Dogs

The most important role of dogs today is to be our friends and companions. Dogs require loving attention, but they give back more than they receive. ~~ Dorothy Hinshaw Patent

Once there was a house with the ceiling on the floor.
Once there was a house with a window in the door,
And in the house there lived a dog who was a cat
Who wore a kind of coat that looked just like a hat. ~~ Robert Paul Smith

In their sympathies, children feel nearer animals than adults. They frolic with animals, caress them, share with them feelings neither has any words for. Have they ever stroked any adult with the love they bestow on a cat? Hugged any grown-up with the ecstasy they feel when clasping a puppy? ~~ Jessamyn West

The biggest dog has been a pup. ~~ Joaquin Miller

Odd things animals. All dogs look up to you. All cats look down to you. Only a pig looks at you as an equal. ~~ Sir Winston Spencer Churchill

Old dogs, like old shoes, are comfortable. They might be a bit out of shape and a little worn around the edges, but they fit well. ~~ Bonnie Wilcox

Let your boat of life be light, packed with only what you need--a homely home and simple pleasures, one or two friends worth the name, someone to love and someone to love you, a cat, a dog, and a pipe or two, enough to eat and enough to wear, and a little more than enough to drink; for thirst is a dangerous thing. ~~ Jerome K. Jerome [Three Men in a Boat]

Confront a child, a puppy, and a kitten with sudden danger; the child will turn instinctively for assistance, the puppy will grovel in abject submission to the impending visitation, the kitten will brace its tiny body for a frantic resistance. ~~ Saki

Footnotes, the little dogs yapping at the heels of the text. ~~ William James

A dog gladly admits the superiority of his master over himself, accepts his judgment as final, but, contrary to what many dog lovers believe, he does not consider himself as a slave. His submission is voluntary, and he expects his own small rights to be respected. ~~ Axel Munthe

At times it was like gazing into a human soul, to look into his eyes; and what I saw there frightened me and started all sorts of ideas in my own mind of reincarnation and all the rest. I tell you I sensed something big in that [dog's] eyes; there was a message there, but I wasn’t big enough myself to catch it. ~~ Jack London

You can keep a dog; but it is the cat who keeps people because cats find humans useful domestic animals. A dog will flatter you but you have to flatter a cat. A dog is an employee; the cat is a freelance. ~~ George Mikes

[On actor Walter Matthau:] He looked like a half-melted rubber bulldog. ~~ John Simon

The more I see the representatives of the people, the more I admire my dogs. ~~ Alphonse de Lamartine

I always thought that my canine family tended to view me as the funny-looking two-legged dog who runs the can opener. ~~ Roger Caras

Dogs often remind us of the human, all-too human. Cats, never. ~~ Mason Cooley

Like the greatest virtue and the worst dogs, the fiercest hatred is silent. ~~ Jean Paul Richter

Artists like cats; soldiers like dogs. ~~ Desmond Morris

Be wary of puppy love; it can lead to a dog's life. ~~ Gladiola Montana

Most dogs are earnest, which is why most people like them. You can say any fool thing to a dog, and the dog will give you this look that says, "My God, you're RIGHT! I NEVER would have thought of that!" ~~ Dave Barry

Every dog has its day, but it's not every dog that knows when he's having it. ~~ Winifred Gordon [A Book of Days]

Dogs give their human companions unconditional love and are always there with an encouraging wag of the tail when they are needed. The dog is indeed a very special animal. ~~ Dorothy Hinshaw Patent

Near this spot
Are deposited the remains of one
Who possessed Beauty without Vanity
Strength without Insolence
Courage without Ferocity
And all the Virtues of Man without his Vices.
This Praise, which would be unmeaning Flattery
If inscribed over human ashes,
Is but a just tribute to the Memory of BOATSWAIN, a Dog. ~~ Lord Byron [Inscription on the tomb of his dog, 1808]

If you get to thinking you're a person of some influence, try ordering somebody else's dog around. ~~ Unattributed

Life is like a dog-sled team. If you ain't the lead dog, the scenery never changes. ~~ Lewis Grizzard

Dogs come when they're called; cats take a message and get back to you. ~~ Missy Dizick

Next to the dog, the wastebasket is man's best friend. ~~ Unattributed

It doesn't matter where you are in your own personal development, nor has it mattered where you have been culturally; dogs simply don't pass judgment on you the way all of the rest of life and all of your other companions seem to. ~~ Roger Caras

Arnold was a dog's dog. Whenever he shuffled along walks and through alleyways, he always gave the impression of being onto something big. ~~ Martha Grimes

I've always thought a hotel ought to offer optional small animals … I mean a cat to sleep on your bed at night, or a dog of some kind to act pleased when you come in. You ever notice how a hotel room feels so lifeless? ~~ Anne Tyler

Having a dog means that the child inside yourself is made manifest in canine form. ~~ Cynthia Heimel

Know yourself. Don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful. ~~ Ann Landers

A dog can express more with his tail in minutes than his owner can express with his tongue in hours. ~~ Unattributed

[In a Chicago federal courtroom, responding to a request for potential jurors to describe themselves:] My name is Oprah Winfrey. I have a talk show. I'm single. I have eight dogs--five golden retrievers, two black labs, and a mongrel. I have four years of college. ~~ Oprah Winfrey

Dogs understand your moods and your thoughts, and if you are thinking unpleasant things about your dog, he will pick it up and be downhearted. ~~ Barbara Woodhouse

If dogs could talk, perhaps we'd find it just as hard to get along with them as we do with people. ~~ Karl Capek

Many dogs will give a greeting grin much like a human smile. ~~ Richard A. Wolters

A good dog is a medicine for melancholy and a better stress reliever than Valium. ~~ Dean Koontz [Fear Nothing]

Every year of a dog's life is not the equivalent of seven years in human terms. Best estimates now are that the first year is worth about 18 to 21 years, and each year thereafter four. ~~ Deane Jordan [1001 Facts Somebody Screwed Up]

If I have any belief about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to Heaven, and very, very few persons. ~~ James Thurber

Tell me why it is that a toddler will gag over a perfectly wonderful breakfast of ham, eggs, biscuits, juice, and jelly. But then he will enthusiastically drink the dog's water and play in the toilet. Truly, he is his mother's greatest challenge… and her most inexpressible joy. ~~ Dr. James Dobson

Anybody who doesn't know what soap tastes like never washed a dog. ~~ Franklin P. Jones

The more one comes to know men, the more one comes to admire the dog. ~~ Joussenel

Los Angeles is a very transient town. It's the only place I know where you can actually rent a dog. ~~ Rita Rudner

A man running for office puts me in mind of a dog that's lost--he smells everybody he meets, and wags himself all over. ~~ Josh Billings

Instead of striving to make even the tiniest mark on the world, perhaps … the sole purpose for which I was born is to amuse Orson [a bioengineered dog] … to make his strange and difficult life as easy, as full of delight, as rewarding as it can be. ~~ Dean Koontz [Fear Nothing]

[After the death in a car crash of Diana, Princess of Wales:] The paparazzi are nothing but dogs of war. ~~ Catherine Deneuve

It often happens that a man is more humanely related to a cat or dog than to any human being. ~~ Henry David Thoreau

Journalists are, in the very nature of their calling, alarmists; and this is their way of giving interest to what they write. Herein they are like little dogs; if anything stirs, they immediately set up a shrill bark. ~~ Arthur Schopenhauer

To be sure, the dog is loyal. But why, on that account, should we take him as an example? He is loyal to men, not to other dogs. ~~ Karl Kraus

Cat: a pygmy lion who loves mice, hates dogs, and patronizes human beings. ~~ Oliver Herford

I've seen a look in dogs' eyes, a quickly vanishing look of amazed contempt, and I am convinced that dogs think humans are nuts. ~~ John Steinbeck [Travels With Charley]

Your pet always thinks you're cool, no matter what brand of shoes you wear. That kind of unconditional love is pretty hard to find. (Just don't slip up and run out of pet munchies or even your dog's loyalty may be tested.) ~~ Brenda Herrmann

Dogs lead a nice life. You never see a dog with a wristwatch. ~~ George Carlin

She often talked to the dog. The dog listened but never replied, and his silence was one of the pillars of their wonderful relationship. ~~ Dean Koontz [False Memory]

When a dog wags his tail and barks at the same time, how do you know which end to believe? ~~ Unattributed

I could never take dogs for granted… They were just animals, after all, and it seemed to me that their main preoccupation ought to be in seeking food and protection; instead they dispensed a flow of affection and loyalty which appeared to be limitless. ~~ James Herriot

August is motionless, and hot. It is curiously silent, too, with blank white dawns and glaring noons, and sunsets smeared with too much color… These are strange and breathless days, the dog days, when people are led to do things they are sure to be sorry for. ~~ Natalie Babbit

Arfie is a great dog. He wakes up at six a.m. when his human pack leader goes to work, he licks his paws and he goes back to sleep… After dinner, he exists for the hope of some leftovers. Sometimes, he likes to play; the rest of the time, he just likes to exist… Arfie,… a constant reminder that life, in general, is no biggie. ~~ Jean Huard

Happiness is a warm puppy. ~~ Charles Schulz

One reason a dog is such a comfort when you're downcast is that he doesn’t ask to know why. ~~ Unattributed

I never married because I have three pets at home that answer the same purpose as a husband. I have a dog that growls every morning, a parrot that swears all afternoon, and a cat that comes home late at night. ~~ Marie Corelli

I think dogs were put in this world to remind humanity that love, loyalty, devotion, courage, patience, and good humor are the qualities that, with honesty, are the essence of admirable character and the very definition of a life well lived. ~~ Dean Koontz [Seize the Night]

A dog doesn't care if you're rich or poor, big or small, young or old. He doesn't care if you're not smart, not popular, not a good joke teller, not the best athlete, not the best looking person. To your dog, you are the greatest, the smartest, the nicest human being who was ever born. You are his friend and protector. ~~ Louis Sabin

It is worthwhile to take pains to make children kind to animals … make children treat the cat and dog kindly, allow no teasing or harshness … If they behave properly to animals, they are more likely to behave rightly to their brothers and sisters. ~~ The Old Farmer's Almanac [1882]

When you feel really lousy, puppy therapy is indicated. ~~ Sara Paretsky

Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in. ~~ Mark Twain

When you have dogs for a long time and keep them for the quality they have that is quite beyond compromise, you make many treaties that are hard to keep. ~~ Dion Henderson

Oh, the saddest of sights in a world of sin
Is a little lost pup with his tail tucked in! ~~ Arthur Guiterman

Let Hercules himself do what he may,
The cat will mew and the dog will have his day. ~~ William Shakespeare

My mother thought it would make us feel better to know animals had no souls and thus their deaths were not to be taken seriously. But it didn't help and when I think of some of the animals I've known, I wonder. The only really "soulful" eyes in the world belong to the dog or cat who sits on your lap or at your feet commiserating when you cry. ~~ Liz Smith

I agree with Agassiz that dogs possess something very like a conscience. ~~ Darwin [The Descent of Man]

The person had only to stop and smile, and Attila [the dog] would melt. He would behave as if he apologized for even giving an impression of violence. He would lower his head, curve his body, tuck his tail between his legs, roll his eyes and moan as if to say, "How sad that you should have mistaken my gesture! I only hurried down to greet you. ~~ R. K. Narayan

There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face. ~~ Bern Williams

I can't think of anything that brings me closer to tears than when my old dog--completely exhausted after a full and hard day in the field--limps away from her nice spot in front of the fire and comes over to where I'm sitting and puts her head in my lap, a paw over my knee and closes her eyes and goes back to sleep. I don't know what I've done to deserve that kind of friend. ~~ Gene Hill

The dog was created especially for children. He is the god of frolic. ~~ Henry Ward Beecher

Dogs… can be made to feel guilty about anything, including the sins of their owners. Cats refuse to take the blame for anything--including their own sins. ~~ Elizabeth Peters

Dogs feel very strongly that they should always go with you in the car, in case the need should arise for them to bark violently at nothing right in your ear. ~~ Dave Barry

Tomorrow is as fragile as a sheer curtain pulled tight.
Any old dog who comes along can put his paw through it. ~~ Carol Connolly

We Americans are a peculiar people. We are for the underdog no matter how much of a dog he is. ~~ A. B. Chandler

These Republican leaders have not been content with attacks upon me, or on my wife, or on my sons--no, not content with that, they now include my little dog, Fala. Unlike the members of my family, he resents this. ~~ Franklin Delano Roosevelt

All the feeling which my father could not put into words was in his hand--any dog, child, or horse would recognize the kindness of it. ~~ Freya Stark

America is a large friendly dog in a small room. Every time it wags its tail it knocks over a chair. ~~ Arnold Toynbee

If your home burns down, rescue the dogs. At least they'll be faithful to you. ~~ Lee Marvin

Dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive. ~~ Gilda Radner [It's Always Something]

Dogs remember faces, cats remember places. ~~ English proverb

I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult. ~~ Rita Rudner

Politicians are interested in people. Not that it is always a virtue. Fleas are interested in dogs. ~~ P. J. O'Rourke

It don't care whether I'm good enough. It don't care whether I snore or not. It don't care which God I pray to. There are only three things in this world with that kind of unconditional acceptance: Dogs, donuts, and money. ~~ Danny DeVito [Other People's Money]

[On Maui, the dog who played Murray on Mad About You:] They wanted a dog who would melt into a chair. ~~ Betty Linn [animal trainer]

There will always be a lost dog somewhere that will prevent me from being happy. ~~ Jean Anouilh

Dogs have given us their absolute all. We are the center of their universe, we are the focus of their love and faith and trust. They serve us in return for scraps. It is without a doubt the best deal man has ever made. ~~ Roger Caras

It's funny how dogs and cats know the inside of folks better than other folks do, isn't it. ~~ Eleanor H. Porter

Histories are more full of examples of the fidelity of dogs than of friends. ~~ Alexander Pope

Your dog won't see you in your fluorescent hunting outfit any more than the deer will--colorblind, you see. In fact, very few animals will see it except maybe your cat … ~~ Deane Jordan [1,001 Facts Somebody Screwed Up]

There are three faithful friends--an old wife, an old dog, and ready money. ~~ Benjamin Franklin

If animals could speak, the dog would be a blundering, outspoken, honest fellow--but the cat would have the rare grace of never saying a word too much. ~~ Philip Gilbert Hamerton

Giving a man space is like giving a dog a computer. The chances are he will not use it wisely. ~~ Bette-Jane Raphael

I never question a success, any more than I do the right of a bulldog to lie in his own gateway. ~~ Josh Billings

Goldwater the Arizonian once expressed his envy of the state of Minnesota with its many inland lakes and waterways: "Out where I come from, we have so little water that the trees chase the dogs." ~~ Bob Dole [Great Political Wit]

Other men saw to the welfare of their dogs from a sense of duty and business expediency; he saw to the welfare of his as if they were his own children, because he could not help it. ~~ Jack London (See Said Who?)

It's really quite simple. Abner [our dog] loves us, without conditions, without limits, without questions. And we love him. How many things in life are that plain and that pure? ~~ Cokie Roberts

Even the tiniest poodle or Chihuahua is still a wolf at heart. ~~ Dorothy Hinshaw Patent

The fidelity of a dog is a precious gift demanding no less binding moral responsibilities than the friendship of a human being. The bond with a true dog is as lasting as the ties of this earth can ever be. ~~ Konrad Lorenz

I sometimes look into the face of my dog Stan and see wistful sadness and existential angst, when all he is actually doing is slowly scanning the ceiling for flies. ~~ Marrill Markoe [What the Dogs Have Taught Me]

I realized clearly, perhaps for the first time, what strained and anxious lives dogs must lead, so emotionally involved in the world of men, whose affections they strive endlessly to secure, whose authority they are expected unquestioningly to obey, and whose mind they never can do more than imperfectly reach and comprehend. ~~ J. R. Ackerley [My Dog Tulip]

A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself. ~~ Josh Billings

Dogs are us, only innocent. ~~ Cynthia Heimel

We derive immeasurable good, uncounted pleasures, enormous security, and many critical lessons about life by owning dogs. ~~ Roger Caras

Dogs laugh, but they laugh with their tails. ~~ Max Eastman

This week's biographical sketch: Jack London