As a cyclist, I can't say dogs are my best friends. OTOH I have had great bonds with some cats.
Bikers gotta watch out for the cats as well!
https://www.kuow.org/stories/cougar-attack-washington-state-...
When did dogs become our best friends?
101–110 of 244 posts
Re: When did dogs become our best friends?
#102As a cyclist, I can't say dogs are my best friends. OTOH I have had great bonds with some cats.
I do hiking, the same.
Pepper spray, knife etc are illegal here. I carry air horn for quick deployment, and petards (very small explosives). Saved my ass twice! Once I was surrounded by pack of four large dogs!
Re: When did dogs become our best friends?
#103Earlier quoted context omitted.
NYC and US are definitely low-trust. Interesting comparison: https://jacknicastro.substack.com/p/vienna-and-new-york-high...
I don't think a single parameter like that makes it "definitely" low-trust. In Austria, people are required to deposit money to borrow a grocery cart while shopping for food. Not so anywhere I've been in the US -- ergo Austria is low-trust and US is high-trust? I think not. https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travelbuzz/2004272-euro-coin...
The US has those, Aldi uses them. But isn't this because they don't have cart boys to bring the carts from corals throughout the parking lot back to the front of the store? It's just a different model of cart management, not indicative of trust or lack thereof. If somebody wanted to steal a cart, that quarter is a trivial price for it. It's not an anti-theft measure, just a little thing to encourage honest people to walk slightly further than normal.
Here's a rule of thumb I use to judge if a community is high trust or not. If I leave my bicycle unlocked and it gets stolen, will others be surprised or will they call me a moron for trusting other people? Obviously NYC is low trust, I would be mocked mercilessly if my unlocked bike got stolen there.
Re: When did dogs become our best friends?
#104Likely twice as old as written language. https://www.livescience.com/stone-age-dog-burial.html Abuse of a dog or cat is a crime against civilization itself.
I've made this argument many times and it always raises eyebrows and induces shrugs. We as a species co-evolved with some animals and not others. Our partnership with extends deep into the mists of pre-history. We and they have co-evolved to an extent to be better companions. Eating a dog is a profound betrayal unlike that of eating a horse. Come at me
This is like arguing about if it’s better to regularly beat your sibling or your cousin. Just don’t beat anybody!
Re: When did dogs become our best friends?
#105Earlier quoted context omitted.
Your funny comment actually has some deep insight I'd like to see researched more. We know by now how we turned the grey wolf into the dog, but do we know what the relationship has done for us ? What have wolves taught humans? Some hypotheses to get you started: they might've taught us the power of collaboration. The power of social hierarchy. The empathy towards other life forms. Anthropomorphism (maybe that's why w…
Here's an idle thought - have we evolved to be pet lovers? Pets increase happiness and lower stress, which are going to have all sorts of relationship and career benefits.
Do primates in the wild keep pets? I know some captive gorillas had cats.
Re: When did dogs become our best friends?
#106Earlier quoted context omitted.
Cycling in rural Virginia/West Virginia has this risk as well. 99% of pooches just want to run along and make noise, but 1/100 wants flesh. The solution - never be the slowest in the group!
When in Rome... open/constitutional carry, stand your ground?
Open carry is legal in both states. But I want nothing to do with owning/carrying guns. And haven't ever felt the need - most dogs give up chase once you pass their property. And I've only had a dog get my back tire once, and never flesh (though it does happen).
Re: When did dogs become our best friends?
#107Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've made this argument many times and it always raises eyebrows and induces shrugs. We as a species co-evolved with some animals and not others. Our partnership with extends deep into the mists of pre-history. We and they have co-evolved to an extent to be better companions. Eating a dog is a profound betrayal unlike that of eating a horse. Come at me
We've got a pretty long-standing partnership with horses too.
Indeed, but the switch from long-standing to long-riding is a relatively recent innovation, by the Romans, Arabs et al. (by breeding horses large enough to ride on), after the Sea Peoples demonstrated how to defeat charioteers
Re: When did dogs become our best friends?
#108Earlier quoted context omitted.
Here's an idle thought - have we evolved to be pet lovers? Pets increase happiness and lower stress, which are going to have all sorts of relationship and career benefits.
Do primates in the wild keep pets? I know some captive gorillas had cats.
Yes - I remember Koko naming her kitten as "all ball" (kinda like "fur ball"?!).
I'm not sure if a wild animal has ever been observed to have a pet, but I guess many intelligent animals value playfulness and companionship, and have evolved to have tolerance and empathy, so judging by Twitter, etc, it doesn't seem that rare to have inter-species friendships even between animals that might be considered as predator and potential prey.
Re: When did dogs become our best friends?
#109It's a bit of a fringe theory but there's a suggestion that the human 'alliance' with wolves gave us the edge over Neanderthals and other predators and ensured that it was us who ultimately survived as a species. It's a nice thought for a dog lover.
Why wouldn't neanderthals form an alliance with wolves too? Especially considering Neanderthals had a multi-hundred-thousand year head start in wolf range compared to homo sapiens.
Re: When did dogs become our best friends?
#110Earlier quoted context omitted.
Here's an idle thought - have we evolved to be pet lovers? Pets increase happiness and lower stress, which are going to have all sorts of relationship and career benefits.
Do primates in the wild keep pets? I know some captive gorillas had cats.
Baboons have been observed to capture puppies from feral dogs and integrate them into their troop.