A bouncing ball of fluff hops your way, and comes to keep company. Although the day has been long and hard; tedious and boring, you feel a surge of energy rush through you, and immediately you feel joyous. Although a human can make your day better, you may have had undesirable memories of that person, and you may feel even more depressed or infuriated. On the contrary, a dog gives you joyous memories, for it respects you as its master. A dog is more suitable as a friend than a human in numerous ways.

Many years ago, dogs proved to be of great help to humankind. One example is a hunting dog. Dogs are said to have been evolved from wolves, so they have very sharp teeth like a predator, and an extraordinary sense of smell. Men soon found it imperative to take dogs hunting with them. If dogs hadn’t been loyal to their owners, meat would be hard to find, and the early humans could have died out. In other words, who knows if we would even be here on this planet if it weren’t for dogs?

Dogs are loyal to their humans today, too. On a cold and stormy night, Max the dog roamed around the house, going about his own business. All of a sudden, he perked up. A pungent smell filled the air. The smell was Carbon Monoxide! He raced to the room where his owners were sleeping, and would not stop barking and whining until everyone safely evacuated*. Carbon Monoxide is tasteless, odorless, and colorless to the human’s senses. However, a dog has an extremely sensitive sense of smell, so they are able to sniff out dangerous chemicals and substances.

Dogs also have very sensitive hearing. According to www.hearingreview.com, Nellie, a four year old dog, lived with her severely deaf owner. One day, Nellie heard quiet footsteps coming toward them, advancing very slowly. Nellie sprinted to her owner, and pawed and scratched at her until she was alerted of the intruder. As Nellie’s owner got him away from the house, Nellie stood between the man and the children, letting no one get to the 10 year-old and 15 month-old baby. Luckily, no one was hurt. I too have a dog; in fact, I have two of them. I sense their loyalty to the family, and they will try to protect the household (even though they are too small to do anything about it.) When I was about seven, one of my dogs jumped off the couch to try to protect us when someone knocked on the door, but ended up spraining his leg instead. This moment in time proved the fact that dogs would go to extreme measures to protect their family, no matter what.

Humans can also be loyal and trusting friends too. Barbara Bush said, “Cherish your human connections – your relationships with friends and family.” It is important to have human relationships too, so that you can connect with other people just like you, and not just shy away from the outside world. Additionally, humans can speak to their friends in an easier way to understand, unlike a dog’s barking and yipping at you. Many people have had the special experience of a friend or a loved one caring for them when they are sick, feel depressed or angry, or just in pain. Even siblings can be a friend (which is a little hard to believe for me.) Recently, I had a severe stomach ache, and each time I tried to walk I would crumple to the floor again. My sister cared for me through the whole thing, staying by my side and comforting me when I would start bawling my eyes out. However, once I healed, she wasn’t as nice to me as before. A dog would never do that, it would love me just the same.

Ultimately, a dog is the best friend that a person can have. In general, a dog is loyal to whomever it loves, and will always try to take extreme measures to protect everyone in its family. Through fear and tumult, pain and suffering, sadness and grieving, a dog is the best “medicine” that you can have. A dog will always remain loyal to its loved ones, and is the best acquaintance that one can have in life, even better than our fellow humans.

*Based on a true story