Small yappy-type dogs, in Eddie Izzard's phrasing, are thoroughly irritating. And there are definitely many breeds of dogs that have been developed to be stupid and slavish. But smart, properly trained dogs are fantastic.

Cats are basically wild animals that put up with people because they give them food and shelter. This doesn't necessarily imply intelligence. In standard animal intelligence tests (being able to recognise their own reflection, follow a sequence in order to get food, etc), most breeds of dogs turn out to be much brighter than cats. Purebred cats are mostly dumb as hammers.

I may be biased in this in that I've never been hurt by a dog. Cats, on the other hand, will scratch and bite the hell out of you on almost no provocation at all. Dogs are to bees as cats are to wasps.