I've never been a cat person or a dog person. It seems like most people are one or the other, but I'm neither. It comes down to their personalities. Dogs are in-your-face, cats are cold and remote. So most people find something in one or the other. Me, I don't like people with those personalities, so I'm definitely not going to buy animals like that.
What's annoying about this is that we created dogs and cats. Yes, we the humans domesticated dogs and cats out of wolves and wildcats. So why couldn't we make them a little more pleasant to be around. Or more importantly, with all the dog breeds and their huge variation, why have they concentrated so much on appearance, while the behaviour is limited to vague claims of "loyalty." Couldn't they have bred at least one for politeness, or respect for personal space. You would think that they would have thought of that before they thought of dachshunds.
Two different pet personalities is clearly not enough for all of humanity. So let's domesticate a new animal. Do what we did before: take a carnivorous mammal and breed it into a cuddly companion. I'm sure Jared Diamond will have some explanation why this can't be done, but hey: this is humanity dealing with nature. Why start limiting ourselves to what's "possible?"
I think we should start with bears. They always seemed relatively laid-back for giant meat-eaters, and everyone loves teddy bears. So let's start the selective breading now, and in a few millennia, our descendants will be able to have a cuddly little pet that's friendly but not too pushy.
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