© 2024 24 Paws of Love

Protected by Copyscape© 2010-2024 24 Paws of Love.com All content (pictures, videos and text) from this blog and its feeds may not be displayed or reproduced. Please request permission from Mark or Patty before using at 24pawsoflove@gmail.com Thank you.
Current blog look inspired by and dedicated to Chance, Blaze, Fiona and Zappa who all kicked ass against cancer and liver disease.

Brut Quote

Brut Quote

Saturday, April 30, 2011

OH NO...ANTHROPOMORPHIZING!!

Are you thinking what she's thinking?

Anthropomorphizing:  to treat nonhuman thing as human: to give a nonhuman thing a human form, human characteristics, or human behavior

Call me crazy but is really such a bad word?  Is it really that far fetched that our dogs may think like us and why are humans so quick to deduce that they don't?  Why do we automatically think dog thoughts are so alienated from our own?
SAY WHAT?!?!
 
Yes, I did just fall off the milkbone wagon and I've always claimed to be a little dog nutty, so have some fun with me and join in my crazy dog thoughts.

Dogs have been living with humans for many years and have evolved with us.  Unless you went out into the woods and plucked yourself a wolf pup out of the den, then your dog was handled by and lives in a human world.
Except that I thought of first!!

We seem to be so afraid that we are anthropomorphizing ourselves onto our pets like it is the root of all evil.  Have you ever shared a knowing look between a spouse, partner or friend and knew what the other was thinking or that you were sharing the same thought?  Ever experience it with an animal?  Why would it be so different?  Did you think it was just some strange coincidence?  A fluke of nature that your dog just happened to look at you at that exact moment you said something to him and gave a response?  Did he communicate with one of those all knowing looks that said he understood?  Isn't eye contact the most direct form of communication?  Your dog knows you inside and out, your movement, your language, your lifestyle, isn't it safe to say he may even think along the same way you do?


I was thinking the same thing!  I am a godess!

How many of you have studied your dogs behaviors, movement and body language to know what he is thinking?  Doesn't your dog do the same thing with you?  Dogs are much more receptive to subtle cues and body language and have keener senses of us then we do of them.  We are more aware of how dogs respond to our emotions, yet we can't conceive how they also think in response to us.  In order for us to feel something, there is a thought to go with that feeling.  Wouldn't it logically have be the same for dogs?

Now if you told me your dog took off in your car and stayed out all night drinking beer and playing poker, then I would say your anthropomorphizing, but signaling he was thinking the same thing you were, well that's unconditional love and just plain cool!

TREAT!  TREAT!  TREAT!
    
I'm not saying that every thought a dog has is centered around us but I think we are too quick to dismiss that dogs are complete and separate creature from ourselves.  We are all mammals with the same basic needs of love, shelter, food and water.  What gives us the right to limit a dog's thought to only what we teach them?

Go ahead, call me crazy!  What are your thoughts?

********************************************

Join us for the Saturday Blog Hop.  Hosted by Life with Dogs, The Two Cavaliers and Confessions of the Plume.

7 comments:

Talking-Dogs said...

IMHO you are definitely not crazy! And my four dogs agree :-)

♥♥ The OP Pack ♥♥ said...

Not crazy at all, or else all of our humans are too:)

Woos ~ Phantom, Thunder, and Ciara

Sage said...

I think most dogs are really in-tune with their humans and sense a lot more than we normally think. So, no, it's not crazy!!

sam said...

Hi Sam here from the blog hop!
I channel my thoughts through my Mommy! That's the only way I can write because I don't have thumbs! Daddy can look at me and he knows exactly what I am thinking too! (paticularly if its to do something naughty)
Tail Wags
Sam

White Dog Blog said...

In many cases, I think dogs are BETTER at reading us and knowing our thoughts than we are ourselves. Often I give momma extra attention or loving long before she even knows she needs a little pick me up.

fromsophiesview said...

I am, so, on board with this post....Sophie is willing me to type this as I spill my most internal thoughts! She is so smart she can 'will' me awake in the morning and 'sleepwalk,sort of' to the kitchen and prepare her brekkie and bow down to her and feed her. She is definitely 'one' special pooch....uh uh uh oh.. sorry..Is there someone out there!?

ForPetsSake said...

I love this post - you're right on the money to think it's selfish of us NOT to believe a dog can understand us and think like us. Maybe we'll never truly know what the other is thinking, but there are definite moments when a shared understanding is passed. Like Siku said, my girls know far before me what I am feeling. Highly intuitive and compassionate.