Man’s best friend

Photo of author

Grammarist

Man’s best friend is a phrase from a proverb that is attributed to King Frederick of Prussia. We will examine exactly who is considered man’s best friend, where the expression came from and some examples of its use in sentences.

The phrase man’s best friend is part of the proverb “A dog is man’s best friend.” The dog has undergone an interesting evolution in the minds and hearts of human beings. For a long time the dog was considered little more than a tool to be used for hunting and guarding property. Dogs were for the most part considered vicious and dangerous until the eighteenth century, when dogs began to be seen as pets and companions. King Frederick of Prussia is credited as the first person to name the dog man’s best friend in 1789. The phrase was most notably used by the lawyer George Graham Vest in 1870 in Warrensburg, Missouri during a trial concerning the shooting of a dog. Vest’s eloquent argument concerning the value of a man’s dog won the case. The dog’s name was Old Drum, and a statue was erected in front of the Johnson County Courthouse in Warrensburg, Missouri with donations from locals and people from around the world. The Old Drum Memorial is considered a monument to all dogs that have been loved and lost.

Examples

With so many ways to help man’s best friend, it is the perfect time this October to help the animals in our communities – whether it’s by adopting a senior dog, fostering a puppy, or microchipping the pets you already have. (The News-Press)

After a near-fatal accident in 2013, Strum said she felt God was sending her a message that she still had work to do, both for the good of her fellow man and for man’s best friend. (The San Diego Union Tribune)