# Not mean, but, can't understand strangers' love of K-9 dogs... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 10, 2014, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-mean-but-cant-understand-strangers-love-of-k-9-dogs/698129 "2014-09-10T23:47:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-mean-but-cant-understand-strangers-love-of-k-9-dogs/698129/41 "2014-09-11T21:15:19Z")
That’s a wonderful article, **Merneith**. Thank you for linking it. ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-mean-but-cant-understand-strangers-love-of-k-9-dogs/698129/42 "2014-09-11T21:50:51Z")
Now that we’re in the Pit, I can call the OP an idiot, right? Seriously, I don’t really get the notion that every dead person is a saint, nor that every soldier or first responder is a hero, nor that every dog is a noble beast. But the misapprehensions about K9s, their training, their duties, and their roles as partners are legion. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-mean-but-cant-understand-strangers-love-of-k-9-dogs/698129/43 "2014-09-11T22:46:20Z")
These dogs have been known to save lives. One of my favorite stories is that of [Rags](http://www.cracked.com/article_19578_5-most-badass-soldiers-ever-happened-to-be-dogs.html), the mascot of the 1st Infantry Division during WWI. He was inadvertantly trained to detect incoming explosions, ran messages through the trenches, and survived a gas attack. I’d like to see you try that, dumbass. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-mean-but-cant-understand-strangers-love-of-k-9-dogs/698129/44 "2014-09-11T22:51:13Z")
Guess I’m heartless too. I don’t get the desire to attend the funeral of a dog you don’t even know. Not everyone looks at dogs and sees four legged humans. My own, I suppose. I’d never hold a funeral for one of my own though, much less expect strangers to attend. And my dogs are pretty damned cool. They may not dig people out of the rubble but they’re really good at burrowing in the blankets. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-mean-but-cant-understand-strangers-love-of-k-9-dogs/698129/45 "2014-09-11T23:15:37Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Not to be a dick or anything, but did you happen to notice that the _human_ died, not the dog? > > Now, unless they changed the laws in this country while I wasn’t looking, I didn’t know that dogs had wives. :rolleyes: Uh, the ‘inspired by’ was one operative phrase in my post. Now, unless they changed the words in the dictionary while I wasn’t looking, I didn’t know that ‘inspired by’ meant “this is a direct cut and paste from the cited link”. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-mean-but-cant-understand-strangers-love-of-k-9-dogs/698129/46 "2014-09-11T23:21:36Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > **HandsomeHarry** is baffled. Believe my, I’m \*extremely \*baffled…how one can transmogrify the vagueness of the phrase ‘inspired by’ by some heretofore unheard of alchemical process into, well, WTF you think is meant by ‘inspired by’…it not only baffles, it inspires (oops, sorry to use that word again) WONDER and AMAZEMENT! \*\*handsomeharry \*\*is AMAZED! ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-mean-but-cant-understand-strangers-love-of-k-9-dogs/698129/47 "2014-09-11T23:24:01Z")
> [@Lacunae\_Matata](#): > > Now that we’re in the Pit, I can call the OP an idiot, right? Here are some guidelines for the Pit: > **[What is Pit-worthy?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=527897)** > > First a couple of preliminaries: Q. What is this thread about? A. I want to start a dialogue about what sorts of threads belong in the Pit. I’ve got my own ideas, but I just work here. I’d like to get a feel for the opinions of those who read and... ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-mean-but-cant-understand-strangers-love-of-k-9-dogs/698129/48 "2014-09-11T23:25:05Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > I see no misrepresentation. The title clearly was about _K-9 dogs_. He said he was inspired by the other thread, but he made no mention of the handler in his title or his OP. This thread is clearly about K-9 dogs. It was related to the other thread, but it was a tangent from it. I don’t see where your confusion is. aha! A fellow reader of English! I was getting lonely! Thank you, **cochrane**. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-mean-but-cant-understand-strangers-love-of-k-9-dogs/698129/49 "2014-09-11T23:26:22Z")
[quote=“Merneith, post:40, topic:698129”] OP’s a moron. Forget about him. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-mean-but-cant-understand-strangers-love-of-k-9-dogs/698129/50 "2014-09-11T23:28:32Z")
> [@handsomeharry](#): > > It isn’t brave. _Right…_ Dogs are mindless. They can never be what we would call [“brave”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qOQSjKaqvk) unless a human shows them how. Nope. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-mean-but-cant-understand-strangers-love-of-k-9-dogs/698129/51 "2014-09-11T23:30:18Z")
> [@Lucretia](#): > > Your mind may boggle, **handsomeharry** , but if you came here looking for validation of your distinctly peculiar outlook, you aren’t going to get it. Look to YOU for validation of _anything_??? My mind boggles, again. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-mean-but-cant-understand-strangers-love-of-k-9-dogs/698129/52 "2014-09-11T23:33:25Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Now I admit the OP wasn’t clear about this lady’s relationship with the dog… Thanks for pointing it out, **Inner Stickler**. In fact, neither she, or any of the group had any ties with the local PD or K-9 units. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-mean-but-cant-understand-strangers-love-of-k-9-dogs/698129/53 "2014-09-11T23:36:53Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > These dogs have been known to save lives. One of my favorite stories is that of [Rags](http://www.cracked.com/article_19578_5-most-badass-soldiers-ever-happened-to-be-dogs.html), the mascot of the 1st Infantry Division during WWI. He was inadvertantly trained to detect incoming explosions, ran messages through the trenches, and survived a gas attack. > > I’d like to see you try that, dumbass. “Inadvertently trained”? Wow, these dogs must be smarter than I thought!:rolleyes: Why are you insulting me? I haven’t insulted you, and I haven’t even insulted one of your world-famous dogs. I think that we can learn much from your behaviour. BTW, if you can teach me the skills to surviving a gas attack that the dog had, inadvertently or no, I think that I could at least equal the dog’s performance. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-mean-but-cant-understand-strangers-love-of-k-9-dogs/698129/54 "2014-09-12T00:11:15Z")
I’m having a hard time believing that Harry actually believes what he said in the OP. No need to go through it all again, it’s been said. ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-mean-but-cant-understand-strangers-love-of-k-9-dogs/698129/55 "2014-09-12T00:32:32Z")
Were the carrier pigeons of WWI also brave? ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-mean-but-cant-understand-strangers-love-of-k-9-dogs/698129/56 "2014-09-12T01:12:28Z")
> [@Bozuit](#): > > Were the carrier pigeons of WWI also brave? I’d like to see \*\*you \*\*fly over bombs and shrapnel and machinegun fire, carrying messages to save whole regiments!!! And, without question! Can you do that??? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-mean-but-cant-understand-strangers-love-of-k-9-dogs/698129/57 "2014-09-12T01:34:29Z")
> [@Bozuit](#): > > Were the carrier pigeons of WWI also brave? Carrier Pigeons aren’t dogs. See post #50 Asking that is fucking stupid, but I’m not going to belabor that, and intentionally ignore **Bozuit** to talk about **handsomeharry** instead. The thing is, even though I am a dog lover, I kinda get his OP. There is a little of WTF when it comes to dogs dying and the human reactions to that. The dog **handsomeharry** talked about died of natural causes. It just got old and died. That happens. It could be that **harry** is just remarking on the excessive grief people expressed when a dog dies. Shoot, it’s a trope. _Old Yeller_ brought many grown ass men to tears, but it’s even more than that. In _Independence Day_ there’s a scene where the characters are trapped in a tunnel and everything blows up, because of course it does, but the dog jumps through the explosion and lives! Yay! The movie just depicted millions of humans dying, but all we as viewers cared about at that moment was the dog. As I said, I’m a dog lover, but even I have to admit that that’s a touch odd. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-mean-but-cant-understand-strangers-love-of-k-9-dogs/698129/58 "2014-09-12T04:16:54Z")
> [@armedmonkey](#): > > As I said, I’m a dog lover, but even I have to admit that that’s a touch odd. I’m not a dog lover, and I perceive certain responses as dubious at best and cheap sentiment at worst. Except… well the human / dog partnership is pretty damn symbiotic, evolutionarily wise. It has affected both species at a profound level. Humans outsourced much of their olfactory senses to our canine friends and apparently used the excess brain cycles for better analytic capabilities. Dogs can pass tests that chimpanzees can’t, specifically the [point test](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120208180251.htm). They even read human facial expressions to take into account human left/right brain asymmetry. On the homo sapien side, humans are pretty good at interpreting dog barks and whistles, even when the are listening to a recording of a dog they don’t know from an entirely different country. Anyway it’s a deep and rather successful partnership. So I’ll raise a toast to our furry 4 legged bow-wows. Cite: [NOVA - Official Website | Dogs Decoded](http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/dogs-decoded.html) ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-mean-but-cant-understand-strangers-love-of-k-9-dogs/698129/59 "2014-09-12T05:21:30Z")
I think there’s a good chance our friend **harry** is trolling at this point. And doing a pretty shitty job of it, too. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2014, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-mean-but-cant-understand-strangers-love-of-k-9-dogs/698129/60 "2014-09-12T05:37:27Z")
I’ll bet he’s not even that handsome. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-mean-but-cant-understand-strangers-love-of-k-9-dogs/698129.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-mean-but-cant-understand-strangers-love-of-k-9-dogs/698129.md?page=4)