Beyond Empathy

It's been a long time but there
they were, on the forest trail, the
loyal duo of man and dog, both
shambolic and warmly greeting us
each in their own inimitable yet 
with very similar mannerisms.
The strangest things in life
are often true. Consider this: people
and dogs through long familiarity
resemble one another. There is
that peculiarity that people seem
to be attracted to dogs that
somehow resemble them in size
colour, personality and even
physiognomy. And even more
odd as time elapses and they
grow emotionally co-dependent
the resemblance quickens and
they share emotions and reactions.
Of course it is also true that dogs
have the upper hand in their
capacity to detect what their
humans are feeling reacting with
that knowledge in concern and
authentic commiseration; their
inbred traits and discernment far
the superior of the two species
so in fact while humans tend to the
existential needs of their
companions so too do dogs from
their eerie perspective of
identifying signals we cannot
possibly conceive of. And here
they are attendant on each other
Dan's personal life an abject misery
and Charlie's mission in life to
empathize, lightening the load.