Feb. 14 – Dog’s Best Friend?

Today is Valentine’s Day, a day to celebrate the love we share with others. While I could write extensively of all the ways I love my family, for this column, I’ll focus on dogs and our relationship with them.

The alliance between humans and dogs has been a work in progress for about 15,000 years. The benefits of having the dog become our ally have been many. They scavenged early men’s wastes, providing a kind of “waste disposal” sanitation service. Dogs barked warnings for villagers, announcing the arrival of unknown, and perhaps dangerous, intruders into their common territory. Moving forward, dogs became our legs to help herd animals who were much too quick for us, they became our eyes to spot fallen game that must be collected to feed our families, and they became our ears to hear the approach of people intent on harming us. The relationship continued to advance. Dogs became trained to entertain us in movies, on television, and in circuses. Service dogs became priceless in assisting those who needed help, whether physical or mental.

Dogs have become a valuable tool in identifying skin cancer and more studies are underway to determine if they can also detect bladder, lung, and breast cancers. A quick glance of recent headlines from Science Daily (http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/plants_animals/dogs/) shows further medical uses for dogs: “Dogs May Provide An Excellent Model for Understanding Complex Human Diseases”; “Canine Compulsive Disorder Identified In Dogs – Shares Family With Recently Targeted Gene for Autism in Humans.” The dog may hold solutions to helping us live healthier as well as happier lives.

As with any relationship, there are always two sides. Sometimes, one side gives more than it receives. Have humans really done their part in rewarding the lifetime of servitude given by dogs? We feed them, give them shelter, and provide for their entertainment by doing “silly human tricks” like fetching the ball we’ve just thrown when they refuse to even investigate the location where it landed. We bathe them, brush them, give them treats, and snuggle with them at night. We tend to their illnesses and transport them to the veterinarian when they are sick beyond our expertise. Except for the baths, they should be grateful, right?

As individuals, most of us love and cherish our dogs and the companionship they provide for us. Dog is man’s best friend. As a society, I think we don’t fare as well. We take them into our homes and ask them not to do what they were bred to do. We chain them outside, alone, for hours on end. We shock them, debark them, and amputate their body parts. Is man dog’s best friend?

There has been much debate in England lately about the current breeding practices being undertaken which focus more on appearance and less on function. If you have doubts about the physical changes dogs have undergone in the past century, review the information presented in Dogs of All Nations, a book written in 1915, no longer copyrighted, and available online at http://www.archive.org/details/dogsofallnations00masorich. Compare the German Shepherd Dog, the English Springer, the Cocker Spaniel, and many others with those we see today. What a difference.

The statement “Looks aren’t everything” certainly holds true here. In our quest to meet the demand for breeds with “perfect” characteristics, we have damaged our four-legged friends. We have bull dogs who have trouble breathing due to the over-shortened snout, sloping German Shepherds with a disproportionate amount of hip dysplasia, high cancer rates in Golden Retrievers, and heart problems in Chihuahuas. These are the results of breeding programs that exaggerate whatever is currently thought to be “perfect for the breed,” an endeavor that uses inbreeding. The physical change is amplified and often at the expense of health and temperament. The purebred dog suffers physically and we become victims as we pay for expensive corrective surgeries or lose our beloved pet from an early death.

Can we make this up to dogs? I don’t know. Certainly, as individuals, we can limit our purchases which will, in turn, affect a change on what is produced. There is more power in numbers. Several Border Collie Associations admonish owners not to register their dogs with the AKC and not to buy AKC registered Border Collies as it is their belief the AKC’s emphasis on looks has diminished the working ability of the Border Collie. For a wonderful perspective on genetics and the Border Collie, which is also applicable to all dogs, read the information presented at http://www.bordercollie.org/kpgene.html.

On this Valentine’s Day, perhaps the best present you can give your dog, your representative of the canine world, is to appreciate the dog as he is. Enjoy the fact that dogs have special talents, extraordinary abilities, and love us in spite of all we do to them that is wrong. Have a purebred, but enjoy the company of a mixed breed, too. The Shelter has many just waiting for a good home. Spay or neuter your dog and leave the breeding to ethical people who look not just at appearance, but also at health and temperament. Learn what your dog really needs and how to communicate better with him. Of course, a good scritch on the neck and a special treat for your dog would be nice, too. You can save the bath for another day.