The loyal dog is ideal companion
Without question man’s best friend is his dog. It is estimated that approximately 60 percent of American households have a dog and many have two or even three. They range from the tiny chihuahua to Great Danes. They are often constant companions to their owners.
At one time dogs were primary hunting companions and served a valuable role in helping man feed his family. Today, dogs are still used for hunting but also for hundreds of other tasks. Recently dogs have proven invaluable in detecting various diseases in humans, especially cancer. All this means is that the old Labrador retriever has a much more valuable role than retrieving a dead duck.
Dogs first bonded with humans about 15,000 years ago and served as protectors and hunters. In fact, scientists say that without their canine companions many of these people wouldn’t have survived.
Dogs also have a loyalty to their human owners that hasn’t changed down through the years. A dog gets so bonded with its owner that he/she knows an hour before the owner leaves the home that he/ she is going. The dog will often become quiet and sulk. The dog also knows when its master will be coming home and will sit by the door waiting with its tail wagging.
A few years ago scientists did a study on one of their dog companions. That professor had a dog and the dog knew exactly when the owner had to leave to go to work. The dog responded by going to his kennel. The scientists thought that the dog was keying in on the coat and pants the professor wore each day. The professor changed clothes but the dog still went to its kennel. They then had the professor change his shoes from regular loafers to a different style of shoe. The dog just sat by the professor and didn’t go to his kennel. The scientists deter
mined that the dog was keying in on the shoes.
Dogs are proving invaluable at detecting cancer in humans, especially lung, bladder and breast cancers. Scientists have long known that a cancer puts out a slight odor. Dogs have a smelling ability that’s 100,000 times better than a human. In recent years, scientists have discovered that dogs can smell the breath of a person and can detect cancer with a 98-percent reliability. That’s better than most medical machines. They also can detect when a diabetic is having a reaction to insulin and warn that individual, and they can detect a seizure before it happens.
Dogs also have the ability to just look at a person’s face and detect if something is wrong. It’s called “left gaze bias.”
They look to the right side of your face, which is less able to hide your emotions, and can instantly pick up what you are thinking.
They can only do this with humans, not other dogs or animals.
We all know how a dog becomes a member of the family and is actually considered more like a child by its owners. When you come home from a work it’s normally the dog that greets you and cheers you up. When my late wife was sick with cancer, our little dog would jump up on the bed and cuddle up to her. Somehow that dog knew she was very ill and wanted to comfort her.
The most popular dog in America is the Labrador Retriever. This is a dog that will weigh in excess of 100 pounds but cuddles like a baby. It is completely loyal to it owner.
The bad part of owning and falling in love with your dog is that you will normally outlive it. When it’s time to put it down, it’s a gut-wrenching experience. Many dogs live from 15-20 years. Larger dogs tend to have shorter lives in comparison with smaller lap dogs.
When your friends and family get angry with you and ignore you, your dog will always be there and all it asks for is your love.
Dog owners in Lake County are being warned not to allow their dog to drink water from Clear Lake or to swim in the lake right now. There has been an outbreak of cyanobacteria and if a dog drinks water contaminated by cyanobacteria it can get very ill or even die. If the dog’s wet fur gets exposed to cyanobacteria and the dog licks its fur, it can very sick.