We don't know exactly when "man's best friend" took off in American vernacular. But the phrase's pedigree is widely attributed to Senator George Graham Vest of Missouri (1830-1904).
Before his career in Congress, Vest was a hotshot lawyer and orator. In Burden v. Hornsby, a controversial case of man shoots dog that reached the Missouri Supreme Court in 1870, Vest represented the plaintiff, closing with the now famous "Tribute to the Dog" speech. Part of the speech states thusly: "The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous is his dog."
Over time the saying got reduced to a more bite-sized portion. Today, "man's best friend" is guaranteed to be nipping at your heels wherever the topic of canines comes up -- be it science TV shows, newspaper articles, or movie titles.
Has it become a cliché without meaning? One wonders whether Senator Vest ever owned a pit bull or a Chihuahua. But, given the long and loyal history of humanity and the doggie kingdom, we agree wholeheartedly with Senator Vest -- Spot, Rex, and Fido will probably never let us down.
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