So? What happened to the dog...?

...according to the last panel.

Good for the dog! He didn't ask to go in a barrel over Niagara Falls.

for cat people!

Try putting a cat in a barrel and going over the falls in it.

It's a cute story, but it seems unlikely that a dog's nose would be able to plug a hole in a barrel THAT completely (it couldn't possibly be airtight), or that the person sharing the barrel with the dog wouldn't be able to pull the dog's snout out.

Actually, I usually like this cartoonist, but the whole thing seems kind of pointless.

I would say that result was the human's fault, for putting a dog in a barrel with one air hole. If an unable-to-understand-the-situation animal behaves according to its nature, how is that bad? And more questions are raised, such as:

* How do we know she suffocated, rather than had a stroke or was knocked unconscious, after which the dog used the airhole?

* Why on earth didn't she provide a decent means of restraining the dog, for its own safety as well as hers?

* How can a dog be expected to understand the situation?

* What kind of friend is a human that subjects an ignorant dog to something like that?

By some estimations, dogs have been with us around 100,000 years; I'll bet you can count the times some imbecile stuck one in a barrel with them to go over a waterfall on one hand. Who but a moron expects dogs to be bred to deal with that?

Stupid human, she deserved what she got. Touted as true, this story is neither funny nor reflective.

There are differing accounts--one has the dog lying over his mistress' chest, preventing her from breathing properly. She must have been unconscious to begin with, or the dog's actions wouldn't have mattered.

She wasn't being much of a friend to the pooch, now was she?

It was an uncommonly stupid idea to bring the dog--even by the not-terribly-exacting standards of the Niagara Barrel-Jumpers.

But bringing a cat--now that would have been suicide.

I don't think the cartoonist is literally trying to "make a point" about what assholes dogs are. It's just a morbid anecdote brought to life in cartoon form.

If the story is true, it's like a real-life Story Minute.

....even your best friend has limits.

As an avid dog lover and as one who just lost her sweet dachshund mix not 6 weeks ago, I love this cartoon.

All of my dogs will (and would) support and love and be loyal until the end, but let me tell you, if I ever stuck them in a barrel and jumped over the falls you can be sure they'd cut off my air supply.

If for no other reason than well deserved spite!

Also, I would not doubt that given another 30 minutes that dog would have started feasting on the lady.

It isnt dogs that are the problem, its their stupid, selfish owners

having said that, its a shame the dog didnt suffocate as well

Good for the falls

Alex O'Neal said:

Touted as true, this story is neither funny nor reflective.

And yet you wrote quite a bit of reflective material on it...

Bobrk, to reflect upon (although I would rather say explicate or point out) the lack of reflection demonstrated by an author does not mean the work was reflective. It means precisely the opposite.

There are works of art which exist to promote reflection, but I sincerely doubt the author of "Man's best friend? Think again." truly thought again before presenting this particular piece. Doesn't mean there aren't wonderful WayLay strips, but everyone makes mistakes, and this was one.

I can't believe I got sucked into this discussion. If that was a troll, my compliments, you got me!

What's pointless is your nitpicking.