Do pets have any sense of living and non living?

musicismylife78 · October 2009

for instance, my dog loves his chew toys, little stuff animals with squeaky things in them, shaped like mooses or mice or monkeys.

Or take things like cars, or vaccums, or lawnmowers.

What do you think our pets think of these things? Do you think they have any concept that these things like cars or vaccums or lawnmowers or those chew toys arent real?

Do pets think that literally everything around them is real like they are? Like that screen we stare at all day and night that makes noises (computer/tv) or that thing that plays songs (stereo), or that thing we get in at our house, and then when we leave this thing, we are in someplace else (car)

Do pets have any sense of the living versus nonliving things of the world?

pandora · October 2009

mine know the UPS truck is very real and a fun game to get the driver toys are toys but when I brought home the big brown bear stuffed foot stool that took awhile to figure out
they are so smart though and understand everything we say I swear

arq · October 2009

Other species make their own sense of the world, we normally try to humanize all animals but animals live their own world, similar but different to ours. Is all a quetion of perseption, like a blind man making sense of the colors or like a baby who comunicate with his parents without knowing how to talk.

pandora · October 2009

arq wrote:

Other species make their own sense of the world, we normally try to humanize all animals but animals live their own world, similar but different to ours. Is all a quetion of perseption, like a blind man making sense of the colors or like a baby who comunicate with his parents without knowing how to talk.

Dogs really are tight with their pack being us and I love how they want to please.
I do humanize them but I've been wondering if they aren't evolving to understand more from humans over time and communicate better too.

ZiggyStar · October 2009

No they don't.

CJMST3K · October 2009

When you say "pets" are you referring also to other non-pet animals?

I've seen footage of an elephant who passed by either the bones of their family member, or the body (i think it was the bones), and they put their trunk on it gently and patted it a few times in fairly respectful way. Elephants have one of the tightest family structures in the animal kingdom so they may have a closer relationship to human relationships than dogs do.

pandora · October 2009

CJMST3K wrote:

When you say "pets" are you referring also to other non-pet animals?

I've seen footage of an elephant who passed by either the bones of their family member, or the body (i think it was the bones), and they put their trunk on it gently and patted it a few times in fairly respectful way. Elephants have one of the tightest family structures in the animal kingdom so they may have a closer relationship to human relationships than dogs do.

I like your elephant story
I can't think of elephants without remembering my Mom- they were her favorite and I always thought that was a strange animal to have as a favorite
I like wolves

arq · October 2009

pandora wrote:

Dogs really are tight with their pack being us and I love how they want to please.
I do humanize them but I've been wondering if they aren't evolving to understand more from humans over time and communicate better too.

Dogs and humans have been evolving side to side for thousands of years, i really don't know if their evolution will make them understand us more, but i'm sure their evolution have being partly guided unknowingly by us.

FinsburyParkCarrots · October 2009

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildli ... erals.html

redrock · October 2009

Fins... my cats say 'Of course we do! We are superior beings!'

I think pets do have a sense of living and non living - whether this sense is just survival or something more complex in mammals. The more 'intelligent' animals (ie not your goldfish) will use cognitive skills, but as well smell, etc.

Perceived differently, but still there.

My cats can tell the difference between a lovely, juicy real mouse to play with and the identical looking one but a toy... :twisted:

Obviously, I'm no expert but this is what I observed from a lifetime of having numerous pets around me.

FinsburyParkCarrots · October 2009

My dad used to race greyhounds. When I was a kid, he got one called Blackie, who on account of his breeding showed promise. However, he was too smart to chase after a wire hare. Give him a real one, and he was on it like a shot, but whenever he saw a fake one, he'd look at you as if to say "Fakk off".

catefrances · October 2009

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.

PJaddicted · October 2009

I have a Doberman and they are called the dog with a human brain. He is very smart, and for sure knows what's alive and what annoys the crap out of him like motocross bikes, he wants to eat them, but not because they are living and breathing. He was bred for personal protection and when he sees his human in danger, he gets visibly upset and wants to get them safe again. He will even try to pull my kids out of a kayak,off of a skate board, etc. because he can't be with them on the water or racing around. Dobermans were bred to *think* and they do, they can look at a situation and make decisions on what to do. I've had my dogs temperament tested, and he passed with flying colors and has his WAC title. I hike with him almost every day of the year and he is exposed to birds, mammals, reptiles, etc. He chases bears and and really doesn't like them, I think he knows they could be a danger. Not all dogs are smart.....some work more on instinct,for some training can over ride instinct, and some have everything bred out of them, so they can be a lap dog. I've had a lot of dogs in my life, and Petey is by far the smartest and most fun to share my life with.

catefrances · October 2009

PJaddicted wrote:

I have a Doberman and they are called the dog with a human brain. He is very smart, and for sure knows what's alive and what annoys the crap out of him like motocross bikes, he wants to eat them, but not because they are living and breathing. He was bred for personal protection and when he sees his human in danger, he gets visibly upset and wants to get them safe again. He will even try to pull my kids out of a kayak,off of a skate board, etc. because he can't be with them on the water or racing around. Dobermans were bred to *think* and they do, they can look at a situation and make decisions on what to do. I've had my dogs temperament tested, and he passed with flying colors and has his WAC title. I hike with him almost every day of the year and he is exposed to birds, mammals, reptiles, etc. He chases bears and and really doesn't like them, I think he knows they could be a danger. Not all dogs are smart.....some work more on instinct,for some training can over ride instinct, and some have everything bred out of them, so they can be a lap dog. I've had a lot of dogs in my life, and Petey is by far the smartest and most fun to share my life with.

hpw arrogant is this statement. tis as if we regard animals as having lesser intelligence rather than different intelligence. and that all intelligence be measured against ours. utter bollocks.

p.s. PJaddicted.. im not having a go at you.

pandora · October 2009

Your Doberman sounds wonderful. I've only known one in my life- not mine- and not well trained which must be
very important cause Jazzy really needed a purpose as you've described.
We've only had mixed breeds now since our 2 purebreds had congenital problems and passed before the age of 5 but I would very much like to get a Doberman mix someday.
Smart and beautiful.

the wolf · October 2009

CJMST3K wrote:

When you say "pets" are you referring also to other non-pet animals?

I've seen footage of an elephant who passed by either the bones of their family member, or the body (i think it was the bones), and they put their trunk on it gently and patted it a few times in fairly respectful way. Elephants have one of the tightest family structures in the animal kingdom so they may have a closer relationship to human relationships than dogs do.

I saw that show. The elephants were on a journey they make every year to find water and food during the dry season. they were close to where they were going and some were near death going that long without water.
and they still stopped to "mourn" the death of another elephant. and if i remember it was longer than a few minutes. they stayed a few hours, which was putting some of the "heard" in danger of dying, but they still stayed to show their respect.

amazing show. elephants are just amazing.

decides2dream · October 2009

arq wrote:

Other species make their own sense of the world, we normally try to humanize all animals but animals live their own world, similar but different to ours. Is all a quetion of perseption, like a blind man making sense of the colors or like a baby who comunicate with his parents without knowing how to talk.

exactly.
we overly anthropomorphize(sp) animals.
that said, yes...i think animals are quite well aware of what is alive, and what is not. i think animals deal far better with life and death, probably b/c they don't dwell on it and simply LIVE while they can, and when it's time to go, they know...and they accept.

redrock · October 2009

decides2dream wrote:

arq wrote:

Other species make their own sense of the world, we normally try to humanize all animals but animals live their own world, similar but different to ours. Is all a quetion of perseption, like a blind man making sense of the colors or like a baby who comunicate with his parents without knowing how to talk.

exactly.
we overly anthropomorphize(sp) animals.
that said, yes...i think animals are quite well aware of what is alive, and what is not. i think animals deal far better with life and death, probably b/c they don't dwell on it and simply LIVE while they can, and when it's time to go, they know...and they accept.

I don't think animals 'deal' with life or death or 'accept'. They will deal with pain and sorrow and will grieve (yep, they do..). The idea of 'accepting' death is a human notion - questions we may ask ourselves: How are we going to die? Is it going to be slow and painful or quick? What about my kids? Will I go to hell? What happens after death? Those are 'taught' ideas.

pandora · October 2009

decides2dream wrote:

arq wrote:

Other species make their own sense of the world, we normally try to humanize all animals but animals live their own world, similar but different to ours. Is all a quetion of perseption, like a blind man making sense of the colors or like a baby who comunicate with his parents without knowing how to talk.

exactly.
we overly anthropomorphize(sp) animals.
that said, yes...i think animals are quite well aware of what is alive, and what is not. i think animals deal far better with life and death, probably b/c they don't dwell on it and simply LIVE while they can, and when it's time to go, they know...and they accept.

I agree but I think us humans do the same when faced with our death- we live- we appreciate life and when its time to go we know and accept too. I do think from losing our family dogs in untimely ways that its very hard on those in the pack left behind- just like us- they truly miss the one whos gone to the point of making themselves sick with outward signs of sadness and loss.

decides2dream · October 2009

redrock wrote:

decides2dream wrote:

arq wrote:

Other species make their own sense of the world, we normally try to humanize all animals but animals live their own world, similar but different to ours. Is all a quetion of perseption, like a blind man making sense of the colors or like a baby who comunicate with his parents without knowing how to talk.

exactly.
we overly anthropomorphize(sp) animals.
that said, yes...i think animals are quite well aware of what is alive, and what is not. i think animals deal far better with life and death, probably b/c they don't dwell on it and simply LIVE while they can, and when it's time to go, they know...and they accept.

I don't think animals 'deal' with life or death or 'accept'. They will deal with pain and sorrow and will grieve (yep, they do..). The idea of 'accepting' death is a human notion - questions we may ask ourselves: How are we going to die? Is it going to be slow and painful or quick? What about my kids? Will I go to hell? What happens after death? Those are 'taught' ideas.

well obviously i think they do accept it. as far as dealing with it, i meant it more as how they live, not that they actually contemplate it. in that sense, i think they deal better....simply b/c that's how they are wired. perhaps poor language choice, but i thought it conveyed my general idea on it. differing perspectives.
yes, they are human concepts b/c that is how our own minds work, but i think they normally do sense their own deaths, and i believe they accept it, as in...it's my time and i go. everything else you mention is about humans, not animals...so not at all what i was suggesting. and i do agree, they most dfinitely grieve loss.

pandora wrote:

I agree but I think us humans do the same when faced with our death- we live- we appreciate life and when its time to go we know and accept too. I do think from losing our family dogs in untimely ways that its very hard on those in the pack left behind- just like us- they truly miss the one whos gone to the point of making themselves sick with outward signs of sadness and loss

see, i think a lot of people expel a lot of energy worrying about death, thinking about death, hell...even us discussing death. :P obviously, it IS important to prepare, human lives are far different from other animal's live, but none the less...i think we obsess a whole lot more. also, sure, many and hopefully most live and appreciate life...but i think a great many do not. some may reach that point of peace when they are close to death, but many do not appreciate just being here, alive in the present moment. again, i think a lot of it is simply how other animal's think, they live to live. and yes, of course amongst animals that are social-pack animals, the sense of loss is indeed real don't think i suggested otherwise. i think animals are just more *clear* in their lives, their purposes...

musicismylife78 · October 2009

see, i think a lot of people expel a lot of energy worrying about death, thinking about death, hell...even us discussing death. :P obviously, it IS important to prepare, human lives are far different from other animal's live, but none the less...i think we obsess a whole lot more. also, sure, many and hopefully most live and appreciate life...but i think a great many do not. some may reach that point of peace when they are close to death, but many do not appreciate just being here, alive in the present moment. again, i think a lot of it is simply how other animal's think, they live to live. and yes, of course amongst animals that are social-pack animals, the sense of loss is indeed real don't think i suggested otherwise. i think animals are just more *clear* in their lives, their purposes...[/quote]

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I disagree. While we as humans do think about death often, its almost always an individual thing. You arent going to go to a party with friends and spend the evening discussing your fears about dying and how you feel when you die you may not have accomplished everything you wanted. And by and large, tv shows, books, and movies really dont discuss it either.

In college, we happened to discuss, tangentially, death. We spent an entire class period one day, on that subject. And the professor pointed out, accurately, that this discussion was rare and unique, it just doesnt happen. I will never forget that class, and that class period specifically. I had never heard people talk so openly about so private and personal a subject, and havent since.

We are scared of death. We may think about it, but its all in our brains and our own internal monologues. Its never a discussion with others.

Do pets have any sense of living and non living?

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