Dogs are highly social animals due to selective breeding. This can account for their trainability, playfulness, and ability
to fit into human households and social situations. This similarity has earned dogs a unique position in the realm of interspecies relationships.
The loyalty and devotion that dogs demonstrate as part of their natural instincts as pack animals closely mimics the human idea of love and friendship, leading many dog owners to view their pets as full-fledged family members. Conversely, dogs seem to view their human
companions as members of their pack, and make few, if any, distinctions between their owners and fellow dogs. Dogs fill a variety of roles in human society and are often trained as working dogs. For dogs that do not have traditional jobs, a wide range of dog sports provide the opportunity to exhibit their natural skills. In many countries, the most common and perhaps most important role of dogs is as companions.
Dogs have lived and worked with humans in so many roles that their loyalty has earned them the unique sobriquet "man''s best friend".<6> However, some cultures consider dogs to be unclean. In some parts of the world, dogs are raised as livestock to produce dog meat for human
consumption. In many places, consumption of dog meat is discouraged by social convention or cultural taboo.