A man’s best friend

The term ‘a dog is a man’s best friend’ was first used way back in 1789 by King Frederick of Prussia. He’s claimed to say, “the only, absolute and best friend that a man has, in this selfish world, the only one that will not betray or deny him, is his Dog.” Research suggests dog ownership may improve heart health, decrease depression, and even help you live longer – it’s a symbiotic relationship that has been as beneficial for humans, as much as our canine companions. And it’s a bond that stretches back at least 15,000 years. That’s one possibility at least; some fossil evidence suggests domestication as far back as 30,000 years. If that’s true then as James Gorman notes, we loved our tail-wagging besties before inventing agriculture, language, or permanent homes and even before we domesticated cows, goats, or cats! The human-dog relationship was born when ancient wolves discovered they can scavenge the leftovers from human kills for more reward, and far less risk, than hunting themselves. Over successive generations, their offspring became more dependent on human benefactors and we took them into our service.But where are we now? We love Kevin Dickinson’s list of 6 reasons why dogs truly are our best friends… all the links are at the bottom of this blog – it’s fascinating science stuff!1 Dogs see us as family… and you thought it was the other way around! (So did we). Turns out that Dogs see their people as family, and the feeling seems to be mutual. Cognition scientists at Emory University demonstrated that a dogs’ brains’ reward centre lit up most when presented with human scents (even over food and other dogs). These results bolstered other research that shows dogs act similarly to human sounds and that they are the only non-primates to run toward humans for protection and comfort.wellbeing.