Reply #13: We are social animals and dogs have evolved to play on our heartstrings

[AngryAmish]

Dogs have a very plastic genome (chicuacua to great dane). Those who were able to make us like them survived, those who did not get along with people ended up in a sack on the bottom of a river.

Many aspects of dogs remind humans of human children (big eyes, not so toothy face, outsized ears). They keep their pubby-ness into adulthood. It is called neotony (sp?). It makes peole accept them.

Adult mammals tend to like children of any species. That is why dogs adopt lion cubs etc. Taking care of children (no matter what the species) is an adaptive trait. Dogs have evolved to keep that child-like state throughout their lives. So we take care of them.