Do pets have any sense of living and non living?

he still stands

I always was under the impression that animals do not understand there is such a thing as death. That is one of the things that separates humans as being an "intelligent" creatures. That and our ability to pass knowledge down through the generations.

HeavyHands

he still stands wrote:

I always was under the impression that animals do not understand there is such a thing as death. That is one of the things that separates humans as being an "intelligent" creatures. That and our ability to pass knowledge down through the generations.

... and thumbs and tool making/use (although we do share these traits with some primates).

Actually, depending on the animal, they are quite keenly aware of death and loss. Do a search for "elephants mourn death." You'll find stories like this one from 2005:http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s1497634.htm (excerpt below)

Elephants mourn their dead
Rossella Lorenzi
Discovery News

Friday, 4 November 2005

Elephants pay homage to the bones of their dead, gently touching the skulls and tusks with their trunks and feet, according to the first systematic study of elephant empathy for the dead.

decides2dream

HeavyHands wrote:

he still stands wrote:

I always was under the impression that animals do not understand there is such a thing as death. That is one of the things that separates humans as being an "intelligent" creatures. That and our ability to pass knowledge down through the generations.

... and thumbs and tool making/use (although we do share these traits with some primates).

Actually, depending on the animal, they are quite keenly aware of death and loss. Do a search for "elephants mourn death." You'll find stories like this one from 2005:http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s1497634.htm (excerpt below)

Elephants mourn their dead
Rossella Lorenzi
Discovery News

Friday, 4 November 2005

Elephants pay homage to the bones of their dead, gently touching the skulls and tusks with their trunks and feet, according to the first systematic study of elephant empathy for the dead.

funny, that is EXACTLY what i thought of reading the post above yours.
also, animals do pass on knowledge in regards to places to travel/visit for food, routes to take for different seasons, etc. also, in rgeards to death, i think we all know a few stories about pets grieving over other pets and/or their owner's deaths. animals are well aware that death exists, and when something is alive/dead.

Hammerdonkey

catefrances wrote:

animals rely on more senses than we do. their sense of smell is keener. their hearing is keener. their sense of their surroundings is more developed than ours. put a dog and a man in the wild and i can tell you that itll be the dog that finds the dead carcass first.

I get the sense that you prefer animals to humans. I may be wrong. Sort of like we should be apologetic for not being born as dogs or something? I'm not giving you shit. I know a lot of people are very sensitive to the feelings of animals. There's a balance.

That being said, a man probably wouldn't eat the dead carcass because we're smart enough to know that it could ruin our digestive tract if the meat was spoiled. Instead, we'd kill and eat the dog

Man > Dog

decides2dream

Hammerdonkey wrote:

catefrances wrote:

animals rely on more senses than we do. their sense of smell is keener. their hearing is keener. their sense of their surroundings is more developed than ours. put a dog and a man in the wild and i can tell you that itll be the dog that finds the dead carcass first.

I get the sense that you prefer animals to humans. I may be wrong. Sort of like we should be apologetic for not being born as dogs or something? I'm not giving you shit. I know a lot of people are very sensitive to the feelings of animals. There's a balance.

That being said, a man probably wouldn't eat the dead carcass because we're smart enough to know that it could ruin our digestive tract if the meat was spoiled. Instead, we'd kill and eat the dog

Man > Dog

if the man has a weapon and is fast enough...sure.
otherwise, my $$$ is on the dog.




also, do note...the poster above didn't said the dog would EAT said dead carcass, just that the dog would FIND it first, due to it's more highly developed senses. just sayin'.

Hammerdonkey

decides2dream wrote:

if the man has a weapon and is fast enough...sure.
otherwise, my $$$ is on the dog.
also, do note...the poster above didn't said the dog would EAT said dead carcass, just that the dog would FIND it first, due to it's more highly developed senses. just sayin'.

I think some level of "dog superiority" may have been implied. Again, I mentioned that I could have been wrong. But that's what I was addressing.

But, I do disagree with your post. Human brain would win easily if it came down to survival. History sort of proves that. It's obvious you're an animal lover and that's fine. Many are. But, it's almost like I'm expected to stand in awe of something that "smells stuff" better than I do. I'll admit...some of the things that I've learned about whales or lions (for example) is pretty cool, but at the end of the day, they're still creatures that shit all over creation and lack basic internet skills.

Somewhere along the way, I forgot what the topic of the thread was.

decides2dream

Hammerdonkey wrote:

decides2dream wrote:

if the man has a weapon and is fast enough...sure.
otherwise, my $$$ is on the dog.
also, do note...the poster above didn't said the dog would EAT said dead carcass, just that the dog would FIND it first, due to it's more highly developed senses. just sayin'.

I think some level of "dog superiority" may have been implied. Again, I mentioned that I could have been wrong. But that's what I was addressing.

But, I do disagree with your post. Human brain would win easily if it came down to survival. History sort of proves that. It's obvious you're an animal lover and that's fine. Many are. But, it's almost like I'm expected to stand in awe of something that "smells stuff" better than I do. I'll admit...some of the things that I've learned about whales or lions (for example) is pretty cool, but at the end of the day, they're still creatures that shit all over creation and lack basic internet skills.

i would say it was inferred, by you...;) you're not "expected" to think or believe...anything. and i know what you were addressing, and i simply disagreed with it. fair?

i also am not one for saying ANY creature is "better" than another, b/c i just don't think like that, tho i know many do...and none of this has anything to do with me being an animal lover, tho i certainly am, and everything to do with my perspective on life in general, for every living thing on the planet. and i still disagree with you, but no...don't feel like 'arguing' it either. survival, i think many an animal would do better than the human animal, but i have no problem with someone not thinking the same. just clarifying my point.

carry on.




anyhoo...back on topic, a resounding HELL YES, i fully believe pets are fully capable/having sense of living or dead.

Hammerdonkey

Okay. Well, I guess I'll check decides2dream off the annual "Glad To Be A Human Party" list.

I'm sad you feel ashamed that you weren't born a German Shepard.

Take care, I mean, Woof Woof.