...Dogs are people too...

     I found this article in my paper the other day, and being an animal lover....a Dog lover...I thought I should share this with all you 'Lovers' out there.
    Most of you have known all my Dogs, starting with Erin, an Irish Setter...who is probably one you don't know, but are all familiar with her first born...Tokas, I called him the 'Black Irishman'. Erin died shortly after she gave birth, but will always be remembered. My then wife & I named our first daughter, Tiffany Erin, as some what of a tribute.
    Tokas was the best, we didn't even need to house-break him. He was with me for eleven wonderful years. We went everywhere  together, as I found that was the norm for the rest of my Dogs to follow.
    I then added Charlie, a beautiful Irish Setter Bitch. She and Tokas were quite the pair. Unfortunately she was hit in a 'freak' accident, and died from internal damages.
    Once Tokas had left me it took me awhile to have another 'friend' enter my life. But then came Buddy, who I took in from a friend that could not keep him with the move he was about to make. 
   Buddy, again was another one that could not be compared to. He got away once, not of his own accord, but kidnapped when someone stole my car in front of the Pub, not knowing about the stow-away in the back seat. What a home coming when he finally got back to my house..in a long about fashion.
   While Buddy was still very much of my life, I took in a Yellow Lab puppy that some one had placed a card on the wall of the Laundry Mat where I frequented. The lady there pointed it out, but not sure at the time if I wanted two dogs. But I gave in, and thought that it wouldn't hurt to call, some-what feeling that it would be gone anyway. I left a message that one Sunday after wash. A week later, the lady there asked me about the Dog. I told her I just got the machine, and hadn't heard back. Just knowing, a dog like that would be snapped up.
   When I returned home, I had a message from the owner of that Lab. I called back & she explained that she had to return to California to finish her move. Part of that move was that she couldn't have a dog. I told her that I was surprised she hadn't gotten some one else to take him. She then explained that she had other calls, but waited for me to get in touch, since she heard about me and my relationship with such animals. 
   I had her bring him by to get a close look. She came a presented me with one of the most beautiful and 'spirited' dog I ever new. He was nine months old, but could tell he'd pass the test when I asked her to bring him back Saturday...it was a diffineate maybe.
   She gave me his papers,since he was registered, but 'fixed'. Also a picture of his father. The papers showed his full name as: Sir Otis Dreams'. From then on it was 'Oat' and me with Buddy showing him the Ropes before it was time to say good-bye to anther good Boy.in Buddy.
   Well that's about it. Otis being the last of many wonderful 
Dogs that I call my best friends, since I felt that they were people too, and should be treated as such.....


 .......  Now back to the article....this is but a summary, shortened since I took the liberty of summing up my Dog-friends, to length...

  The author said that they had trained his Dog to go into an MRI scanner...completely awake and unrestrained. They wanted to determine how Dogs' brains worked and, even more important, what they think of us humans.
  Now, after training and scanning a dozen Dog, they came to one inescapable conclusion : that Dogs are people too.
   The ability to experience positive emotions, like love and attachment, would mean that Dogs have a level of sentience comparable to that of a human child. Dogs, and probably many other animals [especially our closest primate relatives], seem to have emotions just like us.

    That being a very condensed version, but hoping to get mine and many others opinions across about this love for our animals....