Challenge #00509 - A134: Domesticated Predators

On “Humans are crazy” in general and pets in particular.

Humanity’s domesticated species are, for the most part, herbivores, right? So what possessed us to decide that the animals we let into our homes would largely be carnivores? Now, imagine a species where that is not true.

“AH! Look out! That predator is near your young!”

“Oh, that’s just Missy, she’s harmless.”

„,And then just when they’ve adjusted to that, they see why even in an era of high technology, “guard dogs” are still a thing, and exactly why we trust them around our young. – RecklessPrudence

Excerpt from the Newcomers’ Guide to the Galactic Alliance:

Humans are mammalian cogniscents, recently reclassified from ‘highly dangerous’ to 'insane but mostly harmless’. It may alarm you to know that their origin planet, Earth, is a Class Three Death World. Some areas of the planet are as high as Class One Point Five [see file: Australia. Warning: Content may alarm sensitive readers] and some individual organisms classify as Class Zero Point Five. However, planets are graded on averages and large portions of the surface are quite liveable.

Humans are among the few species to domesticate predators. In the case of small predators, like the Cat, this is an understandable advantage. Cats are common in all Galactic stations and gengineered felids are often station staff [see file: Skitties].

However, there are also Dogs. Dogs are descendants of the far more savage Wolf and have been co-opted over generations for a number of purposes.

Dogs can range in size from the size of a standard beverage container to those comparable to cogniscent life. There are many breeds artificially selected for their appearance alone.

Humans use some dogs for protection. A trained predator is far more efficacious at discouraging nefarious persons than any possible array of monitors or alarms.

Humans also use these 'guard dogs’ to protect their families, children and livestock. [Pictured, photograph of a dog amongst a flock of domesticated avians] This dog has been trained to watch over these avians. An untrained dog would attack and devour these flightless birds, but the humans trust this dog not to.

Do not be alarmed by the fact that humans have trained a predatory animal to not predate upon prey species. This is not a sign of how dangerous their species is, but rather an indicator of their insane genius.

We at the offices of Galactic Information Services have tested dogs and found them to be mostly harmless.

Nevertheless, you should avoid the dogs wearing a muzzle for obvious safety reasons.

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