Dog

Young sleeping puppies.

The domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris or Canis familiaris) is a usually furry, carnivorous canid carnivoran mammal. Domestic dogs are commonly known as "man's best friend". The dog was the first domesticated animal and has been widely kept as a working, hunting, and pet companion. It is estimated there are between 700 million and one billion domestic dogs, making them the most abundant member of order Carnivora.

Animal rights cases

• Maya: Maya was a chihuahua that was killed when PETA was welcomed by Accomack County to help round up feral dogs that tore up a cow, killed a goat, and terrorized rabbits. The chihuahua was with the dogs and had no identification, and was mistakenly euthanized. The county's attorney determined that PETA had acted in good faith.
• Jack: Jack, a five-year-old chihuahua mix dog of the Bullock family, was shot and killed by Blue Ash, Ohio, police on his front porch. The family came home to bullets and blood. The police claimed the five-pound dog, which had no history of violence, bit them. See "Police shoot dead a chihuahua, but only after tasing it first" (Inquistr.com) and "UnNews:Police shoot pet Chihuahua dead after giving it warning" (Uncyclopedia satire).