Cats vs dogs

An interesting debate emerged over dinner last night which could roughly be summarised as:

can one trust dogs more than cats?

My argument is that you can, dogs are far more loyal and obedient than cats generally, and speaking as someone with extensive experience of both canine and feline friends in a domestic setting I thought I speak with some authority about the matter.

I was not prepared however to be faced with a table-full of dog phobics who obviously favour cats because they are smaller and not as scary. I never felt comfortable with this 'are you a dog or a cat person' juxtapositioning, but I found myself fighting the dogs' corner last night, tooth and nail.

The funniest remark made last night against dogs (and their owners, in particular) is that when a dog attacks a human being the "classic" line from the owner is always "but s/he is such a sweet dog" thus approaching the unfortunate incident with complete incredulity.

I think that the above is not half as common though as a similar trend among parents towards their children's mischief. Speaking as a non-parent and having had to confront parents over their children's behaviour I can only say that one faces some kind of a brick wall where trust indeed becomes a huge issue. What parents generally don't seem to understand is that children are incredibly mischevious and have no trouble lying to their parents in order to save their skins.

And yet, faced with a naughty child with every incentive to be dishonest, a parent will automatically take the side of their offspring against a reasonable and polite grown up presenting an incriminating case against the offending minor.

So, back to the question, are dogs trustworthy? I think there is every reason to believe that dogs are more trustworthy than children, and that parents generally are more deluded than dog owners.

Oh, and what about cats then? I think much in tune with many fellow gardeners in urban areas I find myself increasingly frustrated with their pesky habit of using my flower beds as a public lavatory. But as far as their trustworthiness goes... well, if you see a cat guiding a blind person, please get in touch.