The Relationship Between Man and Dog: Born From Coincidence or Fate?

What makes a perfect best friend? Kindness? Loyalty? Good company? Sure, those traits can be found in plenty of friends, even good friends. So what makes a best friend? What creates a once-in-a-lifetime connection? Perhaps it’s someone whose entire existence is based on how they can serve you to the best of their ability, and asking for nothing but your companionship in return. 

In honor of National Pet Day back on April 11th, we wanted to pick the brain of a certified dog trainer on why she believes a dog is truly a man’s best friend. Lauren Zubasic is a certified dog trainer based in New Castle, Pennsylvania and created her own business, Ruff to Ready Dog Training. Zubasic is certified through the Animal Behavior College, Family Dog Mediation, Aggression in Dogs Master Course, and is a Pet First Aid and CPR Instructor through Pure Pet Hero.

The Start of Something Beautiful

Dogs are widely domesticated in today’s society and can be happily seen alongside their owner almost anywhere. To dog owners, the word pet significantly downplays the relationship they have with their furry friends. They’re viewed more like a child or family member. But how did such a strong bond between two species come to be in the first place? According to Zubasic’s opinion, the backbone of this friendship stands so strong because it’s been thousands of years in the making.

“Experts estimate the domestication period was between 14,000-17,000 years ago. Some of the first evidence of a domesticated dog was around 14,000 years ago in Germany. They found a gravesite and when they dug it up, there was a dog lying beside their human.” Zubasic says that although researchers can’t pinpoint exactly what caused this shift to happen, they believe it all started with wild wolves beginning to scavenge for food scraps around human settlements. 

“By doing that slowly, wolves got accustomed to being so close to humans and vice versa. They started to build a beneficial relationship with the wolves getting scraps from the humans, while the wolves would offer their protection towards the settlement, protect their livestock, and help humans hunt,” Zubasic explains. Over time, humans started to breed their own dogs with key characteristics that they had in mind, like alerting the household when there’s an intruder or herding their cattle. Hence, why there are hundreds of dog breeds now known in today’s world with different traits, appearances, and physical abilities. 

It’s a Dog’s World

After this history rundown of how wild wolves transitioned into our cuddly, affectionate companions, we were itching to know how the dynamics in this partnership work so well. There are dozens of different pets people love to have, like cats, hamsters, birds, and even fish. What makes the attention and loyalty from dogs simply unparalleled to what any other species on the planet can offer? 

“I think it was fate. Really, they have been bred to be our best friend. They’ve been bred to work alongside us, do different jobs for us, and have a relationship with us,” Zubasic continues. Even small, toy dog breeds who can’t hunt or herd have a job to do. Zubasic says they view sitting on their owner’s lap and providing company and companionship as their very serious, very real job. Other animals like cats for example, have no interest in serving humans’ needs or offering their help with a certain task – this is something profoundly unique to dogs. We asked Zubasic if this could explain the success we see with dogs being the best suited species to act as service and/or emotional support animals. The answer was a resounding yes. 

“It’s just in their genetics. They were bred to have the job of serving humans, like a service dog whose job is to recognize when their owner is going to have a seizure and lay on top of their body to steady them. Or they can smell when someone’s blood sugar is low, so they’ll actually go fetch their medication and bring it to them. I just think it’s an innate behavior in them,” Zubasic describes, “I just feel like you can’t find that drive or willingness in a cat. They’re a lot more independent and just don’t have the same history behind them as dogs and humans do.”

The Feeling is Mutual

Don’t be mistaken though, this relationship certainly isn’t one sided as far as the dogs are concerned. Zubasic says that there is research supporting the fact that in dogs’ eyes, humans give the same kind of happiness and fulfillment tenfold. 

“Petting feels good to them and can release stress from their body. When dogs look at us, they release Oxytocin in their body,” Zubasic explains. In simple terms, it’s a hormone commonly referred to as the “love hormone” or “cuddle hormone”. (Awwe! Cue the swooning from the whole Just N’ Life Crew!) Zubasic says she definitely believes dogs can feel love, and their tail wagging when they see us is physical evidence that they’re happy. 

Language of Love

You’d think with such a language barrier, or lack thereof, that the connection between humans and dogs would be strained to some degree. If you ask Zubasic, she thinks that’s the very thing that makes dogs so attuned to our emotions. 

“Because they obviously can’t speak English, they’re so good at reading our body language and facial expressions. If your dog peed on the floor and you find it an hour later, you’re going to go up to your dog and tell them they’re a bad boy. They have no idea what you’re saying to them, and can’t make that connection of why you’re yelling at them, but they still look guilty. And why do they look so guilty? Because you’re approaching them head on, hard eye contact, furrowing your brow, and deepening your voice. They can pick up on all of those little things and understand their owner is upset,” Zubasic says.

We wanted to get Zubasic’s final thoughts on why dogs are viewed so highly, so much so that they have national days commemorating them. 

“I just think they’re so loyal. Some people don’t deserve dogs’ loyalty, they don’t treat them how dogs should be treated and the dog will still be loyal to them. If you come home extra cranky and snap at them, two minutes later they have already forgiven you. They offer emotional support, they reduce stress in humans, and can improve our overall health. You know that every time you come home, they’ll be waiting there to see you with their tails wagging,” Zubasic admires. 

Friendship for a Lifetime

To truly celebrate the gift dogs are to us in this life, and why they will forever be our perfect best friend, Zubasic asked us to share this Marley and Me quote that she believes perfectly sums it up in a nutshell. To all of our dog lovers, get the tissue box ready… 

“A dog has no use for fancy cars, big homes, or designer clothes. A water log stick will do just fine. A dog doesn’t care if you are rich or poor, clever or dull, smart or dumb. Give him your heart and he’ll give you his. How many people can you say that about? How many people can make you feel rare and pure and special? How many people can make you feel extraordinary?”