Posted on 10/07/2013 11:32:27 AM PDT by blam
Scientist Says New Research Proves 'Dogs Are People Too'
By Kelli Bender
Oct 7th 2013
Do you ever think that your dog knows exactly how you feel? It probably does. According to the Daily Mail U.K., Gregory Berns, a professor of neuroeconomics at Emory University, has discovered that dogs have emotions just like humans.
Through the use of MRI scans, Berns discovered that dogs and humans use the same part of their brains to feel. The professor started his research hoping to find out how a dog's brain works and what the animals think of humans.
In veterinary practices, dogs are put under an anesthetic to obtain an MRI so they don't become stressed by the procedure. For Berns' work, he needed his dog patients to be alert so he could observe their true brain functions. To overcome this obstacle, Berns and a dog trainer worked to teach the professor's dog to sit through an MRI simulator. After months of training and work with a real MRI machine, Berns and his dog were able to get the first maps of canine brain activity.
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(Excerpt) Read more at pawnation.com ...
I agree with you that dogs — and cats — do show signs of problem solving. Dogs, based on my observations, also show many emotions similar to ours, which makes sense, as they are pack animals, and, therefore, must have some sense of social interaction.
But, as you say, they are just dogs and not on the same level as humans.
My cat is a sneaky counter surfer, too, by the way.
Dogs get excited. Dogs get scared. Dogs get angry/defensive....
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Don’t forget about jealousy. When my eldest grandson came along, my dog would try to get involved every time I was playing with the baby—nosing in between the two of us. Once the child started walking, the dog did not seem as concerned with my giving him attention. And when grandson #2 came along, we went through a similar situation. Now, he seems to be jealous of the 3rd grandson.
Recently, my sister was talking to our cat, and our dog put himself between them. At first, she thought it was a coincidence, but, then, she got him to do it a few more times. Too funny.
Does this mean they have to have health insurance, or pay a penalty to the Obamanation if they don't?
‘Dogs Are People Too’
.
Bowow, bowow!
Will we now have legal Man/Dog marriage?
To me, my dog is easily the equal in worth in comparison to just about all of the people I run across. We obviously do not agree.
“They don’t have emotions”
I am convinced that they do. My wife says that when I leave town, the dogs mope about for two days. They are deliriously happy when I return. The female dog is insanely jealous when I pet the male dog; she barges in between us and demands to be petted stead. If I am not feeling well, the female puts on the saddest face and tries to snuggle with me.
A dog will never feel bad about biting someone
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Years ago we had 2 dogs. There was a favorite, coveted sleeping space on my husband’s side of the bed. It wouldn’t fit 2 dogs and the bigger one barely fit. The older beagle, being smaller, tended to hog it. He was a sweet dog, a rescue and had never shown aggression towards us. (bunnies were another story).
One night, I got tired of the Akita crying because the beagle was in *the* spot. I went to grab the beagle’s collar to take him out of there and he turned in a flash and did a single chomp onto my hand. As I was tending to it, my husband gave the dog a tongue lashing with frequent references to “You bit Mom!”. The dog went to a corner and hid. The next morning, the beagle actually crawled on his belly to me and started licking my feet. I think he knew he had crossed a major line in attacking a dominant pack member and was apologizing. I also think it was a hard-wired response.
When our present Akita was just a few months old, we took him out to a Farmer’s Market for some socializing. He was rambunctious and liked to jump on people and other dogs and was a generally clueless pup. We met a 2-year-old Saint Bernard. The Saint took one look at the pup and just let out a low short growl. Puppyboy immediately turned his back on the older, larger dog and sat without being told. I later learned this is dog behavior within the pack showing respect. Hardwired.
We may anthropomorphize things a bit.
OTOH, when we are all together in the evening, usually watching a video, my dog will look up at me with half-lidded eyes & a doggy smile and you just know that this is one of his *favorite things*.
They are fur people, IMO.
Of course dogs have emotions. Their brains have the same parts ours do, and the parts if their brains that process emotions are structurally and biochemically the same as ours. Hence, they feel rage, grief, joy, jealousy, etc. just as we do.
The difference between dogs and humans—at least, some humans—is that we have a far more highly developed cortex, particularly in he prefrontal area. This is the part of the brain that (we hope!) imposes some control and direction and rationality over the animal emotions and desires we mammals all have in common.
Thus, acknowledging that dogs have emotions doesn’t put them up on the same level as humans or invest them with the same value as human beings.
Oh absolutely but don’t discount them as just animals. They’re far smarter than a mere cat.
Sure there are a great many worthless people in this world and we all make individual judgments on their worth as we go through life, but those individual judgments is not what I am talking about.
What the author of this research is suggesting is legal rights for dogs. If he is successful in his quest to use his research to legally endow civil rights on dogs human beings will no longer be endowed with certain unalienable rights.
Human beings will no longer inhabit a special place in the legal universe. You and your dog will no longer have the same relationship that you do today because you will have the government dictating what that relationship will be.
Admit it: deep down, you would rather rescue the pets than the step kids; but are too afraid to face the opprobrium from one and all if you actually carried that out. ;-’)
If the sick dog dies the others will eventually stop looking for them but they will grieve for a period of time.
Well the pets are smart enough to run out of a burning building. I am not so sure about the step kids.
A belated response to your most thoughtful posting to me about the relationships between humans and animals. I apologize for not recognizing your reference.
It truly is a shame that we have to be on the constant look-out for means by which the state can find yet another way of controlling us. These indeed are “interesting times.”
I very much agree.
Twenty years ago it would have been difficult to believe that such legislation would be contemplated.
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