As I was sitting here wondering what to blog about this week the same theme keeps coming back to my mind about animals and for this topic, dogs in particular. I was talking on the phone today with someone who is not only a friend but is the media company who will be fulfilling our Online Dog Expo CDs. We were having an interesting conversation about animals feelings, emotions and thinking. We both definitely agree that they do think, feel, "talk" and have emotions but more specifically how those are from their own perspective
not ours.
We probably humanize animals too much most likely due to all the things we see in movies, on TV and read in books these days. The entire topic of our conversation today was how animals DO feel, think, dream, have conversations, etc., but from THEIR perspective. That means a horse thinks and feels like a horse, a dog feels and thinks like a dog, and so on. Really, it doesn't take rocket science to know that if you live with any kind of an animal. Too bad science doesn't undertand this concept too well because these things can't really be determined in a cold, sterile research environment. I mean if I were locked in a cage being observed, prodded, poked, and hurt I think I'd shut down as many emotions and reactions as I HUMANLY could.
I've lived with many animals over the years and I know for a fact they can understand human words, feelings, and actions way better than we do theirs in return because animals are listening and observing all the time. They talk with their bodies and whether we are aware of it or not so do we but animals are just much more observant of these things than us. I suppose this is because they aren't distracted by TVs, IPODs, video games, computers, and the rest of the technological distractions we face everyday.
In fact there are a few videos out right now on
YouTube.com about talking dogs and cats. They really do sound like they are speaking too and maybe they do understand what they're saying. I find that fascinating in light of the fact that we often don't know or get what they're saying as is evidenced by all the animals that end up in shelters because WE couldn't understand them. How truly very sad when all we need to do is listen, observe and learn -just like the animals.
Have a tail waggin' day!
