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Man's Best Friend (Read 2077 times)
Rat Man
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Man's Best Friend
Jan 11th, 2020 at 8:08pm
 
     Modern science estimates that humans started keeping dogs as pets from 13,000 to 30,000 thousand years ago.  I believe this estimate is wrong.  It is much too conservative.  They base their opinion on physical evidence.  The farther back in time you go the less people there were on earth so the less physical evidence there will be.  Also the farther back you go the more evidence is destroyed. 
      I believe that our association with dogs goes back to the dawn of our existence as a species.  I'm borrowing from Temple Grandin here;  as wolves became dogs they evolved into a new creature that is dependent on man.  As we domesticated wild wolves we also evolved into a different creature... one that depended on dogs for his existence. 
    On my street only one household doesn't have a dog.  Almost all of my neighbors have multiple dogs. I have three.  None of these dogs are necessary to their owners' survival as they were in the past yet we find ourselves compelled to keep them in our lives.  They are deep in our DNA.  I have no scientific evidence to support this but I believe that our association with dogs goes back millions, not thousands of years. 
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« Last Edit: Aug 7th, 2020 at 4:45pm by Rat Man »  
 
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Curious Aardvark
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Re: Man's Best Friend
Reply #1 - Jan 14th, 2020 at 2:05pm
 
...

Drawn by my mate George Riemann Smiley
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Do All things with Honour and Generosity: Regret Nothing, Envy None, Apologise Seldom and Bow your head to No One  - works for me Smiley
 
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Rat Man
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Re: Man's Best Friend
Reply #2 - Mar 31st, 2020 at 11:33pm
 
   One other thought on dogs.  I currently own  dogs #9, 10, and 11.  I've been around dogs my whole life and have known dozens well.  You'd think a dog is a dog but each one has a distinctly different personality.  That's probably one of the things that draws us together.  They are very much like us in that regard.
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Morphy
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Re: Man's Best Friend
Reply #3 - Apr 5th, 2020 at 1:26pm
 
If you could sit down and design a perfect, loyal and loving companion it would be hard to make it better than what we already have in dogs. Now if I could just teach my terrier to make me a sandwich...
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Rat Man
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Re: Man's Best Friend
Reply #4 - Apr 6th, 2020 at 12:42pm
 
   Dogs' only fault is that they don't live long enough.  At five and a half if Pandora and Max where human they'd be in kindergarten.  As it is they're entering middle age.  Their lives zoom by.
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Rat Man
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Re: Man's Best Friend
Reply #5 - Jul 31st, 2020 at 1:42pm
 
   It always amazes me how attuned to us dogs are.  Last Sunday I unfortunately had my fourth intestinal blockage in three and a half years.  I was only in the hospital a couple days but this time around I'm not recovering like I did the others.  I still feel like crap and I'm unable to eat anything without paying a terrible price. 
   Prior to absorbing Benji the Huskies would join me in bed for at least part of the night.  After Benji began sleeping with me about four years ago the Huskies stopped.  I have no idea why. 
    Max knows I'm hurting.  Since I've been back he hasn't left my side and he's even slept next to me every night.  Dogs can be amazing.
    On the positive side I'm losing weight. I did want to lose some but not this way.  At my size it will take a very long time for me to waste away so hopefully I'll be recovered before that happens. 
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« Last Edit: Aug 21st, 2020 at 5:54pm by Rat Man »  
 
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IronGoober
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Re: Man's Best Friend
Reply #6 - Aug 2nd, 2020 at 9:43pm
 

Dogs are a great source of comfort sometimes. That's one reason why we love 'em.

Rat Man wrote on Jul 31st, 2020 at 1:42pm:
Last Sunday I unfortunately had my fourth intestinal blockage in three and a half years.

I hope I don't offend, but I'll be prayin' for you buddy.
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John R.
 
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Rat Man
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Re: Man's Best Friend
Reply #7 - Aug 3rd, 2020 at 1:11pm
 
IronGoober wrote on Aug 2nd, 2020 at 9:43pm:
Dogs are a great source of comfort sometimes. That's one reason why we love 'em.

Rat Man wrote on Jul 31st, 2020 at 1:42pm:
Last Sunday I unfortunately had my fourth intestinal blockage in three and a half years.

I hope I don't offend, but I'll be prayin' for you buddy.


Thanks. The thing about prayers is that no matter what you believe they certainly do no harm.
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Curious Aardvark
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Re: Man's Best Friend
Reply #8 - Aug 4th, 2020 at 2:44pm
 
Just think, if we'd spent more time breeding dogs for longevity and a lot less for pretty colours and shapes - they'd probably live as long as we do by now Sad

if only Ravens were more like dogs and didn't crap all over your house whistle
Captive ravens can live 60-70 years.
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Do All things with Honour and Generosity: Regret Nothing, Envy None, Apologise Seldom and Bow your head to No One  - works for me Smiley
 
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Morphy
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Re: Man's Best Friend
Reply #9 - Aug 4th, 2020 at 3:01pm
 
I’ve always wanted a pet Raven.  Amazingly intelligent birds. You could do worse than a good bird for a pet. Some are very loving and sociable.
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Kick
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Re: Man's Best Friend
Reply #10 - Aug 4th, 2020 at 3:04pm
 
A pet raven would be awesome but I can also imagine having such an intelligent animal would be a nightmare Cheesy I know someone who knows someone that found an abandoned baby squirrel rescued and raised it and it would just tear rooms apart and get into everything. I imagine a raven would be similar but far more intelligent so far more devious.
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You are a great guy Kick but also slightly scary at times. - Morphy
"Nothing matters, but it’s perhaps more comfortable to keep calm and not interfere with other people." - H.P. Lovecraft, in a letter to Frank Belknap Long, 7 October, 1923
 
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