“My dogs are my children.” I hear this a lot. Dogs become “fur babies,” and our bumperstickers proclaim, “My Kids Have Four Paws.” “So what’s wrong with that?” you may ask. “What could possibly be wrong with babying our fur-covered family members?” Believe me, I know how attached we can get to our dogs. But the reality of a domesticated apex predator lounging in our living room seems to be lost omid the delighted squeals and squeaks we administer to them on a daily basis. Is love really all they need? Is sentiment and affection sufficient to give a dog the life they really want? Does a canine even interpret love the way we do? What is it that a dog really needs in order to have a calm, peaceful life? We’ll talk about all that and more on this episode of the Canine Lowe-Down.