First Friend: A History of Dogs and Humans, by Katherine Rogers, articulates the history of the relationship between dogs and humans. Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals, by Marc Bekoff and Jessica Pierce, investigates if and how dogs exhibit morality. In both texts, anecdotes and observations are used to portray instances of dogs displaying cooperation, empathy, altruism, and, by extension, morality. Consequently, it stands to reason that dogs have a capacity for sociality, but how can the sociality of dogs be described? A dog’s capacity for sociality is the ability to form long term relationships with members of the same or other species. Dogs, in particular, dogs who hunt as well as dogs who play, are able to form long term relationships with humans and other dogs through trust, love, …show more content…
A wolf pack is, at its foundation, simply a family, with the parents (alphas) guiding the activities of the group. Hence, it is easy to believe that dogs are able to bond with human families, especially when the alphas are already parents. The parents view the dog as one of their children, one who remains dependent and will never leave or criticize them (Rogers 1), and in the same manner, the dog views the human parents as if they were his actual parents and as a result, loves and trusts them with his life gladly following them, not once questioning their decisions or actions. For these reasons, humans have found release in the company of dogs because dogs do not judge. By way of example, Sigmund Freud was notably a bad singer and as a result, never sang in public, however he often hummed an aria while petting his dog (Rogers 2). In the presence of dogs, our need to self-censor our words and actions vanishes (Rogers 2). Ultimately, dogs and human beings are able to form such strong emotional bonds through love and
A sense of belonging and community is essential in finding value and purpose in life. Dogs are naturally social animals that seek to live in packs. In the novel “Fifteen Dogs”, written by André Alexis, the dogs are given human intelligence and are forced to face a difficult question; to embrace this new way of life or revert back to their old nature. The intelligence the dogs gain unites the pack of dogs together, but, it is also what separates them from all other dogs. The introduction of language to the pack creates disorder within the hierarchy of the group which leads to divisions between the dogs.
A growing number of studies have attempted to support the theory that cats and dogs differ in their personality attributes. Several common factors have emerged across these studies, such as difference among social behaviours. Higher levels of dominance and hostility have been reported among domestic cats (as cited in Fonberg, 1985). Not surprisingly, domesticated dogs are higher in submissive behaviours (as cited in Marder, 1989). Woodward et al. also reflect upon previously held theories of companion animal attachment that suggest attachment is mediated by the needs of the owner and the characteristics of their pet.
Dieter Freya, Peter Fischer “Man's Best Friend: How the Presence of a Dog Reduces Mental
...tion, including their initial evolution, their domestication, and the roles they played in human society throughout the ages. It is a relatively new book being published in 2010. Darcy Morey, the author of this book is a zooarchaeologist and focuses his research on the relationship between dogs and humans throughout time. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee. This book is based on the authors own research and also refers to the information gathered by many other scientists, all of which are listed in the reference section of the book. As mentioned this book contains the results of research from many scientists and is beneficial for learning both general and more scientific knowledge on the subject. I would recommend it to anybody who is conduction a research on the topic. This book was found using I-Share using the search term the domestication of dogs.
Almost all the families that own dogs treat them like a part of the family. In the story How the Dog Became Part of the Family, it stated "According to a 2015 survey by the Harris Poll, ninety six percent of owners consider their dogs to be a part of the family." Since the dogs get special treatment from their owners they will do things for them, like encroachment foxes, clean out rats from somewhere, hunt ducks, and also even pull sleds on snowy days. Dogs can be malign gard dogs for people that treat them like kinfolks. The dogs and humans can have a very special bond. "When a dog and a human gaze in each others eye a chemical is released that causes the dog and human to feel adjacent." For example, in the story How the Dog Became Part of the Family, it states that, "The Harris Poll found that 38 percent of U.S. dog owners cook special meals for their dogs," Another thing is walking a dog a lot can improve people's health and can cause less accentuation. Less accentuation causes a better day and it is helpful to kids with autism. When dos get walked it makes you and the dog feel
Writing in the journal Anthrozoos, Kiesler advocates that, “relationships with animals lead people to explain their behavior in human terms” (340). The study done by Kiesler went after the psychological effects of the ownership in dogs. I agree that, once enough time is spent with an animal, the owner will begin to associate their behavior with human behavior because of how attached the dog will become to the owners life. The time commitment to a dog will give you more than enough time to become attached. The studies done by Kiesler reaffirms Blythe’s work that went further into detail
I have never considered that a book about a dog could be so appealing and full of deep thoughts. But I changed my viewpoint after reading the autobiographical novel “Marley & Me” written by John Grogan which depicts an astonishing story about the neurotic and loyal, clumsy and loving dog named Marley. In fact, as the author mentioned in some interviews, he intended to write the “dog story”, but soon after he realized that it was impossible to do so without including the family life [2]. That is why the title “Marley & Me” encapsulates the main topic of the book such as the relationship between a human and a pet. To start with let me introduce main characters: John, Jenny, and Marley.
You can learn a lot from a pet, especially a dog. In the memoir “Saying Farewell to a Faithful Pal”, John Grogan’s dog “taught me about friendship and selflessness and, above all else, unwavering loyalty.” (Grogan 150). This quote shows that a dog can teach you important qualities for life. Even the most challenging dog can give and teach you a lot if you just let it.
These wolves could bond with each other no matter what rank they are. They don’t look at status. Wolves look at their pack members with the love of what they are,not who they are. They show their affection through body language. For example, when a wolf wags it’s tail and it’s tongue lollies out:that’s happiness,and when a wolf holds its tail high and wags it while ‘frolicing’ or ‘dacing’, that means it’s playful. Wolves tend to be more playful towards their mate, or relative, than just any wolf. They also mate for life, their bond is eternal. A mother wolf will defend her pups even at the cost of her own life because they are her whole world,even if it is for about eight months. After the pups begin to hunt and travel with the pack, they will begin to teach the next generation of pups. Then, the cycle will continue to the next set of pups and will go on until the end of time. In conclusion, wolf packs have inseparable bonds that cause them to be so close, mating bonds that last a lifetime, and two strong alpha wolves to lead the pack away from any danger that comes to
Thesis Statement: While most owners are aware of the amount of joy and laughter dogs bring to them and their family, they are unaware that their dogs love them unconditionally and can help them have better lives
Armbruster, K. (2002). “Good Dog”: The stories we tell about our canine companions and what they mean for humans and other animals, 38 (4), 351, 26. Retrieved from http://www.siue.edu/PLL/
In Japan, a new study from Kyoto University has revealed that dogs can sense when someone is being mean to their owners and will hold a grudge against them! Even when the person offers treats or food to the dog, the dog will ignore it because they have declined to help their owners in a positive way. The experiment consisted of three groups of 18 dogs each, who were put into role-playing situation in which their owner needed help opening a box. Two random strangers were introduced into the situation, some of whom helped the owner open the box, while some refused (Dawn). After the box was opened, the dog was offered food by the strangers and was more inclined to accept the offer to those that helped out their owners then those that refused to help. Now if that’s not loyalty, I don’t know what is! The ability to be able to connect with humans emotionally is a key factor to why dogs are better pets then cats. If the dogs were like cats, they would simply take the food for themselves from anyone who offered it, regardless of any emotionally factors. Similarly, history shows that dogs and cats behave differently towards humans. In the past, dogs lived to hunt with their owners and need to know who is their hierarchy. Contrastingly, cats form loose colonies and usually hunt alone (Hartwell). It’s no wonder that this social bond between humans and dogs are completely different then cats.
Ms. St. Vincent attended group with a positive attitude and moderately participated in the group. She stated “Being around people or friends who still using can be triggered for me.” She indicated having troubles to trust and open up to others, which prevented her to develop new friendships. Ms. St. Vincent appeared to be in the action stage of change.
Dogs are wonderful creatures. They are loyal, dependable companions if given the opportunity. In recent years I have come to the opinion that we could learn something from these animals. We should also take a look at the manner in which they are being treated. Abandonment, irresponsible breeding, and neglect are only some of the ways that humans are failing the canine species.
Since animals, especially dogs, share similar emotions as people they to make great companions. Animals do show us how to love better, because their emotions are more pure than a human's. According to Mary Lou Randour, in "What Animals Can Teach Us About Spirituality", animals are spiritual companions to humans. She tells the story of a boy who, after murdering someone, receives a dog to care for as a form of therapy. The dog comforts him, and the teenager learns to love the animal over time. The boy's pet is "healing his soul" by teaching him how to love. Dogs give their masters unconditional love, never questioning the human's orders or disciplines. I thought the story of the dog appearing in the author's backyard as her dead grandfather was rather outlandish. All of Randour's examples of how animals influence our feelings were viable aside from the disappearing ghost dog.