Gordon Gekko said if you need a friend, get a dog I think. My dog is well trained. We live on a busy road and can let him out without worrying about him. I'll shed tears when my dog dies, that's for sure.
Dog or cat. I think we can all agree that they are much more to us than pets. Every once in a while, the wife asks what I would do if both she and the dog were in a life-threatening predicament. She asks who I would save if I only had time to save one. I respond by asking her the same question. Silence usually follows.