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Ryan Gonzales
Professor Lynda Haas
Writing 37
22 Feb 2015

Where I fixed Unclear Statements

Where I reorganized
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Why dogs are "Man's best friend"
According to the AVMA organization, 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 visualized as companions and helpers to the everyday person. However, the exact
reason of why dogs are given their current status is one that is still highly debated today. Social
psychologist and researcher Leslie Irvine explains how society's perception and treatment of
dogs today can be explained by past events and certain psychological theories. For example, one
theory Irvine introduces, called "The Deficiency Argument", explains how pets, such as dogs, are
substitutes for relationships one should have with another person. However, sociologist Adrian
Franklin would counteract Irvine's theory 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 agree that dogs are a man's best friend, they have
different views on why that is the case. However, they agree that a dog's affection is only
accepted by humans when it is needed.

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In order to truly understand this idea, one must look back into the history of
canine-human interaction. Leslie 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.". Irvine's statement introduces the idea that humans had dogs as pets because of
their usefulness in their abilities. Dogs were able to provide the assistance that many individuals
needed. "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,"
(Irvine, p42). Although Adrian Franklin has differing views from Irvine on the purpose of dogs,
his studies do correlate to Irvine's ideas. "Franklin argues that pets provide unconditional
affection, reliability and a sense of 'ontological security' which is otherwise absent in
contemporary human relationships," (May, p. 90). Irvine's and Franklin's ideas both relate 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." In
her book, Sociology of Personal Life, 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 ideas that Irvine explained,
there is a similarity that raises 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, many individuals still turn to dogs to fill the
void.
To conclude, in today's society, dogs are "man's best friend". The reason for this is because dogs
have traits and characteristics that can satisfy human needs. However, humans only turn to dogs
when they truly need them. According to Irvine, Franklin, and Nast, our relationship with dogs
is ever changing. In the end, dogs give certain 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.