Empyrean Iris Story Collection Vol. 4

Service Dog

The Intergalactic Journal of xenobiology and xenopsychology

ID: 242234341

Title: Adaptive Human K-9 Symbiotic Mutualism

Author: Dr. Krill

Symbiotic relationships are a staple of life within the universe. Assuming that a planet is habitable, it can also be assumed that the species interact. You can even go so far as to assume that species require that interaction to live with each other, otherwise there would be no sustenance. Sometimes these relationships are non beneficial; perhaps two species don't interact, or perhaps they compete for resources. Perhaps one species benefits while the other one does, perhaps that is to the detriment of one party. Sometimes both parties are rewarded for their relationship.

Bun in all my travels through the galaxy, I have never witnessed a symbiotic relationship that involved a sentient lifeform to the degree that humans and dogs interact. Sure Kallat fruit on Irus uses Rundi to pollinate, and the waterroot marshes on southern Anin have evolved to require the yearly harvest from Drev, but the human K-9 relationship is much deeper.

It all begins with domestication. Now there are a few things that are required for domestication. The first is a herd mentality that conforms to a social hierarchy. WIthout this domestication is possible but particularly difficult, and in my opinion, fall more under the realm of taming than it does domestication. Additionally domesticated animals need to be able to breed rapidly and in captivity, they need to be mostly docile, and have a variable diet, or at least one that is readily available, which can be brought to them in large quantities if need be.

The human relationship with dogs is a strange one. Humans are highly social, and wolves are also highly social creatures with a strict hierarchy, while the idea of Alpha and Omega has been long since debunked as false, there is still a strict social structure that must be followed. At some point in human past, humans likely took wolf pups and began breeding them, selecting only for the most docile and agreeable of the group members. Over time humans unintentionally bred a perfect companion for themselves into dogs. The dog/ human relationship is well established, and while other animals have been domesticated, only the dog has been specifically designed to meet the needs of their human companions.

Studies have found that dogs can interpret human facial expressions, and they do it in a similar way to humans. Generally humans examine only one side of the face more than the other, and this has also been found to be true in dogs. For wolves, where eye contact is a sign of aggression, a pet dog will see eye contact with their owners as comforting.

Dogs have been known to ask for help, understand human emotions, and are one of the only animals that understand pointing where other animals, even most primate species, did not.

Because of these unique abilities and advantages over humans, increased hearing, smell, variable size, speed, strength, and the use of teeth, dogs have been bred for almost any purpose, including hunting, search and rescue, military and police service, drug detection, tracking, performance, security, and service.

It is the latter to which I will focus my interest today. Service dogs may be the one greatest reason that humans have a higher ratio of disabled to able bodied member of their societies, not because humans are more likely to have defects, but because humans are more likely to survive them. And dogs can assist in a variety of ways, humans without sight use seeing eye dogs, who are trained to navigate complex environments and do basic tasks for their owners. Dogs are trained to detect the hormones associated with oncoming fainting spells, seizures, dangerous changes in blood sugar or other medical conditions. Furthermore, with their understanding of humans, dogs have been trained to combat emotional stress brought on by panic, anxiety, obsessive behavior, stress, and others.