Dog lovers need not explain why dogs make better pets, but to the cat lover or bird lover or even the apathetic, here are the top ten reasons why we think dogs are better. Here we go…

1. When you come home from work, your cat won’t lick your face.

Licking is an instinctive canine behavior that dogs use to communicate with you. The most common fact is that your dog loves you and wants to show you his affection for you. Most non-dog owners don’t like the licking aspect of owning a dog, but dog lovers accept this behavior because they know the reason behind it. My dogs love to lick me when we are cuddling or in bed falling asleep. It’s their way of saying – I love you mama. Thank you for taking care of me, feeding me, and letting me sleep on your bed close to you every night! When I come home from work every evening, the first thing they do is want to lick me and tell my how happy they are to have me home. Cat’s don’t run to you and lick you when you come home. Well, most cats anyway. If your cat does that, maybe he was a dog in another life.

2. Cats look stupid on a leash. Who does that?!

You can’t take a cat for a walk on a leash. In fact, you can’t take your cat for a walk – period. I’ve only ever seen that one time and it was the weirdest thing ever. Cats naturally want to wander and hunt for prey – they don’t yearn to or beg you to take them out for a nightly walk. They don’t jump on you and get excited when they see you reach for their leash. And they don’t squeal with excitement when you hook their leash to their collar and head out the door. No my friend. Cats look stupid on a leash and will probably run away from you and fight you if you try to put one on them. That’s why dogs are better pets than cats. They help you stay healthy and encourage you to go for daily walks to keep your heart rate up and your blood pressure down.

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3. Dogs know when you’re sick and want to take care of you.

Recently this Winter, I had a horrible case of the flu. I was down for the count for 5 days and during that time I slept a lot. Like a LOT! And where were my dogs? Right there in bed with me. It felt so good to have them around me and stay on the bed with me all day, as if to say that they would not leave my side as  long as I was feeling yucky. This sounds gross, but every time I sneezed my two dogs came running up to me and started licking my face. My little one licked my nose and her teeny tongue was going INSIDE my nose as if  to remove the irritants so that she could relieve me from my illness. It was adorably cute and really kind of gross but the more I tried to stop her, the more she wanted to stick her tongue in my nostril. When my kids were little and got sick I wanted to do everything humanly possible to help them to feel better, so I can imagine that’s what my dogs think when I’m sick. This is why dogs rule. They take care of you when you are sick.

4. A dog can tell you when a stranger comes to your door. Cats just run and hide.

I leave my front door open sometimes, leaving the screen door to let the cool breeze come into the house. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) they doglets can see out the front door, barking at any and all animals that choose to pass by. Annoying yes, but that’s their job. On the occasion that the  UPS delivery guy walks up the front sidewalk, the dogs go CRAZY. In fact, these are the few times that I ever hear my dogs sound like killer beasts. It literally sounds like they are foaming at the mouth like rabid wild animals. My Chihuahua/dachshunds may be little, but no delivery guy in  his right mind would want to step foot in my house when confronted with my security guards. When my son lived with us and had his cat in the house,  she always ran into the room and hid under the bed whenever we had guests or people show up at the front door. Dogs don’t do that. They take the challenge head on, and that’s why they are the best. Because they won’t let strangers come to the door without letting them know who’s boss.

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5. Dogs are more adaptable.

When my son moved from our house, he took his cat to his new place. She was a house cat and never went outside to hunt for wild things like some cats do. While at the new place one day, she managed to get outside and wandered off. He called and called and went all over the neighborhood to look for her. He said cats do this because while dogs are attached to people, cats are attached to places and when she escaped, he said she was instinctively looking for her old house. Thank goodness he found her and hasn’t given her the opportunity to escape again. But dogs will adapt to their surroundings because they are loyal and attached to their owners so you can take them anywhere and they will stay by your side to love you and protect you.

 

6.Dogs are smarter than cats, PLUS they like to cuddle.

Alright, it’s a common misnomer that dogs are dumber than cats but there is actual scientific proof that dogs are smarter. They possess twice the neurons in their brains than cats do, making them physiologically predisposed to be smarter. Some new dog owners might argue that fact when they are constantly cleaning up pee or poop accidents while trying to train their new puppy. Or when their new dog chews up their shoes or steals their dinner from the dining table when not looking. But it turns out that your dog is markedly more intelligent than your cat. So curl up with a good book and your dog, because he just might want you to read him Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity.

7. Dogs know when you are sad and try to cheer you up.

Who wouldn’t love it if their pet empathized when feeling blue? Plenty of people are comforted by those puppy dog eyes when tears come streaming down their face. I mean, who wouldn’t love to have a furry friend cuddle up to you and lick those tears? What better way to say, “I’m sorry you’re feeling sad mama!” I’ve read that research suggests that dogs really do respond to tears. Is it the salt in the tears that they like? Or is it that they so keenly know their owners that a change in behavior and mood prompts them to come and investigate what the heck is going on? Who knows, but it sure feels nice to have your favorite pet try to cheer you up and make you feel better.

8. Dogs will defend their owners when in danger. Cats run underneath the bed.

Dogs are animals and respond to their primal urges. Protecting their food or balls and toys or their humans is a natural reaction to protecting what they feel is ultimately their possessions. When they sense danger and impending loss of their possessions they will strike out with aggression, hoping that the intruder will be scared off. As humans, we like to romanticize the idea that our dogs are defending our honor and protecting us from danger, but the truth of the matter is that they are protecting their turf. Cats on the other hand do not wear their aggressions as outwardly as our canine friends. Cats do love and defend their owners as they can be as attached as dogs however they don’t act out as readily as dogs do. Ergo, running underneath the bed when fight or flight is in order.

9. Dogs come in a multitude of sizes and colors to suit your desires. Just like shoes.

Although we don’t think of choosing a dog the same way we choose our shoes, we can get a dog in any size, breed, color and temperament to suit our needs, lifestyles and desires. Proper and thorough research into what kind of dog you want to get is vital to a successful relationship with your new furry friend. Different breeds have different temperaments. Size of the full grown dog is important, especially if you have a small living space and don’t have room for the dog to feel comfortable. What kind of fur, if it sheds or not, will it need constant grooming and do you have time for that. Will you get a purebred or a rescue or a free dog from a friend or family member? What will it eat, does the breed have any particular problems with breathing, hip issues, the list can go on and on. The main thing to know is when it comes to choosing your new pet remember that you are the parent and will raise your furry child with love and care no matter what he or she looks like.

10. Dogs stick their noses in the air when you take them for a ride. Fricken adorable.

We all love taking our little ones for a ride in the car and there’s nothing more adorable and fun than when they stick their noses out the window with their ears flapping in the wind! Why do they do that anyway? Is it the wind they like? I read that science proves that dogs stick their heads out of the window of your moving vehicle because of the rush of smells at their disposal. Imagine the excitement of the multitude of scents bellowing through the air! The trees, flowers, grass and animals. The smell of the asphalt and exhaust. The savory scent of burgers cooking on a grill. The donut shop with the aroma of coffee down the street. The smell of the salty ocean breeze. The next time you go for a ride and Fido sticks his nose in the air, be very excited for him because the rush of odors coming his way is exhilarating!

Of course there are many, many other reasons why we think dogs make the best pets. After all, you wouldn’t be reading this all the way to the end if you didn’t agree with us that dogs are indeed better than cats. Or birds. Or fish. Or any other kind of animal that roams the earth. Dogs rule and that’s why we love them so much!