Over at the Corner, they've been having some back and forth over which animal has been more beneficial to mankind, dogs or cats, which is sort of like asking what's the more important invention, the car or the lava lamp.

On the side of the lava lamp is John Hood,

"According to a number of historians and classicists, domesticated cats have probably been of greater practical value to humanity than domesticated dogs, due to their critical role in reducing the population of grain-eating and disease-carrying rodents. Medieval European foolishness linking cats, witchcraft, and the Devil led to eradication programs that may well have paved the way for deadly plagues. Karma.

Dogs may be friendlier, but cats have been more useful.

Now back to your regularly scheduled program, more political but probably less controversial."

Of course, Hood would have to go for the "cats eat rats" angle because that is the only service cats have provided to mankind aside from perhaps keeping the loonier members of the "crazy cat lady" set distracted so that they don't poison the neighborhood children.

On the other hand, dogs also kill vermin, have helped humans hunt for food, have served as guard dogs, track people, act as guide dogs for the blind, and have helped humankind in warfare throughout the ages.

Then there's the fact that dogs are loyal to people. They're the only animals that can fairly be said to have cast their lot with mankind. Cats? They're barely domesticated wild animals, which some people find attractive. "Look how independent the cat is!" Well, do you know what other animals are independent? Pretty much all the wild animals. Raccoons, chimps, manatees -- the only difference is that cats are just domesticated enough to hang around and eat food you leave them in return damaging things in your house and being generally unsociable.

Now, I don't hate cats, but come on -- comparing them to dogs? They're not as good as pets and they certainly haven't been as useful through history. Dogs earned their slot as man's best friend while cats are back there with guinea pigs, hamsters, and ferrets slugging it out for a very distant second place.