Well, let's keep it in perspective.
Play like you're a pet (species doesn't matter, but dogs always popular).
Oooh, cold and scary out here in the wild. Too many things want to digest me. No fun looking for decent place to rest every night or fighting for alpha status or having to constantly hunt food or even find reliable water, not to mention ticks and dodging bigger critters that don't like me.
Oh, lookee there! A people! Running toward me making funny little murmuring sounds and getting all sappy.
Boy, this will be easy (approximating best grin possible with jaw full of teeth). Now lick its hand, then face. Ugh, pretty salty. (Do not bite do not bite do not bite or will blow the whole show.)
Hmmm, Roll Over? Feign puzzlement a little bit. Can't let them know I understand their language perfectly. Okay, now comply. Makes them so happy. Think they're in control.
Okay, not a problem doing this gig. Wag tail a lot, hang around, gaze with doting eyes, nuzzle them, a lot of environments are infinitely harder than this.
This is unbelievable. For a little devotion and a few tricks, I get lifetime free room and board, medical care, daily massages, poop scooped on walks, and maybe some selected breeding.
How did I ever get so clever as to make the species that thinks it's top of the food chain do all this for me?
People really are desperate for affection.
