Dogs actually belong to a category of meat eaters called "facultative carnivores", which is so close in functional behavior to the omnivore category as to be hardly distinguishable. Here's what Wikipedia has to say about the term:
"Animals that depend solely on animal flesh for their nutrient requirements are considered obligate carnivores while those that also consume non-animal food are considered facultative carnivores. Omnivores also consume both animal and non-animal food, and apart from the more general definition, there is no clearly defined ratio of plant to animal material that would distinguish a facultative carnivore from an omnivore, or an omnivore from a facultative herbivore, for that matter."
"Facultative" means contingent, optional, or not required. In other words, their primary food is meat or prey but they are capable of surviving without them, perhaps not indefinitely but for long periods.
OK, so I googled "are dogs carnivores?" and this is what came up.
First from dogfoodadvisor which is in meat good, grain bad camp.
Knowing that dogs are optimized for eating meat can make it easier to recognize better dog foods.
Even though dogs do demonstrate a notable omnivorous capacity, we believe it’s important to give preference to meat-based products. That’s because…
Whether you believe they’re carnivores or omnivores, dog’s possess an undeniable carnivorous bias
Meat-based dog foods are closer to a dog’s natural ancestral diet. They’re more like the real thing.
From hillspet, a company which makes dog food:
Some folks have come to the erroneous conclusion that dogs must be carnivores because they fall under the order Carnivora. A close look at the anatomy, behavior and feeding preferences of dogs shows that they are actually omnivorous — able to eat and remain healthy with both animal and plant foodstuffs.
From wikipedia:
Despite their descent from wolves and classification as Carnivora, dogs are variously described in scholarly and other writings as carnivores[149][150] or omnivores.[3][151][152][153] Unlike obligate carnivores, such as the cat family with its shorter small intestine, dogs can adapt to a wide-ranging diet, and are not dependent on meat-specific protein nor a very high level of protein in order to fulfill their basic dietary requirements. Dogs will healthily digest a variety of foods, including vegetables and grains, and can consume a large proportion of these in their diet.[3] Compared to their wolf ancestors, dogs have adaptations in genes involved in starch digestion that contribute to an increased ability to thrive on a starch-rich diet.
From Yahoo Answers:
Dogs are CARNIVORES, because of their domestication, by us, they are capable of eating certain fruits and vegetables, but they should make up only a small percentage of their diets.
From RawFed (I assume a proponent of raw feeding)
Myth: DOGS ARE OMNIVORES.
This is false. Dogs are carnivores, not omnivores.
Dogs ARE very adaptable, but just because they can survive on an
omnivorous diet does not mean it is the best diet for them. The
assumption that dogs are natural omnivores remains to be proven,
whereas the truth about dogs being natural carnivores is very
well-supported by the evidence available to us.
from OpEdNews:
The dog food industry would like you to believe that dogs can eat just about anything, including lots of corn mixed with low-grade meat meal, and they will do just fine. A growing number of pet advocates, veterinarians and websites have come out in recent years saying that dogs are carnivores and therefore should only be fed a diet of raw meat. So who is right? Neither, of course.
And on and on..
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