ARE DOGS BETTER PETS THAN CATS?

Of all the different kinds of animals in the kingdom, we humans have a special love for dogs and cats when it comes to choosing pets. People classify themselves as a “dog person” or a “cat person” and the rivalry between these two social groups is an old one. According to a recent survey, more people preferred dogs over cats. As much fun as it is to watch two people from the opposite “animal-loving” groups battle it out in a heated discussion, the question still remains. Are dogs actually better pets than cats? Let’s compare them.

• Loyalty

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When it comes to being loyal to their owners, dogs take the lead. There’s a reason why dogs are called “man’s best friend” and that is because of their loyalty to their owners. Even if a dog finds better or more food from someplace else, it won’t leave it’s owner just because of that. Dogs are also known to be good first responders to emergency situations. There have been multiple reported cases where dogs have started barking louder than normal to alert the nearby people when they found their owner in some sort of medical emergency.

• Smart

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Everyone knows that dogs are smarter than cats. This is proven from their different roles that we see. Guide dogs are very useful as people with permanent blindness use them as a guide in their everyday lives to help them maneuver. From tasks as simple as fetching a ball to complex ones like running an obstacle course, dogs are a very versatile creature. Cats on the other hand are not so smart. The amount of funny cat videos on the internet is a proof of this statement.

• Sense Of Smell

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Dogs naturally have a much heightened sense of smell. This enables them to pick out on very faint traces of odors that we humans can’t smell. Sniffer dogs are able to use their good sense of smell to sniff out an object, usually explosives, from quite some distance. They have proven their usefulness in detecting explosives in the K9 units in paramilitary departments.

• Bathroom Business

When it comes to relieving themselves, dogs again take the lead as they don’t need any litter box like cats. Cat owners have to deal with litter boxes in their homes and the smell that comes with them. Even though cats can be trained to use them properly, some people are disgusted by the idea of poop just sitting there in their homes. Dogs on the other hand can be trained to relieve themselves on a schedule, normally on walks. This is a huge relief as compared to dealing with cats.

• Friendliness

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Cats have been known to be, ever so slightly, aggressive. This is especially true when your pet cat is not in a good mood. Cat owners have to deal with frequent scratches all over their arms and faces that their pet bestows upon them as an “act of love”. Dogs are just bundles of joy. They’re much more playful and jolly and are much more trusted to be safe around little kids.

• Protection

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A cat maybe more flexible than a dog but when it comes to protecting their owner, dogs are again the way to go. Protection dogs are trained to alarm their owners when they sense any danger or some foreign human in the vicinity. If the owner is under attack by someone, protection dogs are trained to tackle the offender. There have been many cases where dogs have laid their lives for their owners, especially in the military. They were also awarded with medals.

• Training

Dogs are easier to train than cats. When was the last time you told your cat not to do something and it obeyed? Yeah, never. This is the reason why dogs are used in many fields like firefighting, sniffing, guiding, etc. where the responsibility on them is great. Dogs love to obey commands like sit, roll, fetch, etc. as long as they are rewarded with some food.

• Outdoors loving

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Dogs love to go for a walk. They get excited even at the idea of going outside. Dogs are natural “outdoor lovers”; they will always prefer going for a walk or just a stroll rather than sitting inside. This promotes an active lifestyle in their owners as they have to go with them as well. Cats, though, just like to sleep. They live on the ideology of eat, sleep, prey, repeat.

In conclusion, dogs are way better pets than cats. They’re also better partners for disabled people due to their friendly and supportive nature. But this does not mean that the war between cat-lovers and dog-lovers has ended, this war is to last for quite some time.