Why do humans require so much time and help after being born (or even after conception) to become self-sufficient? This is a serious question inspired by watching one of our dogs deal with her puppies.

On the doubting side, of course, some will say that humans are more complicated, sophisticated, have greater potential and such. That's all well and good but I don't see it as an excuse for a slow start.

Baruffa's puppies are 21 days old today. While I have been around baby dogs, cats, horses and cows before, this is the first time I have really been there full-time. I don't think what I am observing is unique but I do think it shows a lot more quick development than with humans.

First, a bit about Baruffa. She was about two months old when we got her. While there were a few accidents, she was pretty much potty trained. She could, of course, walk, eat normal food and within a short period of time, come when called. Very different from what I saw with my nephew.

Right now she is about a year and a half old and just had a litter of three puppies. She doesn't talk like my one year older nephew but she is pretty expressive and she does mind better than he does. But, the important thing has been watching her deal with her new children.

First, there was the issue of a place to have and raise them. A cousin had built a dog house but it was just much too large to feel like home for a dog. The dogs would go inside to eat (it has space for at least four dog-sized rooms and a roof high enough for adult humans to sit upright) and then quickly leave.

Well, one morning Baruffa was nowhere to be found. I called, nothing. I looked all over and she just wasn't here. We have a fenced yard but there was a hole dug under it where we were having a fight with some zompopos, leaf-cutter ants. I figured she got out and was visiting neighbors.

About mid-day I had been out by the front of the yard and when I was walking back I say a flash of white. I investigated. She had dug a cave and was happily inside with three puppies. Besides building her own house, she didn't need a trip to the hospital or even a midwife. This one and one-half year old, took care of everything herself.

Feeling like a guilty uncle, I build an appropriate-sized room inside the huge dog house and convinced her to move her family there. She approved of my work and it was large enough to allow space for growing children without more digging.

Without parenting classes, she figured out how to breast feed the children, and without Pampers, keep them "clean". Today, at three weeks, the children are all fine and I see her helping them expand their horizons. She will sit outside the house to encourage them to come out and explore.

Having observed human mothers from 15 years old on up, I think Baruffa has done a better job than any of those others. Even if we convert from human years to dog years, that 15 year old mom is effectively older than Baruffa. And why the conversion? Yeah, humans live about seven times longer than dogs but it seems like that is because they are so slow to develop they just need more time to do the same things.

All in all, I still like most dogs more than most humans.