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Ryan Gonzales
Professor Lynda Haas
Writing 37
13 March 2015
Why dogs are "Man's best friend"
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, there are currently
43,346,000 households that own dogs as pets. In today's society, dogs are given the nickname of
"man's best friend". They are companions and helpers to the everyday person. However, the
exact reason of why dogs are given their current status is a topic that animal studies scholars are
further analyzing in order to gain a better understanding. Sociologist and researcher Leslie Irvine
explains how society's perception and treatment of dogs today can be explained by past events
and certain sociological theories. For example, one known theory Irvine introduces in her text, If
you tame me, a theory called "The Deficiency Argument," which explains how pets, such as
dogs, are substitutes for relationships one should have with another human. One thing to note
about Irvine's text is that she simply overviews and analyzes numerous ideas and theories of
human and pet relations. She does not have any bias for any theory she introduces. Furthermore,
sociologist Adrian Franklin would counteract the theory that Irvine introduces and explain how
pets simply give individuals a sense of ontological security. Sociologist and professor Heidi J.
Nast would argue that pets are seen as a human desire that is expendable once they are no longer
wanted. Although scholars Leslie Irvine, Heidi J. Nast, and Adrian Franklin all introduce similar
theories of why dogs are a man's best friend, they have different views on why that is the case.
However, their theories relate in saying that a dog's affection is only accepted by humans when it
is needed.

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In order to truly understand why humans accept a dogs affection at needed times,
one must look back into the history of canine-human interaction. Irvine states, "Useful canine
skills in hunting, guarding, and herding may have cemented the relationship between humans
and dogs, but they probably did not initiate it," (15). Furthermore, Irvine states, "The
instrumental view of animals that was characteristic of the time meant that dogs existed to serve
people. Thus, new jobs emerged for new breeds: Some caught rats, while others, in the official
role of chien goteur, tasted the food to prevent royals from being poisoned. Some had the job of
alerting their royal owners of the presence of intruders in the bedchamber," (42). These points
that Irvine brings up explain how humans had dogs as pets because of their usefulness in their
abilities. Although although Adrian Franklin has differing views from the points Irvine raises on
the purpose of dogs, his studies do correlate to the ideas introduced. "Franklin argues that pets
provide unconditional affection, reliability and a sense of 'ontological security' which is
otherwise absent in contemporary human relationships," (May, 90). Franklin's ideas relate to the
ideas raised by Irvine in a sense that pet dogs fill certain physical voids in human life. As seen
from Irvine's observations, dogs are willing to perform actions for humans, unconditionally, that
other humans would not generally do for each other. Overtime, pet dogs became much more than
stand-ins for physical human needs. Dogs have also come to fill emotional voids in human life.
Leslie Irvine quotes urban researcher Constance Perin, "The human family
provides a parallel to the sort of group dogs are equipped to relate to. In the 'good family dog' we
recognize that biological basis for the two species coming together." Humans are social animals
that need social interaction. For certain individuals in society, finding a person to satisfy that
need can be quite challenging. Other people look to satisfy a certain need that no other person
can gratify. As a result, to fill these mental voids, many individuals turn to dogs. Moreover,

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Irvine explains: "The dog's success stands out because very few species are actually well suited
to the process. Francis Galton, a pioneer of modern thinking on domestication (and cousin to
Charles Darwin), maintained that candidates for domestication "should be hardy and able to
survive with little care and attention. They should have an inherent fondness for humans. They
should be comfort loving and useful. They should be gregarious and hence easy to control in
groups" (as quoted in Sheldrake 1999, 18). In short, dogs fill the requirements quite nicely," (14).
In her book, Sociology of Personal Life, professor and sociologist at the University of
Manchester, Vanessa May, explains Heidi J. Nast's idea: "Nast contends that, despite such
investment, pets are themselves expendable and simply disposed of when we no longer want
them." Although Nast's idea may seem contrasting to the ideas Irvine raises, there is a similarity
that elevates a concept. Humans only want pets when they need them. However, Nast brings up
the question of what will happen after a human satisfies the need. She predicts that humans will
see less use for having a dog in their lives. Dogs will become expendable once the need is
satisfied. Nevertheless, until the day comes, many individuals will turn to dogs to get the
unconditional love that humans cannot give each other.
To conclude, in today's society, dogs are "man's best friend". This is due to the fact that
dogs have traits and characteristics, unique to only their species, that can satisfy human needs.
However, humans only turn to dogs when they truly need them. According to Franklin, Nast, and
the theories Irvine introduces, our relationship with dogs is ever changing. In the end, dogs give
unmatchable satisfaction that no other human can offer.

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Works Cited

Irvine, Leslie. If You Tame Me: Understanding Our Connection with Animals.
Philadelphia: Temple UP, 2004. 12-32.

May, Vanessa, and Wendy Bottero. Sociology of Personal Life. Houndmills, Basingstoke,
Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. Print.