Dog Is Love

Dog Is Love, Why and How Your Dog Loves You, by Clive D. L. Wynne, Ph.D, Mariner Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019

Of course Nikki loves me!  That's why he barks to let me know the UPS guy has stepped onto our land, and why he sits on guard  looking downhill toward the road, and that's why he waits at the top of the stairs for my car, and why he insists on pre-washing the dishes as we load the dishwasher after we've had salmon, and why he sits at my feet when its cold, and why he nipped at the surveyor who mistakenly stepped over our boundary line -  its because he loves us!  

Or is it simply because he loves salmon and biscuits, and a warm fire toasting his tummy?  And endless belly rubs.  Yeah, that's why my beloved American Eskimo Nikki sticks around - it's just for his comfort and survival.  And he's avoiding the fisher cats in our neighborhood.

Not so says dog expert Dr. Wynne, a true believer in the existence of dog love.  He takes us back to early dog studies from the time of Alexander, and forward to his (and others) DNA and brain development theory.  He shows us how dogs evolved, and how they continue to learn new expressions of love and loyalty.  Even wolves, he says, despite their more pressing jobs, partner with humans.  Not all dog emotions, however, he warns us, are positive - dogs can exhibit ferocious, impatient, even sad behavior.  But what they like to do with us lucky humans is love. 

And we also have a job to do for dogs, says Dr. Wynne.  After all, the relationship is not just transactional - we don't take on the responsibility of caring for this loving creature the way we approach car maintenance - change the oil, check the tire pressure, don't forget the 5000 mile service - no, "we should care for our dogs because they deserve it...When I respond to Xephos, I am following in the footsteps of millions of people over countless centuries:  not just Pavlov, Darwin and Arrian of Nicomedia, but also whoever first noticed the mute pleas for support from a pup somewhere near a human village hundreds or (more likely) thousands of years before that, and answered that cry for help - causing the dog to imprint on him or her, and cementing a bond that has linked our two species ever since."

"To be loved by a dog is a great privilege... May we prove ourselves worthy of it."

Patricia E. Moody

FORTUNE magazine  "Pioneering Woman in Mfg" 

IndustryWeek IdeaXchange Xpert

A Mill Girl at Blue Heron Journal, on-line resource for business thought-leaders and decision-makers,  patriciaemoody@gmail.com