And Adam said to the Lord, ‘Lord, I have already named all of the animals in the Kingdom, and I cannot think of a name for this new animal.’ And God said, ‘I have created this new animal to reflect my love for you, so his name will be a reflection of my own, and you will call him DOG, man’s best friend.’ 

There are too many hypotheses about where the ‘dog’ came from, how they became our loyal companions, or why they love unconditionally. The domestication of the wolf to dog subject is an ongoing one. Some believe the estimated timeframe was 11,000 to 16,000 years ago. Others think we accomplished this 130,000 years ago. It’s no wonder dogs are known as man’s best friend.

We can all agree that we could not live without them in our lives. And if you are not a dog person and can totally live without a dog in your life, this article may not be for you. But for most, a dog truly is man’s best friend.

Service Dogs

In 1929, the first service dog, a German Shepherd trained as a guide dog, entered the United States. He was imported by a visually impaired man named Morris Frank. The first guide dog foundation started in 1945, where dogs were trained as guide dogs for people who are blind. 

In the 1960s and 1970s, people realized that dogs could alert people to various medical issues, assisting people with other disabilities. Whether it was a baby crying from another room or alerting in advance that someone was having a seizure, people began to see the incredible things dogs could do. Indeed, these roles further cement their status as man’s best friend.

In the following decades, training centers cropped up in many countries worldwide, while additional guide dog schools opened from coast to coast in the United States. Today, assistance dogs help people with a wide range of challenges, from visual and hearing impairments to epilepsy, autism, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The Helping Hands of Mans Best Friend

Any breed of dog can be a companion, and any breed of dog can be a service animal, assuming the dog has been individually trained to assist anyone with a disability with specific tasks.  

Just like all dogs, service animals come in every shape and size.  Some small dogs are suited for alerting their owners to changes in mood.  Some large dogs are great at providing stability to those with mobility difficulties.  While some breeds may be more common than others, it is important to remember that all breeds of dogs can be service animals.

The 11 most common or Best breeds of dogs for service animals have been noted as the Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever, German Shepherd, Poodle, Border Collie, Boxer, Bernese Mountain Dog, Pomeranian, Great Dane, American Staffordshire Terrier, and Labradoodle. I would like to point out four of which are on the BSL list. 

The Breed

Ironically, this can be one of the most controversial subjects about dogs. We all have our favorites, our ‘type’ if you will. Just like we do with other humans, some personalities resonate with us more; for some, it’s simply how they look. No matter your favorite breed, they can all be man’s best friend.

Sadly, humans have trained certain dog breeds to do horrific acts in the past, and this has created a toxic view of some of these poor animals. 

This has given way to something called Breed-Specific legislation (BSL). This law restricts or bans certain dog breeds based on their physical characteristics. So, basically, we ‘ban’ them or kill them(it’s mostly killed) based on how they look. This is a terrible way to treat man’s best friend.

In our colorful history on this planet, I recall a few others who called for eliminating a particular ‘breed’ of people based on the most simple characteristic, but we won’t get into that. 

Breed Specific Laws

Approximately 550 jurisdictions in the United States have BSL in place. As of February 1st, 2024, in the UK, owning an XL bully breed without an exemption certificate became a criminal offense. The government said it received 61,000 exemption applications before the deadline. Anyone choosing not to keep their XL bully had to take it to a registered vet to be euthanized by 31 January January 31, 2024.

Most don’t realize that the American Pitbull Terrier is far from the only breed that made the BSL list. The top 15 dogs on this list are:

No matter what stories you hear or articles you read, understand that these dogs are individuals, just like us. They are not all alike, although some look alike, just as we humans can. So, don’t judge them based on superficial characteristics. These animals only want to be here with us, for us, and nothing more. After all, think of them as man’s best friend.

“The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog.” Mark Twain