Experts call it the ‘Seperation Anxiety’. Dogs portray emotions typical of the humans. They share the complex way we think. The media has repeatedly illustrated several instances of dogs behaving empathetically towards their owners. A puppy named Cobler saved her owner by alerting her to a gas leak. Another dog pulled his paraplegic owner from the truck which unexpectedly filled with noxious gas, exploded later. With the passing days, humans are largely interested in owning dogs because of their charming personality. They respond to their cues, both visual and auditory. They delve into our lifestyles, become our closest pal, indeed a “friend in need”. Many prefer canines that can be easily trained like LABRADORS, GERMAN SHEPHARD, BORDER COLLIES AND STANDARD COLLIES. Dogs are an epitome of honesty, generosity, faithfulness and sensitivity. All these qualities add up to an amazing friendship.
Loving dogs for my entire life, I have become an individual who would rather roll in a pile of puppies than spend time on the Internet which is a huge deal. Dogs have their way of dragging us out of our human forms and convincing us to be free. Not the India democracy kind of freedom, but that genuine freedom which would transform us into individuals unafraid to cherish every last bit of happiness. Throughout the period of being a dog lover, dog owner and dog nurturer, I began to understand all about the inner workings of the world and the nature of being happy. My dogs are never so inhuman or selfish, they are capable of feeling sadness. They are so humble that they will overfill you with all kinds of positivity that you will be bound to jump back to your simplistic form. They are walking billboards for trust and never suspect antagonism from anyone. Even in pain, they would rather stick out their tongue and hold your heaviness on the tip of their tails than watch you suffer. We search for opportunities to interact with our dogs. They enlighten the surrounding with their intellectual brightness and cast a spell of security and passion onto the dull, dampened walls of our human uncertainity.
That phase of your life when your sunlit room seems overshadowed with grey clouds, you can sit with your dog and read out your mind to him for endless hours. He will sit quietly beside you and stare at you with his sparkling eyes. He will never walk away. Dogs can juggle with your manifold emotions. They know when to play your favourite Coldplay song on repeat, they know the echoes of the famous words “I love you” at any wavelength. They are our real time saviours. They understand our shifting balance on a bad day but still continue to bubble with so much energy, it overlooks every inch of your sadness. Dogs are discounts that will fit into your shoes just right. Dogs are chocolate chips on your icecream. Dogs are your best friends who will spill everyone’s secrets in their own language that others watch eagerly but no one understands. Dogs beg us to be curious. They beg us to play with them, want something more from life, look at the cusp of the universe and plead for it to throw a ball at you. They are excellent mind reader’s that will show what kind of a person you really are.
I always have this natural obligation to start up a conversation with someone who will listen with no choice and understand your ‘inner you’. They give us an invitation to love. They sometimes destroy the beauty of your house in one fleeting moment of uncontrollability, but they are the perfect ornaments of your household. They are unpredictable. They are a link to paradise. They do not know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with your dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in the garden of Eden where doing nothing is not boring- it is peace. They are so your best friends, your 3 am friend or can even be your talented marriage partner, if you decide on doing so.
As the so called proud owners, we owe so much of recovery and discovery to our dogs in this lifetime that we always want to multiply our love for them ten times more. Vivacity and vehemence are virtues for which every dog is adored. They can kill our lethargy in a millisecond and stuff us with ample stamina for ages. Dogs hear the voices of humans.
I humbly disagree. They themselves are a voice to humans. Their devotion mesmerizes us and cultivates us into disciplined, wild creatures, with fully inculcated manners and skills; we would want to wag our tails to their honour.
As Jhonny Depp puts it- “The only creatures that are evolved enough to convey pure love are Dogs”. They are a metaphor for life and love. And surely have every quality of being our best friends. We can never get enough from our dogs.