I'm not a big fan of dogs, honestly. Never have been. To me, dogs are too much work to take care of, and most of the time they're too obsequious for my liking. Although I occasionally meet dignified, decent dogs who I can respect, mostly I'm not a fan of the animal.
That said, I realize that most people do like dogs, and I find the human-dog relationship interesting. It appears that dogs have been evolving in a symbiotic relationship with humans for at least a hundred thousand years if not longer. Studies on dog behavior notes that most of them are quite aware that they are not humans, and interact markedly differently with humans than they do with their fellow canines. In other words, they've evolved behaviors specifically in how they treat us that are different from how they treat each other. In some ways, they can "train" us almost as well as we train them. We also know from recent study that dogs can learn a vocabulary of a couple of hundred human words, and appear to be roughly as smart as 2-3 year-old children, on average.
Now I find it fascinating that they've uncovered evidence that many dogs can detect oncoming epileptic seizures in children, up to five hours before the seizures take place. This is rather remarkable.
It's an interesting relationship, that between man and dog.
And- they can do basic math comparisons! ["Hey! He got more dog treats than I did! Grr...."]
I don't doubt it. My Akita can always tell when I'm getting a sinus infection a couple of days before any symptoms appear.
There is an extensive quote about the history of cynotherapy in the Crumb Trail archives.
Don't tyell me you are one of those hippy dippy cat people? Puh-lease.
;-)
Just thought this image was particularly appropriate (not to mention funny).
http://www.metadi.com/images/humor/nz326.jpg
We only have five cats. What's the big deal? :-)
Meow!
Yeah, but all five cats only equal half of our dog's body weight!!!
Count me as a dog person! Actually, my earliest memory as a child was sitting on my mother's lap, watching my father take our dog Corkey thru his paces at a dog show.
I haven't had a dog in about 20 years, and I know now that I'd be alot happier if I did! So, soon, very soon!
Regular Lab, or chocolate Lab?
You dog people may be too cynical. Just as left-handers are rather sinister.
I shall have to have you neutered for such a bad pun, Mr. Anderson!
4.5 cats and 1 dog (recent acquisition). The dog wakes me up twice during the night to pee - or I'm guaranteed a puddle in the morning.
It just proves the cats right: I am nuts.
Currently I have a cat and am with Dean on the practical/personal objections to the mutt-encumbered life, especially as a single urbanite, but did have a couple precious dog companions as a kid. On the epilepsy... I don't know, we had a full bred husky who suffered himself and if there was any warning to his seizures, other than a couple minutes, it was not apparent. You haven't lived until you've tried to control a barrel-chested sled dog in the trows of an epileptic spaz. Wow, was he strong. Liked to sleep in the shower stall after it was all over; 20 or 30 minutes sometimes.
Dogs are so attuned to what people want that they read human signals better than chimps. We have a Newfoundland/golden retriever mix dog that just sits and watches the kids as they play outside- so if any bad guys or mountain lions come around I know they'll be safe- she'll lick the intruder to death.
At least she hasn't set herself on fire (twice) like the cat has. Someday I'll know to set the candles up to high for him to reach. That cat hasn't got two neurons to rub together.
Cool, huh. There are several prison reform programs that allow non-violent prisoners as part of their therapy to train dogs who have potential to become therapy/seizure recognition dogs for children and adults. It's rewarding for the prisoners, their new owners, and supposedly for the dogs.
I saw a documentary on it a year or so ago.
Katherine, I saw a similar program where an animal shelter takes strays to a prison. The inmates are trained to groom them. This does several things- gives the animals a better chance at adoption, gives the inmates something to do and they actually learn a skill to increase their chances at employment. I think the inmates can identify with the down-on-their-luck pooches.
...and a dog can blog, too.
I would never have believed the sensitivity of a dog to our physical condition until our dog showed that she was able to sense my wifes chest pains and neurologic episodes, This dogs sensitivities were the only thing that allowed my wife to get out of the housee on her own.