by Pat DeNuccio ’13
Tory Stitt is a former Navy officer who was returning from a patrol with her unit in 2006 when a bomb exploded beneath one of the vehicles. Stitt’s job on the unit was to make sure all the bomb detectors and jammers were working properly. Many soldiers were injured and a fire broke out, not long after there were helicopters swarming overhead. After several more months and many more causalities Stitt was becoming filled with guilt and blaming herself for things she could not control. Eventually she returned home with a severe case of PTSD. Stitt drank herself to sleep because she couldn’t without it. Stitt was checked into the psychiatric ward at Balboa Naval Medical Center. Here she got back on her feet but still suffered with nightmares, flashbacks and sleeplessness. Desperate for an answer, Stitt got a dog, Devon. Devon was a service dog specially trained to work with veterans. Since getting Devon, Stitt has become much more mentally stable and attributes her success to Devon.
Dogs save lives.Stitt’s story exemplifies that dogs are wonderful creatures and why dogs really are a “man’s (or women’s) best friend” and the best pet a person could have. Over the past 40 years, the number of dogs in America has been increasing at an unbelievable rate. Some researchers claim this increase is because people are living more isolated lives, peoples marriages are failing, and people are having fewer children. These people look to fill these gaps in their lives so they get a dog. Canine science has a theory on why dogs are the pet of choice to fill these voids. The theory is convergence; this theory says that dogs living so close with humans have made dogs become more human like. The theory also says that dogs, before they were domesticated, humans were involved in similar activities and because of this connection, dog and man formed a brotherhood.
Many people coin dogs as being the most loyal pet, these people are correct. Dogs are naturally loyal and loving creatures. Dogs are instinctually pack creatures, they want to bond and protect the members of their pack. For domesticated dogs, their pack is their master. The way an owner treats a dog, giving them love, feeding them, and protecting them is how a pack member treats another pack member. Therefore, to the dog, their master is a member of the pack; a dog is loyal to a pack member for life and always protects their pack members.
The greatest example of the loyalty of a dog is the story of Capitan, a German Shepherd in Argentina. In 2005 Miguel Guzman got a German Shepherd which he named Capitan; sadly, one year later Guzman died. After his family came home from the funeral Capitan was gone. One week later, when the family went to go visit the grave, they found Capitan there beside his owner. Since then, Capitan has slept beside his owner every night. This story shows just how loyal dogs can be. They are loyal to a pack member even after a member’s death.
Sometimes dogs become perceived as aggressive and fighting creatures. However, dogs are not aggressive unless trained to be. Even Pit Bulls, German Shepherds, and Rottweilers are not naturally aggressive creatures. The training of a dog is mostly what controls the aggression or violence of a dog. Dogs are pack creatures and sometimes will become agitated if a fellow pack member is threatened. That doesn’t mean that dogs are aggressive creatures. It is more of an example of how loyal they are; they stand up for pack members.
Dogs are such common pets in our society primarily because they make such good companions. Cats are another common pet that many people consider a great companion. But are cats as good of companions as a dog? If you want a pet that stays perched on the couch when you walk in the door, then you are a cat person. If you prefer a pet that will run up to you and smother you with love when you return from a five minute walk, then you are a dog person.
