Do Dogs Experience Human Emotions?

St. Francis of Assisi, The Patron Saint of Animals, believed that they did.

"He believed that nature itself was the mirror of God. He called all creatures his “brothers” and “sisters,” and even preached to the birds and supposedly persuaded a wolf to stop attacking some locals if they agreed to feed the wolf" (Encyclopedia Britannica).

It has been argued that no one in history was as dedicated as Francis to imitate the life, and carry out the work of Christ, in Christ’s own way.

Visualize for a moment that you are traveling in Vietnam, and are sitting in a Vietnamese Restaurant anticipating what you might order for your dinner. You are presented with a menu and find an expensive item listed as "Thit cho." Not knowing whether or not to try something new, you point to the featured item and hope that your waiter understands that you are inquiring as to what exactly the item is. When the Vietnamese waiter becomes flustered at not being able to speak English well enough to clarify what this item is, he makes a barking sound.

For a moment, you don't understand and think maybe the waiter doesn't understand that you are asking about the menu item, but then, the waiter barks again, a little more animated this time, and it becomes clear what the item on the menu actually is. Yes, OMG! It is...dog meat.

Thit cho, is served in better restaurants in Vietnam, and, yes, it's an expensive dish. In Vietnam, dog meat is proudly displayed in the marketplaces for sale, and is an important component of Vietnamese culture. But, for most of us, this is the stuff nightmares are made of. If you've ever been a dog parent, then you know, you could no sooner eat your own child.

Dogs communicate their emotions with us like human animals, bond with us like human animals, and become our trusted, beloved, faithful companions.

Visualize for a moment the innocence of a newborn puppy. Now visualize that same sweet puppy being starved, beaten, isolated, and drugged in order to make him a money making "Fighter."

Dog Fighting, a blood sport where dogs are bred and trained to fight to the death, has been a part of many cultures since the dawn of civilization. Now outlawed in all first world countries, and even in most third world countries, dog fighting is still a huge part of criminal activity including gang activity, drug dealing, and illegal firearm sales.

Bait dogs are a whole other issue. Bait dogs are used to test the fighter dogs. Bait dogs have their muzzles taped shut with duct tape so they can't cause any damage to the prized fighter dog, and then put into a pit to be mauled to death by the fighter dog. Bait dogs are often dogs that have been picked up off the street, stolen, taken from shelters, or procured from "free to good home" ads in the paper.

There are those who would say, "What's the big deal? Dogs are just dumb animals, no different then the cattle and hogs we use for meat. Animals don't have emotions or souls, so it doesn't matter what we use them for."

I believe, as many do, that dogs not only have souls, but that they experience the same complex emotions that human animals do.

If a dog, naturally endowed with a benevolent nature, can be "conditioned" to become a brutal fighter, then there would have to be emotions available for manipulation. Yes, instinct, just as with human animals, would play a part in the transformation of a dog's demeanor, but emotions of fear, anger, sadness, stress, panic, and others, would certainly lay the foundation for such a complete change.

On the other hand, if a mistreated, abused, conditioned dog can be taken into a loving, compassionate environment, and experience a complete reversal of a brutal demeanor back to his natural benevolent demeanor, then there is more there then instinct alone.

Pit Bulls and Parolees is a program featured on Animal Planet that illustrates this beautifully!

"Pit bulls actually were once ranked among American's top five favorite pets and were also known as the "nanny dog" for their gentleness with children. But they have fallen from grace. Now often associated with gang members, dog fighting and attacks, pit bulls are misunderstood, misjudged and under-appreciated."

Many still disagree, even dog owners, as to whether or not dogs have real emotions, or, are merely reacting to and reflecting our emotions.

Along with scientific studies, but most importantly as a long time dog parent, I believe without any reservation that, of course, dogs have a soul, and that dogs do possess the full gamut of both basic and complex emotions.

Basic emotions cover a general range of emotion that are easy to read in both the human and dog animals. Body language, facial expression, and especially eye expression reveal both dog and human emotion.

Basic Emotions:

• Love and Affection
• Happiness and Pleasure
• Excitement and Elation
• Courage and Trust
• Calm and Content
• Interest and Surprise
• Fear and Anxiety
• Shame and Embarrassment
• Anger and Irritation
• Sadness and Despair

Again, scientific studies substantiate that the complex emotions, such as grief, jealousy, empathy, friendliness, playfulness, and many more, are also as much a part of the fabric of a dog's heart and soul, as it is in human animals.

The newest of these studies was conducted by the Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Azabu University, 1-17-71 Fuchinobe, Chuoh-ku, Sagamihara, 252-5201 Kanagawa-ken, Japan, and the findings were as follows:

"The dog is the species with the closest relationship to humans; dogs can express strong social emotions (e.g., attachment and separation anxiety) to specific persons, such as their owners. In this study, we examined whether dogs demonstrate more facial laterality when reunited with their owners than when they encounter an unfamiliar person in an unfamiliar situation. We also examined whether the observed laterality was specific to positive social stimuli (i.e., the owner) or a general response to nonsocial positive stimuli (i.e., toys). The dogs’ facial expressions were recorded by a high-speed video camera during the presentation of emotional stimuli and the acceleration rates of parts of their faces were analyzed. The results showed that the left eyebrow moved more when the owner was present than at baseline. No bias in terms of eyebrow movement was observed when the dogs saw attractive toys. These results suggest that dogs show facial laterality in response to emotional stimuli."

For the full PDF report, use this link: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0376635713001101

While scientific findings are great for substantiating evidence, all the substantiation I need comes in the form of tail wags, hand licks, and the all out jubilation that occurs when I open my door at the end of the day, or after being gone for only an hour.

My fur baby, Roxie Jane, has expressed more affection for me than most people ever experience from human animals.

If you are a "Dog Parent," you have experienced unconditional love and devotion from a pure and innocent being.

My Roxie Jane meets me at the door with a wagging tail and a smile, yes she smiles, telling me she is happy to see me and that she missed me while I was gone. When I'm not feeling well, she comes into my room and lies beside my bed, giving me support with her presence. When I'm listening to music and dancing around the house, she jumps around me and joins the fun. When she wants my affection, she nuzzles my hand and asks for it sweetly. When someone comes to the door, she goes into "Protect" mode, and barks ferociously at whoever might be there to cause me harm.

Roxie Jane is my companion who never judges me, doesn't care if I look a mess, is always eager to share a meal with me, always waits patiently for me, and is always happy to see me and share time with me.

Like "Dog Parents" everywhere, I know I have been exceedingly blessed to have my fur baby, my sweet companion, and my best friend as one of the best parts of my life!