On Dogs

Science has brought us a great deal of benefits. One of them is the mastery over nature. Animals, in primitive times, were a threat to our survival. But science has changed our perspective. Many of them are now locked up in cages in zoos at the expense of human pleasure. Some get processed and eaten. We are now living in a time where Homo Sapiens drive them out to the road of extinction. Nevertheless, there is still hope for the human race. After the Industrial Revolution, the middle class has emerged. They have invented a new kind of leisure which has been popular down to this day. A certain kinds of animals are now put in a category called "pets". Pets are of many sorts. One of the most common ones is dogs.

I met Jackie nine months ago. We are now living in the same house since my cousins insisted on having one. But I never like dogs. I am scared of them though as time moves on I have become less so. They are too passionate and sometimes, up to a point, irritating. They constantly need company and like to draw our attention through a noble act called "barking and whining". They are not the kind of creatures that suit my temperament.

The first thing dog owners do when they get their dogs is train them. A dog is considered naughty when he disobeys its master's command. A dog is supposed to sit when the master tells him to sit. To lie down when the master tells him "down". Some of them are even trained to do some practical daily tasks like picking up newspaper and catching thieves. Who says slavery has ended over 150 years ago?

So what is the nature of the relationship between humans and pets? And particularly, humans and dogs? I was once told by a experienced dog owner that we ought to let our dog watch us have dinner without letting him have his own. We should only give him dinner after we finish our own. In other words, we ought to inflict a physical torture upon our dog. This sends the signal to the dog that we are his master. And he can only have his dinner after we do so.

"Dogs are human's best friends."- so at least I have been told. But what is this? Is that how we are supposed to treat our "friends"? What is the mind-set behind owning a dog? Dogs and humans are not seen as equal. They are inferior to humans. We give him commands and we expect him to obey. When he disobeys, he is blamed. However, we should not be rashly driven to the conclusion that this sort of relationship resembles that of master and slave. In some respect, dogs and humans are really "friends". Dogs constantly need company. We need to play with them. We need to walk them every day. When we come home, they will greet us at the door. This relationship is based upon mutual pleasure. It is "reciprocal altruism".

So does this relationship resemble that of master and servant? Not necessarily. Servants are free. Dogs are not. They are only free only when we free them. Servants often give advice to their masters. Servants are more like friends though they ultimately have to obey his master's command. But they are free to express their opinions with the utmost honesty. They are free to leave when they are not pleased. The situation for dogs, on the contrary, is not quite promising. They have to listen to their master's commands with absolute obedience. They cannot leave even when they are displeased with their masters.

Can we explain the nature of the relationship between humans and dogs? In the West, people love pets. They are compassionate. They treat their pets as part of their families though they still proclaim themselves as masters. In the Western tradition, dog are associated with the virtues of "friendliness" and "loyalty". In the East, on the contrary, especially in China and perhaps only China, dogs are considered wicked. They are inferior to humans. Most of the bad things in Chinese culture are associated with dogs. When we condemn a public official in a disrespectful way, we are calling them "dog officials". When we accuse of someone being sneaky, we call them "dog". Like other countries, paparazzi is condemned in, say, Hong Kong. But the word paparazzi is also associated with dog in Chinese. The only instance of praising dog in Chinese culture that I can think of, as far as my memory serves me, is the character in a famous ancient Chinese literature called "The Journey To The West" who is smart and loyal. He is also an assistant of a "fighting" god up in "heaven" (This is not an accurate translation).

Though the association of dogs in China is much different from that in the West, dogs do not always appear as good as it is commonly supposed. We often encounter a saying in English such as "We treat someone like dogs". Of course, one usually does not assume that that "someone" is referred as being loyal and friendly when we say this. On the contrary, we usually mean we treat him as something inferior to humans.

Perhaps now we can come to the conclusion that our relationship with dogs is a half way between master and servant and master and slave. But why do we own dogs? Is it because of "friendship"? Is "friendship" even an appropriate word? But as we see in my analysis, we are not friends since we are not seen as equal. Thomas Velbens once says that owning dogs reflects our status of class and wealth. But this is no longer true. Dogs are perhaps one of the best consolations for our mental life. In human affairs, it seems free will does not exist. There are so many human affairs that we have no control over. Even Socrates once says, "Remember that there is nothing stable in human affairs; therefore avoid undue elation in prosperity, or undue depression in adversity." Planning is useless since there is always interference. Therefore, having owned a dog restores that sense of control in us. It makes us regain the power to be the masters of what we will to do. Secondly, living in a world which is commercially driven, people are strapped with the bondage of the here and now. Merits not measured on money are deplored. It devalues the unspeakable delight of friendship. It undermines our emotional sensibility. People no longer have patience with all your deep talks. Communication between souls is no longer important. As technology invades every single part of our life, it has become even more difficult. When we own a dog, we have a silent companion except a few barking. He will be delighted to listen to us. We can speak from our heart with the utmost honesty and the utmost delicacy of human sentiments. And he shall not interfere us and agree with us on the whole. In this confusing era, dogs have become our true soul mates.

But then again, if dogs become our friends, we should also take pity on the life that we lead.

W