24 Sep
2011
24 Sep
'11
2:46 p.m.
On 24 Sep 2011 at 18:19, Tony Duell wrote:
And I think that's the difference. I don't
want to dominate and
control another living thing. I am very happy for the cat to live his
life, interacting with me when he chooses. Of course I care for him
and feed him but other than tha4t its his life...
Well, there's no accounting for taste. Some people keep fish,
tarantulas, pythons and mice and get what they need. Some people
apparently keep raccoons.
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.
--Chuck