Last night on Channel 4 telly was a program called “Dogs: Their Secret Lives.
Because we pooches spend more and more time alone because our humans have busy lives, they were curious about what we’re up to when we’re left at home! Ha! Ha!
Actually the topic is a bit more concerned than that. The 40 Dog Study at Bristol university shows that apparently 85% of us show signs of anxiety (me included) and a third of us have an adverse reaction to being left alone. They studied the behaviour of forty dogs – the difference between our types of howls and barks. And they also talk about how to change those behaviours – that Kong is getting a lot of credit.
I have been a bit upset lately as Mummy seems to leave me home alone when she takes Little Tyke out – so I have howled and barked and whined a bit more recently. They call it separation anxiety. I know Mummy has it more than I do. 🙂 But I have been a bit confused. I like being with Little Tyke but I am not allowed to go to most places with him.
It is really encouraging that there’s so much research going on to understand us pooches – that there’s hope yet for some people who do not get us. They who call us “just a dog” or even worse – “animals”! I suppose maybe they’ve never had a relationship with us or never needed someone to fill a void or just really looked at our faces, our eyes and see more than a mammal on four legs. Maybe they have never realised that we save lives, we are “guardians” for humans – we keep them going when no humans are available. We love more unconditionally than any humans possibly can. We forgive or forget so immediately that they should learn from us. And it’s been recognised that we have emotions, we are the only “animal” that can look humans in the eye and recognise their emotions.
When Mummy saw this it made Mummy think about getting a video cam. She wondered what I do when she’s out – well, she’ll never know until she gets that video cam she keeps looking at getting! 🙂
Let’s hope that at least in Great Britain where supposedly one in every four homes have a dog, that more of these people will get us. But the good thing is that there are a lot of people who do love us and appreciate us for being in their lives.
May’s Comment: Yes, thinking of getting a videocam to see what Darcy gets up to while I have my separation anxietues – does she sleep quietly, wanders around or bark and howl?!?!? Thankfully Darcy does not chew and attack things. She’s really quite placid. But the Kong really works. The programme is on 4OD.
