magneticnorth
3 hours ago
The human-dog relationship is maybe my favorite thing about being human.
We've bred this companion animal that we're able to bond with so deeply, and I so appreciate the simplicity of the bidirectional unconditional love. So rare between humans, so common human-to-dog.
This article makes an interesting point about dog attention as a focal point in art - not something I'd noticed before, but I enjoy having it pointed out to me.
NopIdoN
an hour ago
yet "like a dog" is rarely flattering
zmgsabst
an hour ago
“Dogged” is approximately 700 years old and complimentary.
mc32
2 hours ago
That the dogs are just about always subordinates and subservient makes the relationship easier to work -and of course, dogs are happy to comply since it's part of their instinct to be subordinate in the presence of a dominant being (canine or person). Human to human is a little more difficult since outside of structured organization, we don't tend to play subordinate in most Western culture. You do see some cultures where men play an exceedingly dominant role (where women by multiple facets of tradition play the submissive role) and there is less man-woman strife, yet there is man-man strife since outside of structured organizations men don't automatically measure up and decide they are inferior or superior and accept and internalize that relationship (though some Eastern cultures do display deference at a superficial level).
Moms also tend to have a soft-spot for the momma's boys.
squidsoup
2 hours ago
> That the dogs are just about always subordinates and subservient makes the relationship easier to work
You've clearly never lived with a border collie.
magneticnorth
an hour ago
> You do see some cultures where men play an exceedingly dominant role .. and there is less man-woman strife
Citation needed