“Your Dog And Cat Do Not ‘Love’ You”: Person Attempts To ‘Debunk Myth’ On The Nature Of Pet-Owner Relationships, Gets Slammed Heavily In Return
In the middle of the last decade, we were dismayed to learn that our pets were doing everything in our absence and getting up to epic adventures around the city (thanks to The Secret Life of Pets cartoon series). Now the debunking of myths goes on, and people are already encroaching on the most sacred – on the belief that our pets actually love us selflessly and disinterestedly.
Wait, so what about the completely authentic and touching stories of Hachiko, Greyfriars Bobby and many other examples of the completely devoted relationship of animals to people? Does it really all come down to instinct, and our pets welcome us home so joyfully just because we feed and water them? Twitter has been debating this issue for days.
The debate instigator tweeted that, according to her, pets aren’t really capable of human emotions
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The author of the initial tweet believes that pets are just food and comfort-motivated and don’t truly love us
It all started with a tweet by Bombay-Beijing-London writer Mithila, who, on her @PhadkeTai account a few days ago, questioned the sincere love of pets for their owners. The whole point, as the author of the original tweet presumes, is that animals aren’t capable of human emotion. Accordingly, the Original Poster (OP) believes, one should not expect manifestations of sincere love from pets.
Mithila states that animals are simply food and comfort-motivated or have been bred to be affectionate. Hence, what we are accustomed to a little selfishly consider love, in fact, is nothing more than a set of reflexes and instincts. And in general, as they say, the psyche is just a plaque on the endocrine glands…
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However, netizens put forth the opposite viewpoints literally on the spot
However, Twitter is still Twitter, and if the OP was expecting unanimous approval and support for her point of view, then she was definitely wrong. Most netizens opposed the author, arguing that, for example, in this case, a newborn baby cannot love their mother – because, after all, they are “also provided food and comfort, and doesn’t do much else besides react positively to it.”
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People in the comments also quite reasonably noted that “love” as such is not an exclusively human privilege – after all, for example, cat and dog brains both release oxytocin when they’re with their owners in a manner similar to children with their mothers. In this case, it would be logical, as some commenters say, to assume that people also do not know how to love.
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By the way, some participants in the discussion claim so directly – “human beings love for the same exact reasons that dogs and cats do – food, comfort, reproduction, oxytocin.” You know what’s great about Twitter debates? Literally a few replies – and now we have moved from discussing kitties and doggos to a total deconstruction of love as one of the basic human feelings.
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Vets in the comments told several stories of how animals literally refused to eat when left by their owners
And anyway, if we return to the original topic of the discussion, then some commenters who have experience in animal hospitals, for example, give amazing stories of how animals literally refuse to eat out of longing when the owners leave them alone. On the other hand, some people in the comments notice that humanity first spent hundreds and thousands of years accustoming dogs to be completely dependent on them, and then some of its representatives believe that their pets love them simply for what they are.
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There are numerous studies researching animal behavior and their relationships with humans
As you can see, the points of view of the participants of this discussion differ greatly, and the results of numerous studies cannot absolutely confirm the correctness of any of the parties. For example, a recent study conducted by Daniel Mills, a British specialist in clinical animal behavior, found that if dogs do treat their owners in much the same way that small children treat their parents, then cats do not show much of this behavior. Moreover, sometimes cats just ignored their owners and happily greeted strangers.
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This, by the way, is quite reasonable on two grounds. Firstly, dogs have a much longer history of interaction with humans. And if scientists believe that dogs were domesticated about 15K years ago, then cats got (almost) the same treatment about 9.5K thousand years ago. The difference of more than five thousand years is, you see, incredibly significant. Secondly, the life of cats next to humans was more like a mutually beneficial cooperation – after all, they did not lose their hunting skills, exterminating rodents that harmed the household.
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Most of the results of these studies claim that either only dogs, or cats as well, experience nearly the same emotions towards owners like human babies expose towards their parents
On the other hand, in 2019 a study was conducted at the Human-Animal Interaction Lab at Oregon State University, the results of which, on the contrary, show that cats form attachments to their owners in ways similar to dogs – and even babies.
“Cats are more independent in the way that we don’t have to train them to use the litter box the same way we have to housebreak a puppy,” says Kristyn Vitale, the lead author of the study, in her interview to Oregon Public Brodacasting. “But that doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t use us as a source of security and that they aren’t affectionate towards people. That’s what we’re finding: The majority of cats do use their owners as a source of security and rely on them for comfort.”
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Perhaps the cunning and prudent cats are simply manipulating these naive scientists, who knows? Be that as it may, most researchers directly say that animals are capable of experiencing emotions similar to human ones, and love is definitely one of these emotions. However, this is no reason not to buy your doggo a treat on the way home, so feel free to please them, and, of course, write what you personally think about all this. Or better yet, tell your own story about your wonderful and loving pets in the comments.
Imagine gatekeeping love as a solely human emotion. I feel sad for this person that they've never experienced the unconditional love of a pet.
Speaking from a purely philosophical point of view, it is impossible to truly know the mind of another. This is more true when taking about an alien mind, like that of another species. Similarly, there's a danger of personification. A dog is not a person. However, it's possible to look at behavior, and state, this behavior presents itself as love. I cannot be 100% confident that it is, but I cannot say that it isn't either. The behavior presents itself like love. Does anything else matter? My dog prefers me to all others in the house. I feed and walk her, and give her lots of affection. I can't prove that it's "love", but nobody can prove it isn't either.
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Why do people want to p**s all over what might be someone's ONLY happy thing?
so she doesn't feel guilty about her next steak.
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This was truly idiotic, she didn't even bother to check the tests that have taken place that shows our animals adore the hell out of us and vice versa. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/jul/16/do-our-pets-ever-really-love-us-or-do-they-just-stick-around-for-the-food https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle "To storge, familial love. It won’t surprise you to learn that dogs, more than any other pet, exhibit oodles of this form of love for us. And, unlike most other pets, these attachments have been the subject of many scientific studies. The science confirms what we knew all along, that most dogs actively choose proximity to humans and, within a few months of being born, a puppy’s attraction is clearly toward people rather than other dogs. Dogs exhibit varying degrees of separation anxiety when their humans temporarily leave them. Blood pressure rates in dogs lower when they are being stroked by us. It is a form of storge that we share with one another. No question."
If you remove humans then can animals show love for one another? There have been plenty of examples of mother dogs getting depressed after their pups were taken away so that right there shows they are capable of some type of complex emotions. How does that depression relate to food or affection motivation? It doesn't. You can find videos even on reddit of a dog being brought back her puppies and the pure joy and excitement when she was reunited clearly shows some deep affection that is well beyond motivation. Maybe it's not love we know but it's love.
My stepbrothers were playing in the yard when we were kids and we had 3 labradors (a female and her two daughters, all grown). One of the daughters started acting really weird and started growling. She jumped in front of my stepbrother right as a cottonmouth (a very venomous snake species that is common in Florida) lunged to strike him and Blanka took the bite right on her snout. Her face swelled up but she eventually made a full recovery. As my stepbrother was only 10 at the time the bite could've killed him and his dog saved him. If that's not the love of a pet I don't know what is!
When I was a toddler, we had a St Bernard named Heidi. We lived in a rural area, but on a main route into town, so kind of a busy road. Our front yard had a fence with a gate onto the road. One day, my mother took me out to the front porch with her to sit outside and play while she read a magazine. Heidi went with us. The phone rang, and my mother told me to stay where I was while she answered the phone. Of course I didn’t, and headed right down the front path to the gate leading to the road. Suddenly 150 lbs of St Bernard zoomed past me and sat down right in front of the gate, followed a few seconds later by my mother. No way I could’ve moved Heidi out of the way and gotten out of that gate, so she basically saved my life that day. Needless to say, Heidi was the world’s greatest hero in my mother’s eyes from then on (mine too, but later in life, when I realized just how dangerous my toddler plan to get to that gate was—-if not for Heidi, I might not be here to tell the story). My mother would always sing her praises and set aside any good leftovers, especially beef bones, for her as treats, for years until the day Heidi passed on. If saving my life wasn’t Heidi showing how much she loved me, then I guess I don’t know what the love of a dog is.
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You do have to admit she did find an unpopular opinion that fit that picture. Still my cats said they are going to find her and throw up on something she loves.
Some humans aren't anywhere as genuine as pets are when it comes to affection.
In my life, I have experienced deliberate cruelty only from humans. Never ever from dogs or cats. Or any other animals kept as pets, for that matter. (Though I’ve never known anyone who kept like rattlesnakes or something. Actually, I’m really glad I’ve never known someone who kept poisonous snakes as pets. TBH, I really wouldn’t want to know someone like that, or be around their “pets”, either.)
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Imagine being so miserable in your life that you can’t understand love and connection. I can only think what her human relationships are like. Mathila (OP) I feel sorry for you.
Dogs know when you are sad and try to comfort you. They are not expecting treats.
They’re also pretty good judges of character, and I mean they’re usually absolutely spot on correct, even when someone has managed to fool you into thinking they’re OK. If you have someone over to your house, and your dog takes an obvious instant disliking to them, better to be safe than sorry—-believe the dog, get the person out of your house ASAP, and don’t ever allow them to come back again. You might find out, on down the line, that they hurt someone they fooled, who either didn’t have a dog, or just didn’t believe what they were seeing when their dog instantly hated them the minute they came through the door.
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I mean, they were right about one thing. They ended up JUST like the picture in the OP.
Sure they can...they can even insta love some humans or pets. No bribe necessary. Even if my BF fed, cuddled and pet my dog when I am away he will be overjoyed when I am back.
Agreed. My boss's Siamese cat instantly became clingy when I met him on my first day. He's a good boy.
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I wonder how this person would escape why pets such as Hachiko (that japanese dog who waited until his death at the train station for his owner who would never come back again) or those brave dogs and cats that warned their owners from gas leaks or led them out of house fires. Saying only humans have emotions is very limited thinking.
I had a pet rat whose brother died of cancer, and even though I had already gotten him two new friends to share his cage with he stopped eating, spent all his time turned away staring at the wall, had zero interest in interacting with me or his new cagemates, and one day - despite appearing outwardly healthy - he lay down and died. If that's not a textbook example of grief and depression, then I don't know what is. He loved his brother so much that he did not want to live without him.
this person probably wouldn't share water with you if they found you in a desert. they're just that spiteful and lonely.
Only difference between humans and dogs....they cannot speak a human language verbally, and they don't possess 4 finger's and a thumb. I am sure many times our dog(s) thinks of us....why can't you understand me are you stupid??? Trying to warn you! Dogs are bred from wolves. Wolves are known to have monogamous relationships with there partners. And they form packs. Usually loving and sharing together. Wolves will often join with another pack if related. We have bred wolves into the various dog breeds we see today. Into our own specs. Example, from Rottweilers to Yorkshire lap dogs and everything in between. But they are still pack animals, and WE have become a part of there pack as soon as we adopt them as puppies. We are the ALPHA male/female of the pack. So are we conditioning them? No, coz it would have been done in the wild anyways. Countless stories of orphaned children during the rush out west in the 1800's of wolf packs adopting these orphaned human children into there pack.
Doggie story...I live in the USA my fiancée is in the Philippines. She got Knacki (female dog) after my last time I was there dog was 4 years old when I visited in Oct. 2022. Of course was met with the defending barks and growls when I arrived. After two hours Knacki became my BBF! LOL The dog would not leave my side. Follow me downstairs to the bathroom late at night, then follow me back upstairs.Sleep on my legs/feet. Two days before I had to leave, Knacki was so bummed out. Didnt eat. Just moped around. Dogs know, they are smart and intelligent. My last pic of Knaci before I left to go back to the USA IMG_202209...bb8d63.jpg 
She got bit by a chihuahua when she was really little and never got over it.
Probably well deserved too...everyone laughs when I say it but they are the fiercest breed I've ever lived with and the most painful dog bite I've ever received (I was brushing one of my long hairs and she went for the brush but got my finger instead). Hell hath no fury like a scorned chihuahua! : D
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People love to forget that humans are just another species of animals and we are not that different. This is so archaic. People claimed, animals couldn't have memories. It was debunked. People claimed, animals didn't have creativity or could plan for the future, it was debunked. People claimed, animals couldn't solve riddles or use tools. Again debunked. Now the no-emotion nonsense again? We have the same basic structure in our brains, the same chemicals. This is so silly and ridiculous. It's just another attempt to pretend that humans are more than animals. They're not. We're just one other species in the animal kingdom. And not even the best one out there.
Yes, humans have the same basic structure to our brains, with some additional add-ons. The important part to remember is that the human part is basically cognitive, the mammalian brain which evolved emotions, including love, developed much earlier. And as you have stated, we have come to realize animals are far more intelligent than we used to believe, so even some of our believed cognitive superiority has been demonstrated to not be true. Science has shown that the differences exist as a matter of degree, not quality. Only humans can do calculus, for example, but it has been amply demonstrated that many animal species (and even some insects!) can do simple math.
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I lost my best boi to cancer in September of 2021. Not long before he passed away, I went into a diabetic coma and had to leave home in an ambulance. I was told that he led the EMTs to me while visibly panicked. When I was loaded into the ambulance, he tried to bust down our wooden fence to get to me. This was while weak and DYING (yes, we were medicating him for pain). If that's not love, I don't know what is.
Part of my illness is a lot of vomiting. I'm talking daily when I'm in a flare. My cat was gotten after my bitty passed of old age. She was picked cuz she was bomb proof. And she is, with me. When I don't recover from being sick in the correct, for me, way she goes and gets my mom. She's been doing this for 9 years now. She can't move very well now due to arthritis but she'll still go get mom for me
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Dogs lay down their lives for their humans without giving it a second thought. Humans, on the other hand, have to be reminded to not push their companion down in a bear encounter.
The main difference between humans and animals is that animals can't tweet stupidity like that
OP is just making a common philosophical mistake. It comes from the vagueness of the question, "Why do beings X engage in behavior Y?" (For example, why do dogs cuddle with humans who are sad?") That question could be asking: why did X's evolve to engage in behavior Y? Or it could be asking: what mental state does an X have that motivates it to engage in behavior Y? The first question is about evolution of traits, and is best answered through talking about natural selection, survival needs, etc. The second question is about psychology and is best answered by citing the beliefs, emotions, desires of the being. With adult humans, you can access these mental states by just asking directly. With babies and non-human animals, you have to infer mental states from other things. So, returning to the example: dogs evolved bonding behavior, like cuddling, because it strengthens the pack, which helps them survive. The mental state of a dog cuddling a sad human is likely similar to...
...a human comforting a sad human: you feel sad for them and want them to feel better. How do we know it's similar? Lots of evidence, as seen in other people's responses: hormones, brain structure, etc. The important thing is not to conflate the two questions. My mental state when I comfort someone is not a belief that I'm strengthening the pack and ensuring the survival of my genes, or even that this person will do me a favor in return. That's just silly. And it's just as silly to attribute that mental state to a dog.
Load More Replies... If that were true, pets wouldn't mourn an owner that died. But they absolutely do. I remember reading about a dog that met his owner every day at the train station when he came home from work. One day, the man collapsed and died at work. But his faithful dog continued to go to the train station every single day for the rest of his life (several years), hoping to see his owner. That's love! Also, why do some people believe that mammals don't have the same basic emotions as we do? Our emotions may be more complicated, but they have their origins in our pre-human ancestry. It's the height of arrogance to believe that humans invented love! Anyone who watches a mother cat with her kittens can recognize the love right there. The emotion of love comes originally from motherhood and also to build social bonds between animals for survival purposes.
That dog is Hachiko, from Japan, in case anyone wants to look him up. They even built a statue for him to honor his loyalty.
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My fiancee got her period while visiting. My cat, who had never met her before, snuggled up with her so she would feel better. But yeah, she only cares about food.
My snakes do not love me. Fortunately they are not huge constrictors that would squeeze the life out of me if they so desired. My spiders do not love me. I doubt they even know of my existence. My dog on the other hand follows me everywhere. I only have to look into his eyes to see the devotion there. My big ginger cat is mine and mine alone. When I come back from a trip away, he won't leave me alone for the next few days. I love those guys and I f'ing know they love me back.
I was in the hospital once for 3 months. I have a doxie that sleeps with me every night. When I was in the hospital, she refused to sleep in the bed with my husband. She slept in a dog bed by the front door until I returned home. That dog loves me!
My cat loves to snuggle with me under the blankets at 3am. Unprompted. He, and I, think that OP is wrong.
I've lived with animals my entire life my mom is a dog person and my dad a cat person. Your animals love you. I'd go so far as saying your pets love you more than the other humans in your life do to an extent. They don't care if you are rich, what you look like, how good or bad your hygiene is or even if you're a good person. OP has been obviously never bonded with an animal.
My dogs and - yes - have provided more love to me than almost any human I've met (or been related to).
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I lived with my sister for a time and she had a cat who was a bit particular with her affection. One time, I got very sick and was laid up in bed with a fever and chills. That cat never came up into my bed but that night she curled up beside me and purred. She had never done that otherwise and received no reward for it but did it anyway. I feel sorry that this person obviously has never had a genuine emotional connection with an animal, pet or otherwise. I highly believe they wouldn't be able to say this if so.
My cat loves me, and tolerates everyone else. We can't take her to a cattery because she has abandonment issues (she was a stray). My dog loves my son more than anything else in the world, she protected him even before he was born. My animals show empathy, care, love, and loyalty. If that isn't love I don't know what love is.
this little girl just wanted attention. and we all fell for it.
As they say, the best way to get attention on the internet is to post something incorrect.
Load More Replies... Take humans out of the equation - a mother dog who lost her puppies in a fire pined over the loss and actively looked for puppies to help, feral dog ran over to anyone she could for help when the nest cave her puppies were in collapsed, chicken found a location where other chickens abandoned eggs and sat on a pile of 50 eggs - raised every chick that hatched, chickens regularly adopt ducklings, cats regularly adopt any orphan kitten even if they are not mother cats, the main way of introducing captive bred wolves into the wild is to leave wolf puppies near an active pack knowing they will be adopted, dogs will help other dogs out of trouble, rats will rescue other rats who are trapped over any food.
I can 100% say that animals not just dogs and cats love. I have had cats dogs squirrel bunnies since i literally came home from birth. Since then I have had the love of several hundred animals we fostered. My cats now all 9 prefer me over anyone. If I'm sick they stay with me they will not eat unless I get food also. They greet me at the door when I come home and they follow me all around the house no matter where I go!
This is a perfect example of showing humans are emotional creatures not intelligent ones. The op didn't use any rational beyond i need to create a difference, something humans have been doing forever whether with none humans or outgroup humans. We move the goalposts instead accepting what is. Humancentrism has delayed our understanding of the world so much and has done so much damage. People forgot we ourselves are animals. I want to feel bad for her but unlike even a few decades ago, the op is truly 100% willfully ignorant and so their stupidity and entitlement is their own doing.
Someone tried to pull this stunt on youtube comment section saying animals are empty shells and have no emotions. Told him humans were animals too, acted like that wasnt the case until i pulled out ALL the scientific terms for humans to prove we are in fact animals. My cat has so many emotions. She literally nearly died due to depression when i was in the hospital around 2015. She fell off a vent in the basement and was sleeping a lot due to me not being there and got a bad infection in her hind leg. Sickest ive ever seen her and she's an older cat now... she gets depressed when im not there with her.
What a miserable human being the OP is. And I LOVE all the shots she got - well-deserved. While yes, animal emotions don't necessarily share the complexity of human emotions, they still exist! Last weekend, my little cat died. He died at home and unfortunately the nearest emergency vet is 2.5 hours away. Our dog was there for the whole thing. She watched my husband and I take turns making our little guy as comfortable as we could in his final moments and she sensed all the tension and heartache (she has a VERY good grasp on sadness and crying). She whimpered and whined as the end came closer. And when he died we let her "say goodbye" to her little feline brother and in addition to sniffing and licking and trying to rouse him, she wailed and cried! She knew exactly what had happened and she was absolutely devastated! This was also only a few months after losing her big canine brother. But even in her own grief she made a point of comforting us. Dogs and cats are wonderful that way.
I had two dogs that got out of their temp fence when we first moved to my current house. One, the male, was my shadow, and the other, female, my husbands (we always joked about that). Mine got hit by a car and died, but she was okay, when my husband found them. She was depressed for weeks, looking for him, and was super clingy to me while I mourned his loss as well. She passed from cancer a few years ago, and kept going far past when vet said she would, only passing when we went out of town, I think because she didn't want to leave my husband
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I have always wondered if our pets adapt to is or do we adapt to our pets. Perhaps this is logic behind „cat people“ anf „dog people“ Many years ago there was an experiment where a human baby was brought up together with a chimpanzee baby with the result that the human baby became tuned to the chimpanzee. Perhaps the same thing happens with our pets.
Pets do adapt to us. For instance, feral cats rarely meow, it's mostly meant for kittens to call for their mother. But our cats will "talk" to us because we talk to them.
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one of the cats i have now- i was friends with him for two years when he was on the street. never fed him. never sheltered him. (seemed like someone else was feeding him- he was never skinny). just pets and hanging out together for a few minutes after work. then, when my alpha passed, i brought him home. no one could ever convince me that animals don't have emotions when it comes to people, or other animals. and one of those emotions is a kind of love.
My cat, Xena, is sleeping on my chest right now!! Makes it a little hard to type, but it's worth it! I KNOW my cats love me. They show it every day
The fact that person get so much attention makes me sad. What's next? Somebody gonna claim the earth is flat and get famous? Seriously stop making stupid people famous.
Every Time I leave My cat ge overeats and get really fat. He still has comfort and food when Im gone but its easy to see how differently he behaves after I leave and after I come Home. When they realize you're not to be taken for granted. x'D
I think it is sad. I KNOW my cat loves me. I'm not the one who feeds her or cleans her tray. But I'm the one she sleeps with anyway. I do all care for the dogs. But my mom is the one who is vulnerable so they always sleep guarding her. Imagine going your whole life without the love of anything but fickle humans to comfort and uplift you. She's wrong but I'm not mad at her. I pity her.
Yeah, the dog I lived with a couple years ago - I rented a room in his owners' house - put his chin on my knee, looked up at me and it was over. I don't know a more appropriate word for it than love. He'd been abused as a puppy (adopted as an adult) and I guess he felt safe with me. He let me wipe the mud off his feet when he came in after a rain and his owner was shocked since he usually freaks out when people touch his feet. He was always running over to check on me when we'd take him to the fields or the beach to run. One of the sweetest things I've ever experienced was this good boy barking outside my bedroom door one afternoon. I opened it and he was really excited, so I figured he needed to go outside. I went downstairs with him but the back door was already open, and my landlady's son - the dog's Favorite Person Ever - was sitting in a lawn chair. Dog went over to him and looked back at me, then walked over and bonked me with his head and headed back to the lawn chair.
Landlady's son and I were laughing but the dog was so happy and kept trying to get me over there. To this day I think he came to get me from upstairs because he was super happy and wanted to show me why. If that doesn't qualify as love I don't know what does.
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I think the person who downvoted you didn't understand the joke.
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I went camping with my siblings for the first time with my dog last year. When I was taking a nap, if this were true, my dog would have happily gone and sat next to the warm cozy fire with my siblings and ate hot dogs and marshmallows they were cooking. Instead, she guarded the tent I was napping in and didn't leave it at all. If she didn't love me, why didn't she leave me for hotdogs and marshmallows?
In my history of psychology course when animal psychology came up the professor was discussing all the push back and goalpost moving. I raised my hand and asked why there was so much denial to, to me an obvious conclusion, of animals having intelligence and emotions that can rival or even surpass us. I mean watch most animals and you'll notice it, watch more evolved species and i can't understand how you walk away saying they don't and aren't. My professor just shook her head and said idk because I agree with you. Every dog I've had i know was aware and cared for me so idk. I believe it's because we don't like to talk about things that are uncomfortable and may reshuffle our world order. Also some of us do not want to be taken off the pedestal we put ourselves on. We're just hairless apes and some people hate that.
It's so funny she mentions this when in the 19th century behaviorist psychologists thought exactly this way about humans, they literally said that showing affection to children was pointless. Then attachment theory came up and Konrad Lorenz showed it was true with DUCKS, also Harlow's monkey experiment, where they would prefer a fake comfort mother than a fake food mother.
I think this is obviously incorrect as it's clear intelligence, emotional literacy, is on a kind of spectrum. Maybe what she said would be true about reptiles but not mammals; their brain structure is the same, just smaller in other species. So... nah. I think they can love.
Gators and Crocs protect eggs and young (even those that are not theirs when they cry in distress). I've seen bearded dragon pets get super excited when their owners come around (mine is the exception as he's a grumpy gus) Maybe even they feel a type of love/affection...
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Never talk about religion, politics, weather or question a persons relationship to their pets. These are general guidelines on what will instantly set most people off.
I stay at home with our puppo every day. And my little dude knows what time to expect my boyfriend home every night. He gets so excited waiting for him and goes nuts when he comes in! It has nothing to do with food! And my mom and brother come over to visit sometimes, and my puppo goes nuts when they come over, and they have never given him treats. If that's not love, I don't know what is!
We had to cancel an expensive vacation because the vet where we were boarding him said our golden was refusing all food and would die if we didn't return soon. He'd been hiding in the back, disinterested in all human contact until we returned. He heard our voices and jumped up, doing his happy dance like, "There's nothing to see here; let's go home!" After that, we learned he just didn't like being boarded. He loved staying over at my aunt's house, where she spoiled him, including teaching him that it was okay to sleep in our bed. From then on, he'd wait until we were asleep and then crawl up and snuggle in the middle. My husband acted all gruff about it, but when Champion was unable to crawl up due to old age, he would pick him up and place him between us.
She’s wrong. Animals do have the capacity to love. They trust too. I’m sorry that person hasn’t felt the incredible love of an animal.
a stupid statement based on nothing. We used to think humans were the only ones who used tools. We aren't
Words without the meanings associated to them are just sounds we bark at each other. The connection from one being to another does not need noise or definition to prove that it is real. Animals, of which we are only one species out of millions, communicate empathy and affection without the need of an entire dictionary to be understood. That makes most animals better at communication than humans. That's why they look at us like we're idiots when we talk to them.
Conversations about complex emotions in non-human animals are an ongoing thing and it's something I get heated over. Increasingly, we are finding that a bulk of the same brain processes and chemicals are present in vertebrates regardless of their mammalian status. Animals are far more advanced than we have given them credit for - both in thinking and emotion. We chose to define a certain word in an incredibly loose and fluid manner so we can feel superior, and it's very silly, especially when you start getting into the chemistry.
This person has obviously never had an animal companion. Dogs and cats can love. My cat absolutely loves me and the whole family. My dad passed away a couple weeks ago, and she's clearly in mourning. And she's clinging to me like she's afraid she's going to lose me too. She's still getting food, water, shelter, and everything she could want. If this isn't love, if this isn't real emotion, then I don't know what is.
I work in referral vet hospital and I have seen animals who are reunited with their owners and their excitement/ joy/ love that they have for their human family - not just whatever humans feed them. They are part of the family!
Well, this was certainly a new approach to pissing people off. Way to go!
This is perplexing. I keep dogs to express my own love for them and as far as their feelings go, I only want them to be happy and safe. I treasure their companionship but I don't anthropomorphize their feelings or behaviors, nor do I think it's necessarily their place to love me back. If they do, fine. If they don't, that's just as fine, as long as their tails are wagging.
Anyone who thinks like her has never had a dog before. Dogs wait for you to get home and greet you every single time. Their love and loyalty surpasses humans tbh
Imagine gatekeeping love as a solely human emotion. I feel sad for this person that they've never experienced the unconditional love of a pet.
Speaking from a purely philosophical point of view, it is impossible to truly know the mind of another. This is more true when taking about an alien mind, like that of another species. Similarly, there's a danger of personification. A dog is not a person. However, it's possible to look at behavior, and state, this behavior presents itself as love. I cannot be 100% confident that it is, but I cannot say that it isn't either. The behavior presents itself like love. Does anything else matter? My dog prefers me to all others in the house. I feed and walk her, and give her lots of affection. I can't prove that it's "love", but nobody can prove it isn't either.
Load More Replies... Why do people want to p**s all over what might be someone's ONLY happy thing?
so she doesn't feel guilty about her next steak.
Load More Replies... This was truly idiotic, she didn't even bother to check the tests that have taken place that shows our animals adore the hell out of us and vice versa. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/jul/16/do-our-pets-ever-really-love-us-or-do-they-just-stick-around-for-the-food https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle "To storge, familial love. It won’t surprise you to learn that dogs, more than any other pet, exhibit oodles of this form of love for us. And, unlike most other pets, these attachments have been the subject of many scientific studies. The science confirms what we knew all along, that most dogs actively choose proximity to humans and, within a few months of being born, a puppy’s attraction is clearly toward people rather than other dogs. Dogs exhibit varying degrees of separation anxiety when their humans temporarily leave them. Blood pressure rates in dogs lower when they are being stroked by us. It is a form of storge that we share with one another. No question."
If you remove humans then can animals show love for one another? There have been plenty of examples of mother dogs getting depressed after their pups were taken away so that right there shows they are capable of some type of complex emotions. How does that depression relate to food or affection motivation? It doesn't. You can find videos even on reddit of a dog being brought back her puppies and the pure joy and excitement when she was reunited clearly shows some deep affection that is well beyond motivation. Maybe it's not love we know but it's love.
My stepbrothers were playing in the yard when we were kids and we had 3 labradors (a female and her two daughters, all grown). One of the daughters started acting really weird and started growling. She jumped in front of my stepbrother right as a cottonmouth (a very venomous snake species that is common in Florida) lunged to strike him and Blanka took the bite right on her snout. Her face swelled up but she eventually made a full recovery. As my stepbrother was only 10 at the time the bite could've killed him and his dog saved him. If that's not the love of a pet I don't know what is!
When I was a toddler, we had a St Bernard named Heidi. We lived in a rural area, but on a main route into town, so kind of a busy road. Our front yard had a fence with a gate onto the road. One day, my mother took me out to the front porch with her to sit outside and play while she read a magazine. Heidi went with us. The phone rang, and my mother told me to stay where I was while she answered the phone. Of course I didn’t, and headed right down the front path to the gate leading to the road. Suddenly 150 lbs of St Bernard zoomed past me and sat down right in front of the gate, followed a few seconds later by my mother. No way I could’ve moved Heidi out of the way and gotten out of that gate, so she basically saved my life that day. Needless to say, Heidi was the world’s greatest hero in my mother’s eyes from then on (mine too, but later in life, when I realized just how dangerous my toddler plan to get to that gate was—-if not for Heidi, I might not be here to tell the story). My mother would always sing her praises and set aside any good leftovers, especially beef bones, for her as treats, for years until the day Heidi passed on. If saving my life wasn’t Heidi showing how much she loved me, then I guess I don’t know what the love of a dog is.
Load More Replies... Influencers can't love you. They are motivated by a desperate need for attention, low self-esteem and extreme narcissism
You do have to admit she did find an unpopular opinion that fit that picture. Still my cats said they are going to find her and throw up on something she loves.
Some humans aren't anywhere as genuine as pets are when it comes to affection.
In my life, I have experienced deliberate cruelty only from humans. Never ever from dogs or cats. Or any other animals kept as pets, for that matter. (Though I’ve never known anyone who kept like rattlesnakes or something. Actually, I’m really glad I’ve never known someone who kept poisonous snakes as pets. TBH, I really wouldn’t want to know someone like that, or be around their “pets”, either.)
Load More Replies... Imagine being so miserable in your life that you can’t understand love and connection. I can only think what her human relationships are like. Mathila (OP) I feel sorry for you.
Dogs know when you are sad and try to comfort you. They are not expecting treats.
They’re also pretty good judges of character, and I mean they’re usually absolutely spot on correct, even when someone has managed to fool you into thinking they’re OK. If you have someone over to your house, and your dog takes an obvious instant disliking to them, better to be safe than sorry—-believe the dog, get the person out of your house ASAP, and don’t ever allow them to come back again. You might find out, on down the line, that they hurt someone they fooled, who either didn’t have a dog, or just didn’t believe what they were seeing when their dog instantly hated them the minute they came through the door.
Load More Replies... I mean, they were right about one thing. They ended up JUST like the picture in the OP.
Sure they can...they can even insta love some humans or pets. No bribe necessary. Even if my BF fed, cuddled and pet my dog when I am away he will be overjoyed when I am back.
Agreed. My boss's Siamese cat instantly became clingy when I met him on my first day. He's a good boy.
Load More Replies... I wonder how this person would escape why pets such as Hachiko (that japanese dog who waited until his death at the train station for his owner who would never come back again) or those brave dogs and cats that warned their owners from gas leaks or led them out of house fires. Saying only humans have emotions is very limited thinking.
I had a pet rat whose brother died of cancer, and even though I had already gotten him two new friends to share his cage with he stopped eating, spent all his time turned away staring at the wall, had zero interest in interacting with me or his new cagemates, and one day - despite appearing outwardly healthy - he lay down and died. If that's not a textbook example of grief and depression, then I don't know what is. He loved his brother so much that he did not want to live without him.
this person probably wouldn't share water with you if they found you in a desert. they're just that spiteful and lonely.
Only difference between humans and dogs....they cannot speak a human language verbally, and they don't possess 4 finger's and a thumb. I am sure many times our dog(s) thinks of us....why can't you understand me are you stupid??? Trying to warn you! Dogs are bred from wolves. Wolves are known to have monogamous relationships with there partners. And they form packs. Usually loving and sharing together. Wolves will often join with another pack if related. We have bred wolves into the various dog breeds we see today. Into our own specs. Example, from Rottweilers to Yorkshire lap dogs and everything in between. But they are still pack animals, and WE have become a part of there pack as soon as we adopt them as puppies. We are the ALPHA male/female of the pack. So are we conditioning them? No, coz it would have been done in the wild anyways. Countless stories of orphaned children during the rush out west in the 1800's of wolf packs adopting these orphaned human children into there pack.
Doggie story...I live in the USA my fiancée is in the Philippines. She got Knacki (female dog) after my last time I was there dog was 4 years old when I visited in Oct. 2022. Of course was met with the defending barks and growls when I arrived. After two hours Knacki became my BBF! LOL The dog would not leave my side. Follow me downstairs to the bathroom late at night, then follow me back upstairs.Sleep on my legs/feet. Two days before I had to leave, Knacki was so bummed out. Didnt eat. Just moped around. Dogs know, they are smart and intelligent. My last pic of Knaci before I left to go back to the USA IMG_202209...bb8d63.jpg
She got bit by a chihuahua when she was really little and never got over it.
Probably well deserved too...everyone laughs when I say it but they are the fiercest breed I've ever lived with and the most painful dog bite I've ever received (I was brushing one of my long hairs and she went for the brush but got my finger instead). Hell hath no fury like a scorned chihuahua! : D
Load More Replies... People love to forget that humans are just another species of animals and we are not that different. This is so archaic. People claimed, animals couldn't have memories. It was debunked. People claimed, animals didn't have creativity or could plan for the future, it was debunked. People claimed, animals couldn't solve riddles or use tools. Again debunked. Now the no-emotion nonsense again? We have the same basic structure in our brains, the same chemicals. This is so silly and ridiculous. It's just another attempt to pretend that humans are more than animals. They're not. We're just one other species in the animal kingdom. And not even the best one out there.
Yes, humans have the same basic structure to our brains, with some additional add-ons. The important part to remember is that the human part is basically cognitive, the mammalian brain which evolved emotions, including love, developed much earlier. And as you have stated, we have come to realize animals are far more intelligent than we used to believe, so even some of our believed cognitive superiority has been demonstrated to not be true. Science has shown that the differences exist as a matter of degree, not quality. Only humans can do calculus, for example, but it has been amply demonstrated that many animal species (and even some insects!) can do simple math.
Load More Replies... I lost my best boi to cancer in September of 2021. Not long before he passed away, I went into a diabetic coma and had to leave home in an ambulance. I was told that he led the EMTs to me while visibly panicked. When I was loaded into the ambulance, he tried to bust down our wooden fence to get to me. This was while weak and DYING (yes, we were medicating him for pain). If that's not love, I don't know what is.
Part of my illness is a lot of vomiting. I'm talking daily when I'm in a flare. My cat was gotten after my bitty passed of old age. She was picked cuz she was bomb proof. And she is, with me. When I don't recover from being sick in the correct, for me, way she goes and gets my mom. She's been doing this for 9 years now. She can't move very well now due to arthritis but she'll still go get mom for me
Load More Replies... Dogs lay down their lives for their humans without giving it a second thought. Humans, on the other hand, have to be reminded to not push their companion down in a bear encounter.
The main difference between humans and animals is that animals can't tweet stupidity like that
OP is just making a common philosophical mistake. It comes from the vagueness of the question, "Why do beings X engage in behavior Y?" (For example, why do dogs cuddle with humans who are sad?") That question could be asking: why did X's evolve to engage in behavior Y? Or it could be asking: what mental state does an X have that motivates it to engage in behavior Y? The first question is about evolution of traits, and is best answered through talking about natural selection, survival needs, etc. The second question is about psychology and is best answered by citing the beliefs, emotions, desires of the being. With adult humans, you can access these mental states by just asking directly. With babies and non-human animals, you have to infer mental states from other things. So, returning to the example: dogs evolved bonding behavior, like cuddling, because it strengthens the pack, which helps them survive. The mental state of a dog cuddling a sad human is likely similar to...
...a human comforting a sad human: you feel sad for them and want them to feel better. How do we know it's similar? Lots of evidence, as seen in other people's responses: hormones, brain structure, etc. The important thing is not to conflate the two questions. My mental state when I comfort someone is not a belief that I'm strengthening the pack and ensuring the survival of my genes, or even that this person will do me a favor in return. That's just silly. And it's just as silly to attribute that mental state to a dog.
Load More Replies... If that were true, pets wouldn't mourn an owner that died. But they absolutely do. I remember reading about a dog that met his owner every day at the train station when he came home from work. One day, the man collapsed and died at work. But his faithful dog continued to go to the train station every single day for the rest of his life (several years), hoping to see his owner. That's love! Also, why do some people believe that mammals don't have the same basic emotions as we do? Our emotions may be more complicated, but they have their origins in our pre-human ancestry. It's the height of arrogance to believe that humans invented love! Anyone who watches a mother cat with her kittens can recognize the love right there. The emotion of love comes originally from motherhood and also to build social bonds between animals for survival purposes.
That dog is Hachiko, from Japan, in case anyone wants to look him up. They even built a statue for him to honor his loyalty.
Load More Replies... My fiancee got her period while visiting. My cat, who had never met her before, snuggled up with her so she would feel better. But yeah, she only cares about food.
My snakes do not love me. Fortunately they are not huge constrictors that would squeeze the life out of me if they so desired. My spiders do not love me. I doubt they even know of my existence. My dog on the other hand follows me everywhere. I only have to look into his eyes to see the devotion there. My big ginger cat is mine and mine alone. When I come back from a trip away, he won't leave me alone for the next few days. I love those guys and I f'ing know they love me back.
I was in the hospital once for 3 months. I have a doxie that sleeps with me every night. When I was in the hospital, she refused to sleep in the bed with my husband. She slept in a dog bed by the front door until I returned home. That dog loves me!
My cat loves to snuggle with me under the blankets at 3am. Unprompted. He, and I, think that OP is wrong.
I've lived with animals my entire life my mom is a dog person and my dad a cat person. Your animals love you. I'd go so far as saying your pets love you more than the other humans in your life do to an extent. They don't care if you are rich, what you look like, how good or bad your hygiene is or even if you're a good person. OP has been obviously never bonded with an animal.
My dogs and - yes - have provided more love to me than almost any human I've met (or been related to).
Load More Replies... I lived with my sister for a time and she had a cat who was a bit particular with her affection. One time, I got very sick and was laid up in bed with a fever and chills. That cat never came up into my bed but that night she curled up beside me and purred. She had never done that otherwise and received no reward for it but did it anyway. I feel sorry that this person obviously has never had a genuine emotional connection with an animal, pet or otherwise. I highly believe they wouldn't be able to say this if so.
My cat loves me, and tolerates everyone else. We can't take her to a cattery because she has abandonment issues (she was a stray). My dog loves my son more than anything else in the world, she protected him even before he was born. My animals show empathy, care, love, and loyalty. If that isn't love I don't know what love is.
this little girl just wanted attention. and we all fell for it.
As they say, the best way to get attention on the internet is to post something incorrect.
Load More Replies... Take humans out of the equation - a mother dog who lost her puppies in a fire pined over the loss and actively looked for puppies to help, feral dog ran over to anyone she could for help when the nest cave her puppies were in collapsed, chicken found a location where other chickens abandoned eggs and sat on a pile of 50 eggs - raised every chick that hatched, chickens regularly adopt ducklings, cats regularly adopt any orphan kitten even if they are not mother cats, the main way of introducing captive bred wolves into the wild is to leave wolf puppies near an active pack knowing they will be adopted, dogs will help other dogs out of trouble, rats will rescue other rats who are trapped over any food.
I can 100% say that animals not just dogs and cats love. I have had cats dogs squirrel bunnies since i literally came home from birth. Since then I have had the love of several hundred animals we fostered. My cats now all 9 prefer me over anyone. If I'm sick they stay with me they will not eat unless I get food also. They greet me at the door when I come home and they follow me all around the house no matter where I go!
This is a perfect example of showing humans are emotional creatures not intelligent ones. The op didn't use any rational beyond i need to create a difference, something humans have been doing forever whether with none humans or outgroup humans. We move the goalposts instead accepting what is. Humancentrism has delayed our understanding of the world so much and has done so much damage. People forgot we ourselves are animals. I want to feel bad for her but unlike even a few decades ago, the op is truly 100% willfully ignorant and so their stupidity and entitlement is their own doing.
Someone tried to pull this stunt on youtube comment section saying animals are empty shells and have no emotions. Told him humans were animals too, acted like that wasnt the case until i pulled out ALL the scientific terms for humans to prove we are in fact animals. My cat has so many emotions. She literally nearly died due to depression when i was in the hospital around 2015. She fell off a vent in the basement and was sleeping a lot due to me not being there and got a bad infection in her hind leg. Sickest ive ever seen her and she's an older cat now... she gets depressed when im not there with her.
What a miserable human being the OP is. And I LOVE all the shots she got - well-deserved. While yes, animal emotions don't necessarily share the complexity of human emotions, they still exist! Last weekend, my little cat died. He died at home and unfortunately the nearest emergency vet is 2.5 hours away. Our dog was there for the whole thing. She watched my husband and I take turns making our little guy as comfortable as we could in his final moments and she sensed all the tension and heartache (she has a VERY good grasp on sadness and crying). She whimpered and whined as the end came closer. And when he died we let her "say goodbye" to her little feline brother and in addition to sniffing and licking and trying to rouse him, she wailed and cried! She knew exactly what had happened and she was absolutely devastated! This was also only a few months after losing her big canine brother. But even in her own grief she made a point of comforting us. Dogs and cats are wonderful that way.
I had two dogs that got out of their temp fence when we first moved to my current house. One, the male, was my shadow, and the other, female, my husbands (we always joked about that). Mine got hit by a car and died, but she was okay, when my husband found them. She was depressed for weeks, looking for him, and was super clingy to me while I mourned his loss as well. She passed from cancer a few years ago, and kept going far past when vet said she would, only passing when we went out of town, I think because she didn't want to leave my husband
Load More Replies... I have always wondered if our pets adapt to is or do we adapt to our pets. Perhaps this is logic behind „cat people“ anf „dog people“ Many years ago there was an experiment where a human baby was brought up together with a chimpanzee baby with the result that the human baby became tuned to the chimpanzee. Perhaps the same thing happens with our pets.
Pets do adapt to us. For instance, feral cats rarely meow, it's mostly meant for kittens to call for their mother. But our cats will "talk" to us because we talk to them.
Load More Replies... one of the cats i have now- i was friends with him for two years when he was on the street. never fed him. never sheltered him. (seemed like someone else was feeding him- he was never skinny). just pets and hanging out together for a few minutes after work. then, when my alpha passed, i brought him home. no one could ever convince me that animals don't have emotions when it comes to people, or other animals. and one of those emotions is a kind of love.
My cat, Xena, is sleeping on my chest right now!! Makes it a little hard to type, but it's worth it! I KNOW my cats love me. They show it every day
The fact that person get so much attention makes me sad. What's next? Somebody gonna claim the earth is flat and get famous? Seriously stop making stupid people famous.
Every Time I leave My cat ge overeats and get really fat. He still has comfort and food when Im gone but its easy to see how differently he behaves after I leave and after I come Home. When they realize you're not to be taken for granted. x'D
I think it is sad. I KNOW my cat loves me. I'm not the one who feeds her or cleans her tray. But I'm the one she sleeps with anyway. I do all care for the dogs. But my mom is the one who is vulnerable so they always sleep guarding her. Imagine going your whole life without the love of anything but fickle humans to comfort and uplift you. She's wrong but I'm not mad at her. I pity her.
Yeah, the dog I lived with a couple years ago - I rented a room in his owners' house - put his chin on my knee, looked up at me and it was over. I don't know a more appropriate word for it than love. He'd been abused as a puppy (adopted as an adult) and I guess he felt safe with me. He let me wipe the mud off his feet when he came in after a rain and his owner was shocked since he usually freaks out when people touch his feet. He was always running over to check on me when we'd take him to the fields or the beach to run. One of the sweetest things I've ever experienced was this good boy barking outside my bedroom door one afternoon. I opened it and he was really excited, so I figured he needed to go outside. I went downstairs with him but the back door was already open, and my landlady's son - the dog's Favorite Person Ever - was sitting in a lawn chair. Dog went over to him and looked back at me, then walked over and bonked me with his head and headed back to the lawn chair.
Landlady's son and I were laughing but the dog was so happy and kept trying to get me over there. To this day I think he came to get me from upstairs because he was super happy and wanted to show me why. If that doesn't qualify as love I don't know what does.
Load More Replies... I think the person who downvoted you didn't understand the joke.
Load More Replies... I went camping with my siblings for the first time with my dog last year. When I was taking a nap, if this were true, my dog would have happily gone and sat next to the warm cozy fire with my siblings and ate hot dogs and marshmallows they were cooking. Instead, she guarded the tent I was napping in and didn't leave it at all. If she didn't love me, why didn't she leave me for hotdogs and marshmallows?
In my history of psychology course when animal psychology came up the professor was discussing all the push back and goalpost moving. I raised my hand and asked why there was so much denial to, to me an obvious conclusion, of animals having intelligence and emotions that can rival or even surpass us. I mean watch most animals and you'll notice it, watch more evolved species and i can't understand how you walk away saying they don't and aren't. My professor just shook her head and said idk because I agree with you. Every dog I've had i know was aware and cared for me so idk. I believe it's because we don't like to talk about things that are uncomfortable and may reshuffle our world order. Also some of us do not want to be taken off the pedestal we put ourselves on. We're just hairless apes and some people hate that.
It's so funny she mentions this when in the 19th century behaviorist psychologists thought exactly this way about humans, they literally said that showing affection to children was pointless. Then attachment theory came up and Konrad Lorenz showed it was true with DUCKS, also Harlow's monkey experiment, where they would prefer a fake comfort mother than a fake food mother.
I think this is obviously incorrect as it's clear intelligence, emotional literacy, is on a kind of spectrum. Maybe what she said would be true about reptiles but not mammals; their brain structure is the same, just smaller in other species. So... nah. I think they can love.
Gators and Crocs protect eggs and young (even those that are not theirs when they cry in distress). I've seen bearded dragon pets get super excited when their owners come around (mine is the exception as he's a grumpy gus) Maybe even they feel a type of love/affection...
Load More Replies... Never talk about religion, politics, weather or question a persons relationship to their pets. These are general guidelines on what will instantly set most people off.
I stay at home with our puppo every day. And my little dude knows what time to expect my boyfriend home every night. He gets so excited waiting for him and goes nuts when he comes in! It has nothing to do with food! And my mom and brother come over to visit sometimes, and my puppo goes nuts when they come over, and they have never given him treats. If that's not love, I don't know what is!
We had to cancel an expensive vacation because the vet where we were boarding him said our golden was refusing all food and would die if we didn't return soon. He'd been hiding in the back, disinterested in all human contact until we returned. He heard our voices and jumped up, doing his happy dance like, "There's nothing to see here; let's go home!" After that, we learned he just didn't like being boarded. He loved staying over at my aunt's house, where she spoiled him, including teaching him that it was okay to sleep in our bed. From then on, he'd wait until we were asleep and then crawl up and snuggle in the middle. My husband acted all gruff about it, but when Champion was unable to crawl up due to old age, he would pick him up and place him between us.
She’s wrong. Animals do have the capacity to love. They trust too. I’m sorry that person hasn’t felt the incredible love of an animal.
a stupid statement based on nothing. We used to think humans were the only ones who used tools. We aren't
Words without the meanings associated to them are just sounds we bark at each other. The connection from one being to another does not need noise or definition to prove that it is real. Animals, of which we are only one species out of millions, communicate empathy and affection without the need of an entire dictionary to be understood. That makes most animals better at communication than humans. That's why they look at us like we're idiots when we talk to them.
Conversations about complex emotions in non-human animals are an ongoing thing and it's something I get heated over. Increasingly, we are finding that a bulk of the same brain processes and chemicals are present in vertebrates regardless of their mammalian status. Animals are far more advanced than we have given them credit for - both in thinking and emotion. We chose to define a certain word in an incredibly loose and fluid manner so we can feel superior, and it's very silly, especially when you start getting into the chemistry.
This person has obviously never had an animal companion. Dogs and cats can love. My cat absolutely loves me and the whole family. My dad passed away a couple weeks ago, and she's clearly in mourning. And she's clinging to me like she's afraid she's going to lose me too. She's still getting food, water, shelter, and everything she could want. If this isn't love, if this isn't real emotion, then I don't know what is.
I work in referral vet hospital and I have seen animals who are reunited with their owners and their excitement/ joy/ love that they have for their human family - not just whatever humans feed them. They are part of the family!
Well, this was certainly a new approach to pissing people off. Way to go!
This is perplexing. I keep dogs to express my own love for them and as far as their feelings go, I only want them to be happy and safe. I treasure their companionship but I don't anthropomorphize their feelings or behaviors, nor do I think it's necessarily their place to love me back. If they do, fine. If they don't, that's just as fine, as long as their tails are wagging.
Anyone who thinks like her has never had a dog before. Dogs wait for you to get home and greet you every single time. Their love and loyalty surpasses humans tbh
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