In scanning the web for inspiration for today's blog... I came across this article in the "Daily Mail" out of the U.K. Here's the headline: "Living With Humans has Taught Dogs Morals, Scientists Say."
Morals?! Umm... okaaaayyy. Either way, read this excerpt: "They say the fact that dogs' play rarely escalates into a fight shows the animals abide by social rules. "
Obviously, these scientists must've studied dogs whose owners spend their time at tea parties. It is the U.K. after all. Don't they make afternoon tea mandatory?
Either way... have these scientists looked at society lately? People fight all the time. In fact, I bet we don't play enough. Maybe adding more play time would decrease fights. Adding more treats would also diminish hostility. Ever notice how docile your dog becomes when you whip out a chewie? I mean, how can you growl at someone, you boss for example, when they're holding a mouth-watering raise in front of you?
One more excerpt: "Dogs are not just able to 'speak' to us - they can also understand some aspects of human communication."
One of my dogs "spoke" to me the other day. It was non-verbal communication of sorts. In fact, it was, in my opinion, an offensive gesture - much like what you may get while driving the 101 and cut someone off. I'm just sayin'. I got home from work on a particularly hot day... the dogs were inside my house, enjoying the A/C. However, knowing that I'd been gone for a few hours, it was time to let them out to do their business. Two dogs went out begrudgingly. The remaining dog cocked his head, trotted over to the corner of my couch and looked over his shoulder with an evil glace. He then proceeded to lift his leg and get his business done inside, holding my bewildered gaze the whole time as if to say, "that's what I think about your idea of going out."
**post script** After typing that little story of my dog peeing inside, I realized that according to the article on dogs living with humans and picking up on their morals, you might think my dog takes after me. Not a chance, buster. That dog was adopted.