It has been said, “A man’s best friend is his dog.”  Most dogs are very loyal to their master.  Such are referred to as “a one man dog.”  Of course, a dog which is owned by a family thinks of himself as a member of it.  We usually think of dogs as being very smart animals.  When you repeat certain words over to them time and time again they associate the sound of those words as a signal or bringing their attention to something in particular.  For example our dog Pretty Boy has come to understand when we say; “Squirrel!” that there is one on the ground in our yard.  Nearly every day there are squirrels that play around in both our back and front yards.  We have a fence in the back of the house and will let him out to chase one of the little bushy tailed critters.  He enjoys trying to catch them, but I hope he never does.  I don’t want him to hurt one or to be hurt by one of them.

     The expression:  “He’s anybody’s dog who will hunt with him” has a negative connotation.  In referring to a person it means that that person does not have a sense of loyalty.  In contrast there is an old cowboy expression:  “He rides for the brand!”  It has reference to a cowboy who is loyal to the rancher who hired him.  That cowboy or cattlemen’s expression has come to mean that a person is loyal to the company or whom he or she associates with and therefore can be counted upon.

     All of us want close friends, loved ones, and other associates in whom we can always count upon as being loyal unto us.  If someone we have trusted lets us down then the closeness we once had may never be the same.  On the other hand, we can be thankful for those who remain loyal and a friend no matter what.  A true blue friend who disagrees with us about something specific will at least come to us personally about it before going to anyone else.  You and I should be loyal unto our friends.  If they say or do something in which we strongly disagree then as a friend we should go to them privately about the matter.

Dub Mowery is a Gospel preacher in the Church of Christ. Presently he serves as full time evangelist for the Pittsburg Church of Christ. A native of Southeast Oklahoma, he is the author of Colloquial Sayings & Expressions (Morris Publishing, 2008)

nativeheritage@hotmail.com