I believe that by now everyone has had some type of experience with a dog, but honestly, what is their importance in our lives? If you think about it, they’re just there waiting for us to feed them and shower them with attention. Turns out, they actually do have many purposes besides the ones our parents told us about showing us responsibility and providing us company. These purposes are true as well but dogs have many more capabilities than what we’re told, which give us more reasons to love them even more.
When hunter-gatherers were around, wolves would trail along humans on hunting trips to eat their scraps. In return, the humans got company and protection. Since then, we’ve given dogs more importance such as working in farms and providing us with protection. But there’s also a scientific reason why dogs are important to us. Researcher Alexa Carr studied the bond between animals and humans and discovered that when we pet a dog, we have far fewer stress hormones called cortisol. Some dogs have a specific purpose such as being guide dogs to help people navigate through the world and also assist people with seizures, diabetes, and even veterans with their mental health. Dogs can even decrease levels of loneliness and give humans a sense of purpose, which can be particularly beneficial for people that live alone or who just are in need of companionship.
Our furry little friends care for us as much as we do, they’d just rather show us than tell us. Anything we do for them ends up helping us at the same time. They truly deserve the title of being a man’s best friend. The least we could do for our dogs after all they do for us is give them a treat and play with them to show our love and appreciation. They truly don’t expect more than that.