On 09/24/2011 05:46 PM, Chuck Guzis wrote:
Dogs, on the other hand are real companions, having
been bred to the
job since prehistory. They've been by man's side probably as long as
man has hunted for his food.
They're bright, understand a certain amount of speech (they learn
quite rapidly) and form very strong working bonds with their owners.
Their social structure is of the pack, so there must be a pack alpha
and it had better be the human if they're going to live in a human
world.
Show me a seeing-eye cat or service cat for paraplegics. I have yet
to witness a police cat being taken out on a manhunt. Around here,
cats seem to be food for coyotes and cougars. People tend to think
nothing of taking Muffin and her litter of kittens out to the country
and dumping them. Those animals rarely survive for long.
I speak from experience--I had a cat as a child and after I was out
in the world, I had several cats for 20 years. I've had cats and dogs
at the same time. But a dog is something very special.
This argument is even older than emacs vs. vi.
For others, myself included, cats are "real companions", bred to it
or not. No, they don't perform seeing eye duties, but then they tend
not to be kept as "work animals" because they're not suited to it, just
like there are no seeing eye cows.
I grew up and lived with both dogs and cats as well, and have been
very close to both, but as a companion and compassionate friend, FOR ME,
there is no better pet than a cat. I tend to see dogs as undignified
animals who will smother anyone with false affection (not to mention
saliva) when they think it will get them food, while a cat is (forgive
me) something very special.
-Dave
--
Dave McGuire
Port Charlotte, FL