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I have 2 dogs and 2 cats. I've also had rats, fish and mice as pets. But I never pretend that they are human or have human thoughts or emotions. I do not pretend that they think in the way humans do. My dachshund eats cat crap, My biggest neuter cat tries to hump the little neuter cat. If you die alone in the house, your dogs may not try to eat you but your cats sure will. We are humans, we may do some pretty stupid things but we are still top of the food chain because God made it that way.
What on earth makes you think your dog would die for you? Did you ask it? Did you "feel" that he would?
Don't pity me, I enjoy my pets, but I sure wouldn't trust any of em with my life, even though I treat them extremely well. If I was in trouble, my dachshund would try to lick my rear, the big dog would take a nap, and the cats would go hide under the bed. But then again, I don't expect my animals to have any "loyalty"..because that's a human thing and they are animals.

"If I was in trouble, my dachshund would try to lick my rear, the big dog would take a nap, and the cats would go hide under the bed."

First, this isn't meant to be an attack on you. Allow me to quote you and say that you seem to know what your animals would/wouldn't do for you. I also have a fair idea of what to expect from mine. I, myself, have seen my two dogs engage in all sorts of dominance behaviours, such as the humping you mention. They are dogs. But I have also seen them come to the aid of each other and show a great deal of concern when someone, especially a child, is upset or in pain. Of course, this could just be my interpretation of a simple random act of a "dumb" animal. Whatever.

There are countless stories of dogs, and even cats, coming to the aid of humans and, in some cases, other animals. It would seem that these capacities had been developed. Was it the environment or was it genetic? I don't know. But I don't think it was an accident of mere statistical probability. It appears to be a deliberate act that, if performed by a human, would be considered heroic or at the very least pro-social.

And as to loyalty being a human trait, I wouldn't count on people to do the right thing either. We have parents who celebrate their children's short career as suicide bombers or who beat their children or drown them or leave them in a hot car to die. And don't for get the famous case of Kitty Genovese, who was stabbed to death in an attack that lasted over a half an hour while 38 people listened, but no one called for help until 20 minutes after she died. The police arrived 2 minutes later.

Do these acts of the few negate the capacity or potential for human good? We still find humans enslaving other humans. Even human cannibalism is not unheard of, but hey, protein is protein. We are all strangers in a strange land.

Because a level of prosocial behaviour hasn't manifest itself or been developed doesn't negate its potential. Social behaviours, such as loyalty, are traits that intelligent mammals do seem to be capable of. Not just humans, but many other mammals. Perhaps it is that the mammalian brain (as opposed to the reptillian brain) is wired for this behaviour and that genetics and the environment develop it. It certainly provides evolutionary advantages.

My appologies if you are/were offended.

I, too, have a dog and cats, and have had many dogs and cats, horses and cows, turtles and snakes and other animals as pets over the years. From my experience, I can say that even cows and horses can develop relationships with people. And I know without a doubt that my dog and I enjoy a very special relationship as well as my oldest cat and me. And, yes, a dog will die for his owner. There are many stories that have been told to that effect, and many times that a dog has saved his owner or entire families. Is it wrong to eat a dog? I'd say no. But even if I were starving I don't think my dog would end up between a bun. God did give us dominion over the earth and all things in it, but that doesn't mean that we can treat animals with abject cruelty. Hanging an animal by his neck and beating him to death is something that should be reserved for criminals, not an animal for the table.

My dog eats cat crap also. I noticed when I picked him up and thought he had rolled in something bad, we were visiting relatives, my mom said oh he has eaten cat crap. I was disgusted. I still don't want him licking my hand. How disgusting. I just can't imagine that tasting good. But this dog is a real chow hound, all he thinks about is his next meal. As a result, he is kind of chubby, but he always looks so sad and I end up giving him too much food.

Re: Your Post #41

Thanks for telling it like it is!