a dog is not befitting of the title man's best friend.

I think Pro for his argument. I'll rebut his arguments, then carry on to why a dog is man's best friend. Rebuttal: Point 1; Are dogs worthy? "A dog is man's best friend is a term coined by dog lovers who will not accept anything short of attributing to a dog this status" So you say this title was given because man felt pity? This needs to be backed up. There are numerous things dogs can bring, which I'll discuss in my argument. "I contend that this notion is ridiculous and shows the lengths to which (western man especially and specifically the dog owning man) has gone to justify his oppression of another creature. It is tantamount to saying that because man finds so much use in dogs, (mind you dogs can be used for companionship, for protection, for food, for abuse as seen with Dog fighting) he has chosen to reward the dog for his humiliation of it." So you're saying we're using dogs like tools; like slaves; like Pok"mon? Whose to say the dogs don't like being useful? There's a such thing as hunting dogs [1]. What obligates them to murder innocent animals for the sake of his master? It obviously can't be blackmail, since dogs wouldn't have anything to blackmail with, and I doubt they understand the concept. It can't be threatening, since the dog would probably run off. It can only be a close bond between man and dog... Man's Best Friend. Onto the rest of the rebuttal. Point 2: Replacements. "I contend that man's best friend if taken from an animal point of view would be a cow or buffalo or horses or chicken." A cow... beef. Buffalo... I guess its fur? Horses to ride into war, and race (There's dog racing as well, except you don't exactly ride them). Chicken, to eat it. 3 out of the 4 animals Pro has presented are good solely for hunting them. You can't really be friends with your dinner, can you? And apparently this is from the farm animals' point of view. I don't think they like being hunted. I'll go into detail later about how dogs outclass these animals. "Despite the lack of loyalty skills, these animals particularly cows have been fundamental to man's well being," I know that people say things like "this map will be your friend when going through that cave", and you could say this goes in with the definition of friend (at least the one we will be using): "a favored companion" (Merriam Webster). A favored companion can be either be useful, a buddy, or both. Dogs can be both useful and a buddy. And you can't claim that someone is your buddy if they don't like you. Buddies must show affection for each other, to show that they are indeed buddies. As for usefulness, I'll let the voters decide if dinner counts as being useful (they probably will say that, though). Back to the rebuttal. "[Cows] were with man when he had no tractors nor tanks" We're talking about the cows from farms, right? I don't think you can ride them like horses. "carried his burdens to places where dogs could only bark" By "burden" I think he means "troubles". To where dogs could only bark would mean... dogs can speak? Man's best friend confirmed! We can talk! ... This is probably figurative speech, though. "For man to reach this point where he feeling self sufficient rewards a dog with a reward that does not befit it is a form of injustice." Again, this is claiming man felt pity for the dog, which needs to be backed up. I'll leave my rebuttal here. I'll need the remaining characters to present my own argument. Argument: Point 1; A useful buddy Pro is heavily suggesting that a "best friend" is a work horse... literally, actually. But a "best friend" could also mean, well, a friend. Do you use your human friends? Are they willing to be used? Chances are, they'd rather just be a buddy. A dog, however, is fine with being used for things, since they find these things fun. If they're having fun with you, they'd count as a buddy too. Which is the criteria I set in place. In order to claim the title "Man's Best Friend", you must be: A: The most Useful. B: The best buddy. Pro most likely agrees with criteria A. If he doesn't agree with criteria B, he should say so, and point out why it's flawed. Point 2; Best Buddy For simplicity's sake, I'll compare a dog to the animals Pro addressed; Chicken, Cow, and Horse. Unlike most animals, especially a chicken and a cow, you are able to play with your dog. Everyone knows a good dog loves to play catch with a tennis ball or a Frisbee. Or a stick. You can also teach your dog tricks, like Sit, Stay, Roll Over, Speak, and more. According to Time for Kids, here are the 5 most popular pets in America: 1. Dogs: 46.3 million 2. Cats: 38.9 million 3. Fish: 12.6 million. 4. Birds: 5.7 million. 5. Small animals: 5 million. Over 45 million pet dogs solely in America! If that doesn't say that dogs are great buddies, I have no idea what does! (Note that this is about 9 times 4th and 5th place, separately.) Point 3: Useful Dogs have been used for a few things in the past, as well as today. Here's a few things dogs have been used for: Hunting: I have said this earlier; there are some breeds of dogs that are good for hunting. Labrador Retrievers are great for seeking water animals, like ducks and fish. The English Setter is for hunting Grouse. The Beagle kills rabbits for you. The list has some more, and I'm sure you get the point by now. Police Force [3]: Dogs have amazing smell, so we can train them to track certain scents. Police mainly use them to track drug dealers, and sometimes arsonists. Dogs can also be fast and vicious; perfect for chasing down robbers! Conclusion: Dogs outclass the animals Pro has chosen in terms of being a buddy, and being useful. You can play with dogs, unlike most other animals, and dogs can be used for hunting, and police force, unlike horses, cows, and chickens. Let's see my opponent's response. Sources: 1 [Hunting Dogs]: http://www.outdoorlife.com... 2 [Dogs are popular]: http://www.thedogtrainingsecret.com... 3 [Police dogs]: http://www.dogbreeds.net...