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Almost every day, a new thread appears on the subject of dogs at trail centres, or cats divesting themselves of last night's dinner in someones' garden.
There is obviously a strong relationship between humans and these two very different species. My guess is that we like dogs as they have kept us safe - alerted us to the presence of marauders, allowed us to become a bit soft (lose our claws and teeth), caught prey for us and returned it to our feet and supplied warmth and companionship. They may have quite literally shaped us as humans.
Cats are allowed as they have kept the rodents from our grain stores, required little in the way of food and also made us feel good by purring in our laps.
These days, most of these roles are no longer relevant. I've only been thinking about this as I read someone's opinion on a different thread; "...cats are vanity pets". Perhaps they are, and perhaps dogs exist now only as companions / vanity pets, but I do feel that both species deserve recognition in the evolution of ours. When was the last time you caught a mouse at 3.30 in the morning? Yes, our skills allow us to make a trap, but the cat / terrier can catch another one two minutes later, at 3.32 a.m.
Ramble over for the moment.
allowed us to become a bit soft (lose our claws and teeth),
You had claws?
You don't have teeth now?
Way back in the mists of time, my ancestors had bigger nails and larger teeth, and there's a good chance they could run after deer and bite their heads off. 2000 years ago, my great,great,great,great,great,great,great,great,great,great,great,great, grandfather's bitch befriended a wolf, got raped and he taught the offspring to do it for him. My teeth are in a bad state of disrepair. I have difficulty disembowelling a jellybaby. My dog can eat a whole packet in three seconds*
*Probably. He's not allowed sugary sweets - they're bad for his fangs.
Some interesting ideas on our relationship with other animals and our own evolution
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/oct/02/anthropology-pat-shipman-animals-language
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Mutually beneficial relationship with both animals. Started earlier with dogs IIRC. For us in the pampered west the relationship has changed somewhat but plenty of cultures still have a primary association with dogs and cats.