The emotional well-being of animals
In the last couple of years, I have had discussions with many people about animals and their emotions. Do they know love, sadness, happiness and so on. People who have and love animals all agree; they do have emotions. People who don't have or love animals feel they don't experience human emotions because they are animals.
In dealing with my own pets, I have seen them grieve over the loss of a playmate. I have watched tails wag as I come through the door. Mention the word "walk" in my house and my dogs dance with excitement.
These emotions may not be a complex as human emotions, as some people think, but they are there.
Working with dogs every day makes me even more aware of the complexity of animal emotions. Confronted with being dropped off at a shelter, they are confused and scared. When you see an animal who refuses to eat, constantly pacing and looking to you for guidance, you know they don't understand.
Kreed is a beautiful purebred GSD, who came to the shelter when his owner could not longer care for him. He paces. He doesn't eat. He is losing handfuls of hair due to stress. Is he emotional? You bet. Is it obvious? Absolutely. Would someone who didn't understand animals see this? Probably not.
Darla is a little 3 year old, black labrador mix. She jumps on the kennel and tries to get in your lap. She is not eating. She has the look of lost confusion in her eyes. She knows you are being kind to her, but she wants your lap to crawl into. A cold, concrete kennel is not her home. Where is her family and who are these strangers who put her in this cage?
Do they have emotions? I am more convinced than ever. I see it every day.
In dealing with my own pets, I have seen them grieve over the loss of a playmate. I have watched tails wag as I come through the door. Mention the word "walk" in my house and my dogs dance with excitement.
These emotions may not be a complex as human emotions, as some people think, but they are there.
Working with dogs every day makes me even more aware of the complexity of animal emotions. Confronted with being dropped off at a shelter, they are confused and scared. When you see an animal who refuses to eat, constantly pacing and looking to you for guidance, you know they don't understand.
Kreed is a beautiful purebred GSD, who came to the shelter when his owner could not longer care for him. He paces. He doesn't eat. He is losing handfuls of hair due to stress. Is he emotional? You bet. Is it obvious? Absolutely. Would someone who didn't understand animals see this? Probably not.
Darla is a little 3 year old, black labrador mix. She jumps on the kennel and tries to get in your lap. She is not eating. She has the look of lost confusion in her eyes. She knows you are being kind to her, but she wants your lap to crawl into. A cold, concrete kennel is not her home. Where is her family and who are these strangers who put her in this cage?
Do they have emotions? I am more convinced than ever. I see it every day.
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