My original post was going to be something on the lines of that chain letter going around the internet in 2005, about how dogs are the best animals ever because they don’t need coffee to wake up in the morning, don’t need anti-depressants to be happy, how they love you unconditionally, etc., etc. But now that my initial praise frenzy has passed, I can cooly inform you on why it is impossible to not consider dogs as non-human persons.

As you might know, all dogs are known to be direct descendants of wolves. They share pretty much the same genes, and although there are breeds like pugs and shih tzus, many still look very similar to their ancestors. Most opinions on the domestication of dogs agree on the fact that there was a symbiotic relationship between early humans and canines, that our willingness to share food with a wild animal was reciprocated with protection and companionship. However, what draws the line between a wild animal and a pet animal is the fact that the continuation of our symbiotic relationship is largely due to the psychological changes that occurred in canines.

Had dogs remained aloof and aggressive like wolves, they wouldn’t be considered non-human persons (by me) today. The friendlier proto-dogs looked and acted, the more they were loved, and the more they were loved, the friendlier they became. We as humans, have slowly shaped the essence of the dog to what it is now because we encouraged them to display traits that we appreciate in other human beings. We value qualities like friendliness, loyalty, and obedience, and so as the dog evolved to embody those characteristics, we held them closer and closer to our hearts. Additionally, not only do we encourage these “good” qualities, we also bred the “bad” ones out, like assertiveness and independence. Now, dogs have become so reliant on human approval and affection that begging, instead of hunting, has become their first nature.

To conclude, dogs are non-human persons because it’s exactly what we want them to be. We bred them to be furrier, sweeter versions of people, and many of them don’t see themselves as anything other. Thus, we dress them up for Halloween, bake them cookies and let them sleep in our beds because it is the humanity in them that keeps us so enamored.