A dog’s life
Those of us fortunate enough to know the boundless affections and joy from domestic canines understand how profoundly they enrich our lives in many ways. Humans rescue so many of them and they, in turn, help rescue our species from loneliness, boredom, and even physical distress. Dogless for the first time in years, I have various neighbors’ canines to satisfy my urges to rub fuzzy necks and ears. There’s Buddy the black lab, Sparky (the neighborhood’s Benji), Sophie the energized Corgi, and Bonnie the sweet-natured half-coyote to shower with treats. My packs have ranged over a lifetime from poodles to schnauzers, beagles and Labs. But the favorite breed has always been golden retrievers, the most playfully affectionate dogs I’ve known. Their intelligence and mild dispositions also make them favorites as assistance and guide dogs for the handicapped. When it come to domestic breeds, one study considered border collies and poodles the smartest, followed closely by German shepherds and goldens. Rounding out the Top 10 in order, according to Vancouver’s University of British Columbia neuropsychologist Stanley Coren in his book, The Intelligence of Dogs, are Doberman pinscher, Shetland sheepdog, Labrador retriever, Papillon, Rottweiler and the Australian cattle dog. Regardless of comparative intelligence levels, dogs always hold a special place in our hearts and families as loyal and devoted companions, even when we scold them or worse. It’s as if their DNA is programmed to return people-love tenfold, and without reservation. They detect our diseases, save us from bombs and other threats, rescue us, cuddle us, protect us, locate us, guide and nurture our ailing and afflicted, fight alongside us in warfare and against crime. They enjoy the games and often intricate tricks we teach them, and sometimes even try using human sounds to communicate. They truly are our most nonjudgmental and closest friends. History abounds with stories of their dedicated loyalty to those who love them. In her book Devoted, author Rebecca Ascher-Walsh tells the stories of dogs that distinguished themselves in unique and amazing ways. For instance, there was Jasmine, a rescued greyhound who, when found, was emotionally distraught yet very gentle. She was taken to an animal shelter where over time she came to fill the role of dedicated mother figure to dozens of assorted animals from puppies to foxes, a fawn, badger cubs, guinea pigs, rabbits, and her favorite, a goose. Jasmine’s death in 2011 was marked by worldwide donations in her honor to the sanctuary that accepted her. Ascher-Walsh tells of Effie, a mixed-breed stray teeming with parasites and appearing to be virtually unadoptable. Lisa Hulber saw something else and adopted Effie. After a time, Effie began insistently shoving her nose into Hulber’s breast, causing the owner to wonder if her rescued pet was trying to tell her something. So she made an appointment with her physician where an ultrasound showed a rapidly growing cancer that hadn’t shown up in a mammogram. Effie’s remarkable sense of smell and a double mastectomy saved Hulber’s life. Pearl was a black lab rescued from a California pound, later to wind up being used in places from Haiti to Japan in finding victims of natural disasters. Initially, a group that trains guide dogs for the blind saw promise in Pearl. But handler and fireman Ron Horetski said they soon learned of her hyper streak, which didn’t fit with guiding the disabled. But that quality was what the Natural Disaster Search Dog Foundation was seeking: A smart dog who never tired of helping. After training, Pearl and Ron were dispatched in 2010 to earthquake-ravaged Haiti, and then to Japan in 2011 following the tsunami that claimed many lives. While she served with the foundation, Ron regularly kept Pearl at the ready, which means she wasn’t considered a sofa-lovin’ house pet. And there were no frolicking and distracting trips to the dog park. But she had plenty of affectionate attention. This dog who herself had been saved was happily returning the favor for humans in need. Chancer the golden retriever was specifically trained to comfort Iyal, a teenager living with fetal alcohol syndrome. Walsh writes that Iyal, with damage to his brain and central nervous system, experienced rages, delayed emotional growth and sleepless nights. His condition was “undoing a family exhausted by a decade of round-the-clock care.” On their first night together, Chancer crawled into Iyal’s twin bed to sleep. After years of nocturnal disruptions, the family slept until the sun came up. Now Chancer nestles close to Iyal when he has a temper tantrum to soothe him, and “the rages don’t escalate the way they used to and they don’t last as long,” said Iyal’s mother, Donnie Winokur. Each of us who have loved our dogs as family members invariably have our own stories of endearment and how invaluable these companions are to prolonging our lives. Yet a sobering Facebook post reminds me, “We don’t deserve dogs.” And perhaps many among us truly don’t, considering the only semblance of evil I ever see within one is instilled through human malevolence. Mike Masterson is a longtime Arkansas journalist. Email him at mmasterson@arkansasonline.com.