Opinion: Dogs are better than cats

There seems to have been this debate about cats and dogs ever since the animals were domesticated. Hollywood even capitalized on this in the 2001 movie “Cats & Dogs” and its unnecessary 2010 follow-up “Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore.”

I’m here to end this debate. Both cats and dogs have their pros and cons but the winner is an easy one: dogs.
My judgement is blinded by my dog-o-vision. I grew up with a larger number of dogs than I did cats, so my choice may be different had it been the opposite. The number of benefits a dog brings greatly outweighs cats.

The greatest benefit is their companionship. They go with you wherever you go just like a human companion would. You can take them anywhere whereas with cats, it’s almost unheard of to take them on a walk. Their companionship is something to be desired at an older age. As a fan of Pokemon, dogs are probably the closest thing we’ll ever have to a pocket monster in real life.
If you’re having a day, it’s almost too easy for a dog to make it better. Dog owners know the joy of coming home after a long day and being greeted by something that thinks you’re their whole world.

Something that’s become a big part of this debate in recent years is the kind of impact dogs have on pop culture and social interactions. In the early 2000s, funny pictures of cats seemed to dominate the Internet. We’ve seen a shift in the 2010s and dog memes have become a staple of everyone’s Facebook feeds. Minnesota Public Radio’s Jessica Boddy wrote an article about the language the Internet created for its love of “puppers.” This Internet culture associated with dogs contributes to the kind of reaction people have when they see a dog or find out that somebody owns a dog.

It seems people get a boost of societal points if they own a dog, but that definitely does not mean you should get one solely for this reason.

I’m not bashing cats. Cats are cool. They offer a different kind of companionship that’s on a different level than dogs. Some people don’t want a pet that’s overly needy or loving and that’s understandable. Dog slobber is gross and that’s something you never have to worry about with cats.

Maybe we shouldn’t even be having this debate. Perhaps animals, domesticated or not, should be given the same kind of love and respect no matter what. But for now, dogs are awesome and cats will never be able to stack up to them.