People have always said dogs are man’s best friend, but how can they be a best friend if they are not able to feel emotions? Actually, contrary to popular belief, dogs are much more sentient than you may think. Gregory Berns, writer for the New York Times, “Dogs are People, Too,” article, has dug deeper into the mind of a dog to see how they really feel. “The ability to experience positive emotions, like love and attachment, would mean that dogs have a level of sentience comparable to that of a human child.” Berns says, “And this ability suggests a rethinking of how we treat dogs.” Many people believe that animals, in general, cannot feel emotions because of their inability to speak like humans; however, this is far from wrong. From fetching a frisbee to trying to find their ways back home, animals can feel almost every emotion a person can.
Not only are dogs capable of being trained to roll over or fetch a ball, but they are also able to be trained to do things we do in our everyday lives, such as communicating through buttons. Stella, a precious 18-month-old dog, has been trained by her owner, Christina Hunger, to know what each button on her board means, and she can formulate sentences (The board she is sitting on is completely full of buttons now). Cesarway.com wrote an article on Stella and the discoveries her mom has made. They state, “Christina… began to teach Stella words when she was about 8-weeks-old. Now, the 50-pound-dog can identify about 29 words and can combine up to 5 of them in order to form a phrase or sentence.”
Not only are dogs extremely intelligent, but they also are some of the most loyal animals in the world, as well as the most loving and understanding. A writer on “Smartest Pets on Boredpanda.com” wrote that he had a dog named Bumber. In no means was he a service dog, but he saw that his owner needed help, so he helped. “I am diabetic and one night I fell on my carpet from weakness and disorientation. My beloved dog, who now rests in Heaven, brought my emergency kit from my bathroom counter so I could take my medication.” This shows how dedicated animals are to their owners, and that they can sense pain.
Bored and don’t know what to watch on Youtube? Just look up Dog _______’s. Seriously, you will not be let down. Dog skateboards, dog communicates with buttons, dogs taking driving lessons, the list goes on and on and there is no chance of getting bored.
Regardless, animals are extremely intelligent and sentient. They can feel love, happiness, embarrassment, shame, and so many others, just like humans. Regardless of what our furry friends are thinking, it is important to always respect them.