Since the beginning of recorded time itself, human beings have kept domesticated animals for a variety of reasons. In prehistoric times, when human beings lived in caves and wooden huts, they trained small wolves and large dogs to hunt animals. These prehistoric hunters liked to train animals because the dogs had keener senses of smell than the human beings themselves; therefore, they could find trails and scents that eluded their human companions. Once these human beings started to settle into small towns later in prehistoric times, they started to train these dogs not to hunt other animals but to protect human beings and their families from predators and other human beings who sought to hurt or even kill them.
Later in recorded history, human beings kept domesticated for other reasons. For example, in Ancient Egypt, human beings trained cats to guard storage facilities which were usually filled with grains and other foods from rats, locusts, and other small animals which sought to eat the food that was intended for the human beings. The cats proved so adept at protecting these grains and other foods from small animals that the Ancient Egyptians eventually started to worship these animals as gods. They even went so far as to mummify cats after they passed into the next, an honor which was normally reserved for royalty and other important human beings.
Today, human beings continue to train dogs to hunt for food and to protect their homes from intruders. Similarly, human beings continue to train cats to kill cats, locusts, and other small predators who might sneak into a house or a barn. In addition to these practical reasons for keeping a domesticated animal or two around the house, many human beings also keep domesticated animals because they enjoy the company that the domesticated animals can provide. Many pet owners report that they love their animals as much as (if not more than) their family members.
Consequently, many human beings want to keep their animals healthy and safe no matter how much it costs them to do so. Thus, many human beings seek out a veterinarian whenever their dogs seem to suffer from dog health issues or other pet health issues. In these moments when a dog seems to suffer from dog health issues, the veterinarian is more than just an animal doctor to his clients; he is a god who can cure all dog health issues. More than one veterinarian has reported that his client called him late at night asking about dog health issues. After the veterinarian told the client that the dog health issues were no concern of his, the client thanked him profusely and sent the veterinarian a fruit basket as a thank you gift for fixing his dog health issues or health issues dogs.
Although a veterinarian usually only treats cats and dogs who are suffering from dog health issues, in recent years, human beings have started to keep more exotic pets. Consequently, a veterinarian is now called upon to heal sick turtles, snakes, rabbits, goats, and even small wolves in addition to treating dog health issues. Although more than one veterinarian has complained about how difficult (if not impossible) it is to treat these exotic animals, the majority of the veterinarian love animals so much that is no trouble to treat them in addition to the dog health issues that they must treat every day.
