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 2012-2013, 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
 https://www.aspca.org/about-us/faq/pet-statistics