The family dog is an icon in our Society. Their unique position in our human world is unparalleled by any other domesticated animal: friend to the lonely, comforter to the elderly, playmate, protector, and in every way "Mans Best Friend". Dogs love us with a purity and intensity beyond what we deserve; a love so unambiguous that we should admire it and perhaps even learn to emulate it. The strong emotional bond that can be formed between dog & owner is an extremely gratifying and enriching experience that can produce immense rewards. We humans benefit immensely from the therapeutic influence that dogs have on our lives; they teach us unconditional love, and trust us to provide love and care for the rest of their lives.

The dog is part of a family of carnivorous hunters and scavengers including wolves, foxes, coyotes and jackals. Descendants of the earliest form of Wolf (known as Canis lupus Pallipes) which first emerged on earth between 5 and 7 million years ago, lived in various parts of the Northern Hemisphere and were the first to forge a bond with humans. It is uncertain exactly when this happened, but evidence suggests that wolves exploiting village dumps altered their lifestyles to live with humans 10 000 years ago.

Domestication did not simply happen overnight, as many wolves were used to guard, hunt and herd. Over time, selection of dogs for behavioural characteristics produced changes in physical appearance - which became shaped many thousands of years later, into breeds. Countless generations of intensive breeding have resulted in a great diversity of dog breeds.

The importance of the dog grew with civilized society, and evolved to such a high degree that they were treated in many cultures as objects of worship. For example, the Egyptians entrusted to the dog deity Anubis the responsibility of accompanying their souls to final judgement. Tibetan monks revered their dogs as canine representations of Buddha, and the Romans made sacrifices to the god Procyon, represented by the constellation Canis Minor.

The pack instinct, the protective instinct - each is a common ancestral trait, which has enabled the development of a close and mutually beneficial relationship between dogs and their human owners since the earliest times. The dog's willingness to become "man's best friend" and to accept a human master as a substitute for a canine pack leader has allowed for a remarkably smooth integration into civilised society.

"Dogs are rightly regarded as the epitome of loyalty. Where else can one find refuge from the endless dissimulation, falsehood and treachery of humans, if not in dogs upon whose honest countenance one can gaze without mistrust. " Schopenhauer