I wrote this last year in 9th Grade. It's not nearly as eloquent or sophisticated as anything I've written recently; nonetheless, I'm not editing it for that because it's is a piece of Justin history.

For centuries, men have been extremely reliant on dogs. We’ve been so dependent on our canine buddies that we’ve dubbed them “man’s best friend”. Snoopy and Garfield are both lazy, but we all know which of the two is more loved. But why dogs? And what started the trend? When we hear dog, many different figures come to mind. There’s Scooby Doo, Snoopy, Air Bud, and of course, my favorite, Snoop Doggy Dog (the doggy fizzle who needs no muzzle). We have turned our much-loved domesticated animal into an icon. When you think of dog, you think of a furry friend, a loyal companion. This, perhaps, is the main reason many of us prefer to have dogs as pets.

And why not choose a dog? Once trained, they’re easy to clean up after and more sanitary. Sure, the cat is the self-cleaning pet, but I’m sure you wouldn’t want to run your fingers through your girlfriend’s hair after she’s licked herself clean. It always gives us guys a warm feeling to smell our girlfriend’s Jasmine-scented hair. That’s why we developed the scented dog shampoo for the lonely man.

Dogs also provide us with an escape from our complex social lives. What better excuse to get away from the hassles of dealing with people everyday than walking your dog? Although walking your dog is sometimes considered to be an opportunity to socialize, people would usually leave you alone when you tell them that your dog’s got to do number two.

Dogs are also great to have as companions, or substitute companions. You and your dog don’t need to have chemistry for the two of you to be together. As long as you feed him regularly and rub his tummy once in while, your dog will always love you unconditionally. If you’re a health fanatic, a dog might be what you’re looking for. The fitness craze that’s been sweeping our nation has prompted people to start working out with so called exercise buddies, and for the person who doesn’t have a partner, has a partner that won’t get off her butt, or the socially inept jerk who doesn’t have any friends, the dog, the most athletic of all the domestic pets, is the quick solution.

Dogs are very predictable and easy to manipulate. Isn’t that how we all want our friends? We’d rather have buddies who do not prefer to decide things for themselves. If they can think, they can disagree, and they will. We love having power over people, but for most of us, it’s not a realistic prospect, so we take out our frustrations on our dogs. We like having control over what happens next, and dogs help us fulfill that desire. It’s amusing to us how a dog will chase anything we tell them to–– a ball, a stick, a Frisbee, the mailman, or our mother-in-law. With dogs, you always know what the next move will be. Unlike the wife or the boss, the dog shuts up and stops complaining once you toss him a treat.

All in all, there are many more reasons that we have named the dog “man’s best friend”. For most of us, the reason is simple: dogs help us satisfy our need to be loved and recognized. They will take whatever you have to offer, and will always be right there beside you, to protect you and keep you company. Most importantly, they show us how simple life should be–– that as long a you can walk, it’s no big deal if you’re one leg short, skeletons in your closet is a good thing, and there’s never a bad time to sniff someone else’s butt.