Puppy Love Animal Behaviorists Say Animals Feel the Same Emotions We Do

ABC News ^ | November 8, 2003 | Lauren Glassberg

[ellery]

How can you tell what your pet is feeling? Many pet owners say they know when their dog is happy and their cat is sad. Marilyn Brisken is sure her beloved Dewy has emotions, but are emotions really possible for a pooch?

"He can be happy, he can be sad, he can be angry as hell," she told WABC-TV in New York. "He does a terrific angry."

While it's natural for human companions to anthropomorphize their pets, researchers say the idea of pets having emotions may not be as strange as it sounds. "A few years ago if you asked a scientist to discuss animal emotions they might laugh at you," said Robert Defranco, director of the Animal Behavior Center in Queens, N.Y., and author of several research papers on animal emotions.

Defranco says animals definitely have primary emotions like fear. They can also feel anger. And now there is growing evidence that they have secondary emotions like love, jealousy and greed. The proof may rest in the part of the brain called the amygdala. It's believed that fear and possibly other emotions are linked to neurons in the amygdala.

"It's a larger area in dogs than it is in humans. So we could say that the dogs will experience more emotions. They live very much more in the moment than humans do," Defranco said.

The Dog Whisperer

You don't have to convince Mike Malloy, who works as a dog whisperer at the North Shore Animal League in Long Island, N.Y. He trains dogs by listening to them and reading their emotions.

He agrees dogs have human-like emotions. "Oh yeah, definitely," he said. "I think they miss the way people miss love ones, they hurt the way people hurt, they grieve."

Pet photographer Rachel Hale tries to captures such emotions in her portraits, including a recent sitting with a dog named Henry. "Every single image I take of Henry, he chose a different emotion," she said. People may believe their pets are feeling emotions like sadness, love and joy, but are we really just projecting those emotions onto our pets?

Brisken has no doubt that her dog feels at least one emotion: "Oh, I know he loves me," she said.

[wizardoz]

And now there is growing evidence that they have secondary emotions like love, jealousy and greed.

Heh. I have five cats. I KNOW they experience jealousy.

[cyborg]

I know my female toy poodle has PMS just like me... go figure

[joyce11111]

I have two cats and a dog...and, I know they feel all emotions, and, I can surely read their emotions, especially the jealousy emotion.

And, I can tell that they all feel love, it emanates from all three. And they exhibit love towards me and my hubby, and towards one another.

I cannot believe that scientists debunked this at one time.

[LizardQueen]

My dog definitely feels jealousy too. When my husband and I hug the dog starts hopping up and down, barking, then tries to wedge herself in between us.
It's pretty funny, we do some really mushy loud hugs just to annoy her.

LQ

[ladyinred]

Although I am sure this will be made great sport of, I believe it 100%. My own fur person demonstrates this to me daily. Flame away, I care not, but you might upset my doggie! :-)

[Revolting cat!]

I takes goddamn secular 20th century egghead scientists to tell us what humanity has known for milennia! Burn these modern witches at stake, I say!
`

[Vigilanteman]

So we could say that the dogs will experience more emotions. They live very much more in the moment than humans do," Defranco said.

Anyone who has seen a grinning dog sticking his head out the window of a truck going down the road could agree. I've never seen a human experience such a high.

[AnAmericanMother]

Love. Just pure love.

[John Beresford Tipton]

I'll keep that in mind next time I hump a leg.

[Pompah]

An Animal Behaviorists ??? Well,That settles that.

[GeronL]

OK. These people have waaaaaay too much time on their hands.

[Sockdologer]

This year my family and I had to have the cat we'd had for
twelve years put to sleep. It was a really hard time for us,
and even before I started crying, the animals in the animal hospital sensed how I was feeling.

The cats all gave sympathetic looks and came up to be pet, and the big black lab came up and laid his big head against me, looking up with big sorrowful eyes and giving a sympathetic yowl.

The animals there not only showed emotion, but recognized it. It was very nice to have them there.

[reformed_democrat]

Defranco says animals definitely have primary emotions like fear.

I know this is true. Whenever my Rottweiler hears Hillary on the radio, her ears go back like she's listening to a snake hiss.

[MyDogAteMyBallot]

[baltodog]

Our cat actually tries to get the sheppard in trouble.

[ClearCase_guy]

I have no doubt that pets feel emotions. I think this is one area where folks on the Left and the Right can find common ground. Pets deserve decent and humane treatment, because they are like us in so many ways.

'Course, the Left won't extend the same courtesy to a human fetus.

[Nachum]

WOOF!

[hobson]

When my husband and I hug my cocker spaniel humps my leg. We call it the group hug.

[Unassuaged]

MY childhood dog always knew when I was sick or sad. Also I sure seemed like the hogs in the kill chute seemed terrified to hear and smell the carnage just inside.