Anybody that has lived with a dog will understand completely
the sentiment of a dog being a ‘man’s best friend’. Canine familiaris is an intelligent mammal species that is also
unique. Humans have gained the trust of many species, befriended and domesticated
many more. Many people assume that the dog is a work of man, however the
origins of dogs are not solely human based. First the wolf had to want to be
around us. It has been found through a long, ethically debatable, research
project that you cannot raise a wolf from a pup and expect it to act like a
domesticated dog, however the friendly members of the canine family do seem to
hold a docile gene, just as they hold an aggressive, ‘wild’ gene. This study
found that silver foxes that showed tolerance and friendliness towards humans
could be bred together to produce even more tolerant offspring, and after many
generations ‘tame, domesticated’ silver foxes were being born in abundance.
Science believes that dogs came about through the same process. Tamer, more
docile wolves came upon humans and both reaped mutual benefits and eventually
these animals became more and more similar to the earliest dog breeds we know
and love today. It is only in relatively recent years that we were able to
morph this friendly canine into the hundreds of breeds we now have, many of
which are twisted and deformed to serve perverse human fashions (see pugs,
Pekingese and even basset hounds).
So that is a simple telling of the origin of dogs, I only
tell it as I feel it is paramount for changing the attitudes of people towards
dogs that they understand the species and respect the fact that they are not a
creation of man. Domestication is not unique to dogs; however the relationship
a human can have with a dog is unparalleled with any other species. Even cats
or horses, our other commonly found pet species. No other animal, not even
chimpanzees, can read us humans as well as the dog. It is their ability to read
us that makes them so special, and thus their ability to communicate on an emotional
level with mankind. Through living alongside each other, we have both learnt
how to successful form mutually beneficial, deeply impacting and emotional
relationships – yet still people do not see dogs as animals to respect or
trust. Many people do not even believe dogs to hold emotional levels, let alone
emotional constraints similar to our own.
And this is where the point of this blog post lies. To me,
humans are a species that is despicable, disgraceful and downright disgusting.
We have potential for greatness, potential for incredible emotional holdings
and intellect yet we are still a people that is blinded by greed and ignorance.
I could tap away about the issues regarding human on human rights, however my
focus in life is on animals and in particular the creatures we have welcomed
into our homes. I am already nearing the word limit I give myself, so I will
not go into detail on all the issues in this post however be warned – they are
coming. All I want to say today is that the distrust and breed specific hatred
that is found amongst pet lovers and pet haters alike is just inhumane and
disgraceful.
In all honesty what I want to say is getting lost as just
trying to get to the point is making me angry. I want to talk about the
prejudice dished out to bull breeds, dogs that were bred to be loyal and loving
to people alongside the ability to fight bulls and alongside the history of dog
fighting. I want to point out that dogs are all born with the ability to be dog
friendly, people loving and highly intelligent non-human sentient beings. Yes
some, just like with people, may have medical problems that compromise this
ability, however this should be disregarded when trying to talk about the
issues we have as a whole. Just as we wouldn’t judge an entire race due to the
actions of a minority, an entire breed should not be deemed evil because people
have made individuals act in despicable ways.
A dog will never attack without reason – be that reason
medical, or be that reason human abuse, or mixed signals, or dangerous
situations either the person has been put into or the dog has been reared in.
People need to stop judging dogs on their breeding, just as we don’t judge
people on their families. People need to understand that animals are not
robotic machines but actual living creatures that feel as we do. People need to
realise that all the issues we face with aggressive animals is down to our own
ignorance and naivety. People need to realise that to own an animal is a great
responsibility and that an understanding of that animal’s behaviour is a must.
What I do not understand is that if people are supposedly the
most intelligent and highly evolved animals on this planet, how are there still
people that cannot empathise or see and understand the truths that are staring
them blindly in the face!? And this comes down to more than just my views on
dog breed specific legislation and prejudice but just general life! Sometimes I
just want to scream and grab people by the wrists and somehow make them
understand how stupid and ignorant they are being. If only I could transfer
another persons consciousness into my own, so they can see what I see.
I am not some super intelligent person, I am moderately
educated, and I struggle with many social situations that I may come into, and
by no means am I an animal expert. What I do know is, however, that I can
empathise. I feel it may be this ability that allows me to see things other
people cannot. I can put myself into the point of view of even those people that I simply cannot
agree with on any level, and I can do this with animals too. Now this isn’t
some crazy ability, it is something all humans are meant to be able to do, yet
for some reason many people seem to ignore this part of themselves – even when
it comes to their friends and family.
Empathy, to me, is key to unlocking true human potential. People need to
stop living for themselves, living for greed and living for power. People need
to stop living in the now and take a step back, look at themselves and look at
the world around them. Stop thinking about yourself for one moment and actually
realise the situation we as people are in. Okay, I have definitely digressed
down a major tangent path right now… not sure how to bring this blog back to my
original point so I’m going to end now with a simple little moral we are all
preached as young children:
Do Not
Judge A Book By It’s Cover.
