On going to the dogs – Kristof in NYT:

‘Over the past couple of decades, dogs have evolved into humans.
Well, at least that’s how we think of them now. Some 97 percent of Americans consider dogs (or other pets) part of their families. A majority of dog owners celebrate canine birthdays, and nearly two-thirds report that they take more photos of their dogs than of family members.
If you’re dating someone with a dog, bring a biscuit: A majority of dog owners say they would consider ending a relationship if the pet disapproved of the partner.
America now has more dogs than children, and households are spending lavishly on pets. Warning that dogs may suffer storm anxiety, one company offers canine noise-canceling headphones for $200. Dog people spend thousands of dollars on oil paintings of Rover, not to mention large sums on dog spas, dog restaurants, dog bakeries and dog fashion.’

(…)

‘I understand all this. Our last dog, Katie Kuvasz Kristof, was a saint (but not to squirrels), and if Pope Francis is right about dogs going to heaven, Katie is now barking in paradise. There are a few statues of heroic dogs around the world — in Tokyo, in New York City, in Scotland — and in the United States I would love to see more. Perhaps we could replace some statues of Confederate generals with ones of dogs who represented a higher standard of, er, humanity?’

(…)

‘Yet pigs are mostly invisible to us before they end up as sausages on a plate, so we typically ignore their suffering.’

Read the article here.

Fair enough, we love dogs (I prefer goats but I'm quite intimate with some dog lovers) and we love pigs but rather as bacon.

And what about human beings?

If the possibility existed to give birth to dogs many human beings would say: ‘We wanted to have offspring but preferably no humans. Thanks to the new technology my wife gave birth to the cutest dachshund.’

We became pets, we love pets, and pets will replace us.

What dogs are going to do without humans is a whole other question.
And let’s face it, dogs are less disappointing than lovers and children.

A dog is a safe bet. You cannot have sex with the dog, at least not in or culture, but probably sex is as overrated as human beings.