Not too long ago, I wrote about cats. I figured it was time to give dogs a bit of limelight. Dogs have a lot going for them. They are less independent. Let’s face it, humans love to feel needed, so an adoring set of eyes and a wagging tail appeals to most people. Dogs forgive quickly and are usually gung ho about everything.

The history of the domestic dog, like that of the cat, is constantly evolving. It is now believed that the wolf to dog transformation happened as long ago as 40,000 years. This occurred in China, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. According to Russian researcher, Dmitri K. Belyaev, it takes at least six to eight generations to domesticate a canine. He ought to know, until his death in 1985, that was his life work. Except he used foxes. His work was continued by his colleagues. The following article chronicles the experiment. https://slate.com/technology/2012/03/domesticated-foxes-in-siberia-an-e…

I have known some incredible dogs. When I was in high school, we had a dachshund named Rusty. He was a ‘giant’ dachshund with an equally big personality. When Dad was stationed in Germany, we had him flown over to be with us. Even the Germans were impressed. When we returned to the states, Rusty was flown back, too.

Later, when my husband and I were visiting his parents in California, we saw an ad for free Border collie puppies. We immediately thought of my dad, who had just remarried. We felt this dog would be perfect for him, my younger brother, Randy, and Dad’s new wife, Phyllis. We smuggled that puppy all the way from California to Utah. In those days there were very few “pet friendly” motels. We weren’t caught. When we got to Utah, they were delighted with the puppy, whom they named Poncho. Believe me, by the time we arrived at their house we were tempted to keep him ourselves.

Another dog that stood out was an Australian Heeler named Dingo. My husband, Dan, picked her up at the pound in Green River, Wyoming, just before they were going to euthanize her. She followed Dan everywhere, even up and down ladders. Dingo came with us when we moved to Tennessee. She loved to eat apple cores and chase fire crackers. To our amazement, she sometimes caught the firecrackers, but never once burned her mouth.

The biggest dog we ever owned was Butch, a St. Bernard mix who adopted us when we were living in Niota. (I was walking the driveway very late at night when this shadowy behemoth walked up behind me and goosed me with his nose.) Butch was deathly afraid of fireworks, but brave enough to keep some scary animals out of our yard. He became one of the main characters of my fantasy book, Realms of the Cat. Some of his best friends were cats, and he even befriended a rabbit. When he got sick with cancer, one of our cats insisted on jumping into the van to be with Butch as we went to the vet. The cat meowed for Butch for days after he died.

Our latest doggie companion is Sammy, a chiweenie terrier and the only really small dog we have ever owned. We were supposed to find a good home for him when his first owner couldn’t take care of him. We certainly did. With us. For eleven years and counting. Sammy yips, he is a drama king, but he is a loyal and loving companion who fills our hearts and blesses our lives.

And that’s what dogs do. They fill a portion of our hearts and give us examples of what unconditional love is. They show us what loyalty is. I can’t imagine a world without dogs.

Susan Kite, a member of AGT, is the author of five books and a contributor to several anthologies. https://www.amazon.com/default/e/B00J91G0ZU/