All I know is when I feel pain (physical or emotional) my Dinkydawg knows it and does what she can to make me feel better. When I am happy, my Dinkydawg is right there to get her share of it by my rubbing her tummy.
My dog empathizes my pain and shares in my happiness far more than my exwife ever could or most humans I have met.
If my dog can show empathy like that then she knows pain and happiness from her own experience.
I know when I step on her paw by accident and she yelps she's felt pain.
I know when I have been gone longer than usual and she welcomes me at the door with her tail wagging she knows pleasure.
I know when she wants to be alone she'll growl when I try to pet her.
I know when I yell at, and her head bows she feels guilt and sorrow.
I know when I praise her and her hers go up and her tail wags she is full of pride.
I know my Dinkydawg likes people I like, dislikes people I dislike and when my ex and I fought, Dinkydawg knew who was right and who was wrong and would take the side of the one who was right by growling, barking and nipping at the ankle..... and quite often it was me..... and no Dinky didn't react to the yelling she reacted to the emotion she felt coming from us. And Dinkydawg was not a fan of my ex, so when she took the ex's side I knew I was in the wrong.
There is no doubt in my mind that animals are far far more intelligent then some people give them credit for and are more in tuned with their feelings than most humans.
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I just love people who use the excuse "I use/do this because I LOVE the feeling/joy/happiness it brings me" and expect you to be ok with that as you watch them destroy their life blindly following. My response is, "I like to put forks in an eletrical socket, just LOVE that feeling, can't ever get enough of it, so will you let me put this copper fork in that electric socket?"
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