DOGS: THEIR LIVES AND EMOTIONS By Jeffrey Nass

Feeling like having a staring contest?

Or getting hot and excited?

Behaving for food…

More food please?

Relaxed for a belly rub

SMILE!

Feeling guilty…

Good night, someone is sleepy

Rise and shine… HUNGRY!

Being affectionate, wanting to be together (maybe)

If you knew this dog, you’ll know this is perfect for her!

NOTES & REFERENCES Dark-Colored Dog: Speedy Lighter-Colored Dog: Dingo Slide 11: Speedy likes to have fun and spend time with Dingo, but Dingo isn’t a big fan of Speedy. Slide 12: Alcatraz is a old prison in San Francisco, CA with maximum security. Alcatraz is currently closed to criminals. Instead, it is now a popular tourist attraction. Because Speedy is a naughty dog, the jacket is perfect for her as she could be a fugitive from Alcatraz.

Dogs play a major role in my life. Sadly, I cannot get one. However, that does not stop me from observing the actions, emotions, and lives of my cousin’s dogs. I learned a lot about dogs through observation and research, about how dogs should be taken care of but also about humane adoption, their emotions and intelligence, and the bond they form with humans. Speedy is a three-year old dog assumed to be a mix of Miniature Pinscher and Beagle. She was adopted from an animal shelter. Another dog is Dingo, a twelve year old dog, an unknown mix also adopted from an animal shelter. In , there were 3500 pet shelters with six to eight million dogs and cats. 25% of the dogs were purebred (no mix, one original breed). There are three to four million dogs and cats adopted from shelters each year. Adopting a dog is more humane than buying a dog because you are saving a life. Animals that do not get adopted are often euthanized. “Puppy mills” churn out huge numbers of puppies and sell them to pet stores for a profit. Puppy mills are like factories, unsanitary and overcrowded with no food or water or veterinary care for the dogs. These breeders do not dogs as living beings. That’s why adopting is more humane than buying from a pet store.

While observing Speedy and Dingo, I found that the dogs often show human emotion and act in human ways. For example, Speedy has a lot of accidents. So, if you ask her “Did you do this?” she would start acting guilty: whining, giving you her paw, hiding behind furniture, and sometimes hiding her ears behind her head. Also, I found that both Speedy and Dingo can trick each to get what they want. One time, I was sitting with Speedy on my couch, and it was pretty obvious that Dingo also wanted to sit there. So, I watched Dingo go over to the window and bark. Speedy, very gullible, went over to the window. Meanwhile, Dingo ran over to me and jumped on the seat. Another example of their smarts is when Speedy and Dingo were eating. (Fun fact: Speedy is part beagle, and the beagle is the only dog breed that can eat themselves to death. She loves her food.) Speedy was done with her food, and she wanted more so she ran over to the window and started looking out. Dingo, just as gullible as Speedy, went over to the window to see what was going on. Speedy, true to her name, ran over to Dingo’s bowl and started gulping down the food, before Dingo realized that someone was at her bowl.

After doing some research, I found the secret behind the bond between dogs and humans. When dogs make eye contact with you, they are hugging you with their eyes. During the eye contact, both dogs and humans get an increase of the hormone oxytocin in their bodies. This chemical promotes love and social bonding. The eye contact strengthens the bond between the dog and its owner. Also, to see if your dog has a strong bond with you, you can conduct a test by putting a treat near your eyes. Time how long your dog makes eye contact with you. The average is about 50 seconds. The longer the dog keeps eye contact with you, the more oxytocin released and the stronger the bond. All in all, dogs should be treated like living creatures and family members. Then they will give you a lot of love. A dog is not just a pet, it is a man’s best friend.

BIBLIOGRAPHY nytimes.com NatGeoWild TV show “Is Your Dog a Genius?” humanesociety.org