How many times have we heard the expression: “A dog is man’s best friend?”
I recently learned that King Frederick of Prussia used that sentence for the first time in 1789 when referring to his Italian Greyhound.
He said: “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.”
But there was another significant time when King Frederick’s phrase was used.
Reportedly, a lawyer named George Graham Vest included King Frederick’s citation in his closing arguments during a trial in Missouri when he was defending Charles Burden.
Mr. Burden’s dog, a Greyhound named Old Drum, had been murdered in cold blood by Burden’s brother-in-law, a sheep-farmer named LEONIDAS HORNSBY.
The lawyer gave a very emotional speech that became known as: “Eulogy to a Dog”.
Mr. Vest won the case.
In Warrensburg, Missouri, in front of the Johnson County Courthouse, there is a statue of Old Drum.
If you ask dog parents why they love their dogs so much, it’s highly likely they will answer that dogs are so loyal, and are always there for us, no matter what. Their loyalty knows no bounds!
Their love for their human parents is unconditional.
Not to mention the great feeling we experience when coming home after a hard and long day at work and waggy tails run to the door to greet us.
They are always happy to see us!
And what about situations where dogs have been removed from abusive situations and their rescuers say that despite the ordeal the dogs have been through, they do not show diffidence and are not wary of the humans around them.
A lot of humans could learn a few things from dogs!
While humans have so much going on in their world: school, work, socializing, use of social media, vacations, hobbies, and much more, to our furbabies we represent their whole world!
If we choose to bring furbabies into our lives, we must never forget that we make a commitment to them, to their wellbeing, and happiness.
Having dogs is more than putting down some food and water and providing them with adequate shelter.
Our responsibilities toward them go beyond that!
We are required to take them to the vet regularly, we are required to take them for walks, to the parks, to dogs’ play centers, and on vacation with us, we are supposed to play with them, pet them, and make them feel our love!
Dogs do not belong in the streets, they do not belong in shelters, and they do not belong in dogfighting rings!
Dogs are not meant to be abused, tortured, or killed!
Dogs are not meant to be bred for profit!
Dogs are not meant to be consumed as food!
Dogs are not meant to be used for commercial entertainment!
Dogs are not meant to be festive gifts only to be abandoned after the occasion is gone!
Dogs are not meant to be experimented on or used in laboratories!
Dogs, like all animals, can feel emotions and experience emotional contagion.
Dogs, like all animals, are so precious that not everyone deserves them!
If you are not fully prepared to embark on this lifetime commitment, then do not get a dog!
And remember, if you realize that you no longer can or want to keep your dog, abandoning him/her on the side of the road, is NEVER an option. Reach out for help!