The fidelity of a dog is a precious gift demanding no less binding moral responsibilities than the friendship of a human being.
As long as being a stranger and surrounded by strangers was seen as a temporary irritant, a smallest departure from the binding rules of conduct by a member of a minority, was taken for a major crime justifying deportation.
My basic approach is to recognize that mainstream legal theories of contract have been muddied by unlibertarian and positivistic conceptions of law and rights. Questions about what rights are "alienable" or not, loose talk about how promises should be "binding," etc. , highlight the need for clarity in this area. In my view, to sort these issues out one needs a very clear and consistent understanding of the nature of property rights and ownership.
OATH, n. In law, a solemn appeal to the Deity, made binding upon the conscience by a penalty for perjury.
No oath can be too binding for a lover.