Sometimes I wonder how I developed into such a selfless dog; when it is ingrained in my biological nature to be selfish, to spread my DNA, and to love only those creatures that can give me more status or are closely related to me and my brood.  As I sit and look out the window, I feel compassion for those rabbits and squirrels who must fight their way through the travails of nature; equipped only with their lowly animal brains and their preprogrammed responses and instincts.  There is no morality in the lives of the lowly creatures.  They spend each day looking for immediate gratification; that day's dinner and a warm shelter.  We higher level beings ( I include most of you humans in this category), must pursue our happiness and gratification while giving consideration to the moral equations that run through our conscious and unconscious minds as we consider acting.  Our pursuit of happiness may lead to another's unhappiness.  Our greed always looks good, and other's greed that takes away from us, we call evil.  It's both a blessing and  a curse to have a cerebral cortex.  In the end, it appears that the actions of most dogs are the result of their own drive towards happiness, and that that drive is moderated by the rewards and punishments meted out by the pack.  Compassion for lowly creatures might be a defect according to some strategies of self interest, and then again it might be a virtue in others; depending on how the society sets up it's rules.
  
     Some pack leaders espouse a code of moderation of our animal pursuits and of concern for the happiness and well being of other dogs.  If all dogs are well fed and sheltered, I won't have to worry about them stealing my bone as I take a little nap.  A little reciprocal altruism can go a long way.  I must admit that this doctrine will only work if it is in the self interest of a large majority of the dog population; since self interest trumps all.  In a very complex dog society, sometimes a dog doesn't even know where her self interest lies.  There will always be some shifty, agressive dog trying to score a bite of grub at another dog's expense.  The cheater must be punished even though we know that he must exist, by the laws of animal nature.  Still, I can envision a society where learned animals can use their brain matter and create an environment that leads to the betterment of an individual dog, and his fellow animals.  Happiness is not a zero-sum game necessarily.  I guess I'm still working my way to being that selfless dog. It's a daily challenge to be a moral animal, assuming you want to be one at all.   I want to be just a little happier than the other happy dogs. I guess I'm just competitive.  I'll race you to the dog chow!  Winner takes all!