By Matthew Nevarez | Reporter
Friendship in 2026 has been complicated, to say the least. Loyalty often feels temporary, and delayed replies seem to come with an expiration date — even with missed calls and unread text messages. Only one thing remains constant: dogs.
Dogs offer a rare friendship, one that is great during hard times. Dogs do not care if you have had a bad day, if you are stressed about exams or if you seem like you are in a bad mood. They are there for you and are always happy to see you.
Loyalty is one of the biggest differences in having dogs as friends compared to humans. Dogs offer consistency far more reliably than humans. You could leave for five minutes or five months, and they will always be happy to see you.
Humans, on the other hand, come with many conditions — shared interests and proximity that can fade as fast as a semester syllabus. Dogs don’t care about all the other extracurriculars. If you’re their person, they will love you regardless.
A 2025 research study referenced by The Guardian affirmed this fact. “The study suggests owners rate their relationship with their dogs as being as satisfying or more satisfying than their closest human relationships,” the article states.
Dogs are also very good listeners; you can vent to a dog for however long without interruption or having to turn the conversation into something else. This attention span is very hard to come by nowadays, especially with phones, notifications and the constant movement of daily life conversations competing with it.
Trust is one of the main things I think of when it comes to having a dog as a friend. Dogs trust you with their life. They love like no other, building trust as they live along with you. Humans can also hide information from their human friends, but, by all means, tell a dog your deepest secrets. They’ll take it to the grave.
The big one is in the moments of silence; friendships are not always about having conversations for hours on end. Sometimes humans like to fill the silence, instead of just sitting quietly. Dogs enjoy their quiet time. You can just sit there in silence with a dog and it would be a perfect day for them as long as they are with you.
None of this is to say humans can’t be good friends — they 100% can — but dogs do it with ease. Just presence, loyalty and love in the simplest form.
In a time where friendships are more complicated than ever, dogs show us what true friendship is supposed to be. Stay loyal and be kind.
