The reasons for loving dogs are enthusiastic, eloquent, sometimes surprisingly scientific, and shared by some 66 million dog owners across the country. I am a believer not just because I have experienced daily life with two of these special companions in recent years, but because canines have profoundly shaped my understanding of others.
At eight years old, I carved up my dad’s issue of National Geographic magazine. My primitive scrapbook of pictured breeds convinced me that collies were the photogenic ideal. I certainly wanted one. The television premiere of Lassie in 1954 was an inspiration. Unfortunately, my dad liked cats more. Also, a nip on my butt from the neighborhood German shepherd frightened me away.
Even so, when I learned that our public library held shelves of novels about dogs, I voraciously consumed every one about collies authored by Alfred Payson Terhune. “Lad: A Dog” won my adolescent heart, and Jack London’s 1903 “Call of the Wild” captured my imagination. There is still no better way to learn to read for pleasure than to fall in love with an animal and make reading about it your passion.
During this same period, tv and comic book canines proliferated. I was captivated by Roy Rodger’s Bullet, Sergeant Preston’s Yukon KIng, the U.S Cavalry’s Rin Tin Tin and by the end of the 50’s Fred MacMurray’s Shaggy Dog. To date, at least 152 different dogs have played important roles in movie and video land.
Many years would pass before we would purchase a canine pet, but I was always fascinated by dogs and their owners. I understand someone better if they own a dog and I can see how the dog reacts to them. Just to illustrate, 30 of our 47 presidents have kept dogs. Most became beloved family members.
Probably the best known was Fala, FDR’s Scottish terrier. Throughout WWII, Fala became a news-fetching companion for the president who made no secret of his deep affection for the Scotty.
Dogs sometimes become heroes because they selflessly save lives, especially during wartime. Two legendary examples are Sergeant Stubby in WWI, a stray bull terrier who took part in 17 battles and even captured a German spy; and Chips in WWII who helped capture 10 Nazis in one day despite serious injuries.
Dogs ingratiate themselves because they are either extremely trainable or bred for special purposes. We see them routinely performing as drug sniffers, senior home visitors, therapy dogs, or seeing-eye dogs. The most memorable example in my personal experience was a local deputy sheriff who trained and relied on three different dogs – a beagle who could sniff our paper currency, an arson dog who could sniff out minute traces of accelerant, and a blood hound who could track down escapees or runaways.
Dogs and humans have been connected for at least 15,000 years. The link is really a co-evolution where each species learned to benefit the other for survival and companionship. Researchers suggest that when dogs and their owners interact, each experiences a biochemical surge of oxycontin, also known as the “love hormone”. The mutual benefits are therapeutic and help to reduce anxiety, loneliness, and depression.
Moreover, science suggests that dogs have a remarkable ability to empathize, that is, to read and respond to our body language and vocal expressions. Nor do they forget what they see. One kind of memory is associative and immediate, thus explaining why they always perk up when we bring out that favorite toy. Another sort of canine memory may last for years. Witness how they remember and react to their owners or events after lengthy separations.
I am convinced that the rewarding companionship of our wonderful pooches taught us more about ourselves than we ever thought possible. What seems to make dogs learn from us is just what we learn from dogs – how to express and reciprocate unconditional love.
