The Question: Is The Dog Really Man's Best Friend?

HAROLD M. FLORSHEIM, Chicago
President, Florsheim
Shoe Co.
"One of the best. He never questions your motives, is there when you want his company and is content to lie at your feet until your mood changes. A dog's friendship is so loyal that it has been called 'blind.' He has even been known to lick the hand that beats him."

ROY ROGERS , Beverly Hills, Calif.
Rodeo star
"It depends on the man. For me, my dog and horse are equally good friends. Bullet, my German shepherd, is a close companion. When I'm on the road, I know he will protect my wife and kids. And of course Trigger and Trigger Jr., my horses, give me that homey feeling when I'm away from home."

ALBERT R. MULLEN, Great Notch, N.J.
Public relations executive
"Yes. He's the only one who will lick my hand at 7:30 in the morning when I was supposed to be home for dinner the night before at 7:30. My wife was up as I quietly opened the door with that typical married-man, hang-dog look. A dog won't bite the hand that feeds it. A wife will. True?"

MATT TRACY, Palm Beach
Sportsman
"Are you kidding? Just look at the condition of the streets in any city. Some years ago, some New Yorkers thought it would be a good idea if no new licenses were issued. Current licenses would continue, but no new ones, so in years New York would be free of dogs. Nothing ever came of it. Too bad."

PETER DONALD, New York
Comedian
"He really is. A dog is always ready with affection, charm, entertainment, a fairly modest hunger and almost the same license fee as a bride, with fewer dividends expected. As a social contact a dog is without peer. Sure, a dog is man's best friend—particularly if people won't have you."

ED CONNOR, Longmeadow, Mass.
Textile machinery executive
"It appears so. Few dare speak out against dogs. President Roosevelt said: 'I think I have a right to resent...libelous statements about my dog.' Vice-President Nixon, on the pan for alleged improper use of his 'expense fund,' gained sympathy by affectionately describing his dog on TV."

MARTIN W. SWITHINBANK
Eltham, England
TV producer
"Yes. A dog is the only one who will go for a walk in sleet or rain or when everyone else is fagged out and won't take a stroll with you. Conversely, when you, yourself, are indisposed, the dog has his own reasons for taking you out. Then you get beneficial exercise in spite of yourself."

JERRY BURROW, New Haven , Conn.
Student, Yale
Medical School
"There have been times when I've doubted it. A friend was surprised in her home by a sneak thief. She hid while he ransacked the living room. Her big, brave dog just wagged his tail and licked the man's hand. Before the thief left, he went to the refrigerator and fed the dog two prize lamb chops."

CAMILLE DUCRAUX, Paris and New York
Restaurateur
"It's a 50-50 friendship. Man is certainly dog's best friend. Without love and breeding, dogs would be unfriendly mongrels. My dog really talks to me. When I'm in a hurry and can't walk him, he just looks at me with tearful eyes. He wouldn't eat when I went to France . They had to ship him to me."

WALTER H. JOHNSON JR., New York
Vice-President
American Airlines
"He certainly is. Only a dog evaluates and accepts a man for his basic qualities. His affection is uninfluenced by money, prestige or other superficial things. On this premise a dog is certainly man's best friend. Neither danger nor hardship can prompt him to desert his master."