Interview with a woman researching dog minds - Page 2

Well, I think they LOVE us.   Of course they can think and reason to a limited degree.   My dog knows exactly how to "push my buttons."   Right now my yard is like a saturated sponge .... it cannot absorb any more water.   It rained day and night for 3-4 days last week; then a couple of days without rain; then it started up again for another 3 days.    Of course, I wasn't outside "playing ball and chase" in the pouring rain and mud.   So, he was bored, and he turned over every flower pot on the patio because it "forced me to go outside" and clean it up.   He does not do this when the weather is good.   Under the Black Cover is a Concrete Fountain -- he got around to turning it over also...."he left no flower pot unturned".  I put his water bucket inside a concrete pot and there is a "blob" of concrete in front of it so he can't turn it over.   My patio and yard looks like CRAP !!!   (Notice the Pampas Grass (left corner) has "no center" he likes to jump in the middle of it and hide.)

He did that because he LOVES you?   Be glad he doesn't hate you.

hahahaha -- no, he did that because he wants me to come outside and be with him.....and it works !! (he knows)

Read 'Minds of their Own' by Virginia Morell, published March 2008 National Geographic Magazine. Very insightful.
jackie harris

I want to read Horowitz's book, however I have not yet.....I personally believe that most creatures are much more aware than we give them credit for. Humans are arrogant & ignorant...we assume that because we can not understand them, that animals are somehow less signifigant than us. But they have the same neurological equipment as we do...some different proportions, that's all - so a slight difference in focus....why would they be that much different? When I look into my GSDs eyes, I feel I know the answer. They are laughing at us...we are the slow ones! LOL! jackie harris (& true, I may be speaking for myself!)

I love watching documentaries about animals.   Several years' ago, there was a great show on The Discovery Channel called "People of the Forest."    It was wonderful.   I also bought the DVD.  Here are some reviews, if you are interested.

www.imdb.com/title/tt0256263/usercomments

Interseting thought to consider. I'm not certain if it is love, loyalty but don't beleive it is fear. I have had many dogs in my day and trained hundreds more.

Over a period of 30 + years and I have seen some very different traits of Loyalty , Love ?

Some of the dogs I have owned will not eat when I am away for 1 -5 days ? Loyalty to me ? Sadness ? Mourming ?

Dog's that lie next to thier dead owners and never leave to then die themselves. Love, Loyalty, fear ?

Fear of what at this point the unknown? Not rational to a dog to think rationally.

I preffer to think it is a combination of respect and love. That's good enough for me anyway. Mabe to shallow for others but that's okay.

just my thoughts, mahon

Totally agree YR.

I think you sell them short.