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Writing 39C
Lynda Haas
HCP
The Emotional Dog
Dogs represent the specific domesticated group of animals,
namely pets. The attribution to their group implies that, often times,
they are confused to be submissive creatures living unconsciously.
Some take a leap further and assume they are merely possessions
which would then suggest that dogs are emotionless; they are some
sort of friendly robot that eats and sleeps whenever its owner allows
to. Animal awareness is a growing study, which originated from
Darwins understanding of evolution in the 19th century from his
work The Origin of Species, 1859 (The Cognitive Animal, 2), but
canine appreciation was only given a large focus dating back to
approximately the 1950s when behavioral psychologists John Paul
Scott and John Fuller made groundbreaking research on dog
behavior (Dogs, 34). Perhaps people are merely lack sufficient
information that dogs present evidence that they are in fact beings
that live beyond the scope of instinct, and offer intriguing cognitive
patterns that can be associated with human-behavior. By
mentioning this, I will address the idea of dogs, in response for
being conscious animals like humans, provide a strong correlation
with their emotional side hence proving they are socially active and
to some extent intellects of their species.
Castro 2
To begin this review, I would like to point out the obvious issue
with studying canine cognition: dogs speak words. As Marian Stamp
Dawkins would say: Actions speak louder than words (Why
Animals Matter, 150); this proverb is what scientists and behavioral
psychologists would solely base their studies when attempting to
acknowledge patterns in body-language, barks and other physical
gestures. To further back this claim Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods
in their book mention how dogs frequently use visual signals to
communicate(The Genius Of Dogs, 135). I would then progress to
establish a positive and essentially plausible link between dogs
basic knowledge, from a humans perspective, and their emotion. As
I have mentioned previously, the fundamental understanding of
animals, where these studies were given birth are all derived from
Darwins first observations and theories, yet the central and
controlling thesis also shows that 100 years later the species Canis
Familiaris, latin for dogs, started to slowly develop studies as of
1950s.
Castro 3
Firstly, I would like to introduce a small perspective of
humans understanding of the dog. As illustrated in this infographic
animation, it becomes clear that dogs have different levels or stages
of contemplation. All animals, including humans have the first item
within the animals nature; the body naturally works in synchrony,
meaning: if an animal feels an urge to eat it means that
unconsciously, their body sends a message to the brain, which
would then allow the animal to search for food. The second item has
more conscious thinking required by the animal. The reproduction
aspect is more complex than eating because in essence, the male
dog is must engage in a small conversation with his mate to then
finally proceed with coitus. Yet, the dog can undergo even more
complex thinking, which then develops more into emotions. As I
mentioned above, disgust is a feeling that pertains to taste; in order
for an animal to acknowledge taste, it must be a conscious reaction
of not desiring a particular thing, as in food, for example.
The informative pictorial image above was based on the
article written by Stanley Coren, who noted that there are certain
emotions felt by humans that can be attributed to dogs. As he
mentions in his article, to understand what dogs feel turn to
research done to emotions of humans (Which Emotions Do Dogs
Actually Experience?). This point is strongly aligned with my central
Works Cited
Bekoff, Marc. The Cognitive Animal Empirical and Theoretical
Perspectives on Animal Cognition. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT, 2002.
Print.
Coppinger, Raymond, and Lorna Coppinger. Dogs: A Startling New
Understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior, and Evolution. New York:
Scribner, 2001. Print.