Intelligent and Loving

NOVA’s Dogs Decoded is a very informative and excellent documentary for anyone who is interested in, adores, or currently has an intimate relationship with a dog. The documentary provides modern day research on dogs and their interactions with human beings, supporting this idea of dogs being a man’s (OR A WOMAN’S) best friend. I learned so much from this video. It’s hard to condense all the information I gathered into this one blog post, but I’ll give it a try. I always acknowledged the intimate relationship between humans and dogs compared to that of humans and other animals. However, it really struck me when watching this documentary. It made me sit and think about it, how dogs are such a significant part in our lives. What’s interesting is that we human beings are a dog’s best friend(s) as well. As the documentary pointed out, dogs communicate with us differently than they do with other dogs. It seems that our canine friends have evolved to interpret our emotions, understand our hand gestures, and express their feelings to us in a way that can only be experienced in a human and dog relationship. I always knew that dogs are capable of doing these things, but if we really think about this canine ability to understand and communicate with a different species so successfully, it’s really an amazing thing. Recent research shows that dogs are in fact more intelligent than our “closest mammal relatives”, the chimps, because they engage with us and understand our hand gestures. I would have never expected this to be true! This documentary discusses where dogs might have come from, the nature vs. nurture aspect of a dog’s behavior, and the health benefits of owning a dog and canine research.

The things that I learned from this video don’t necessarily change my views on the animals at the shelter, but rather prompts me to see them as extremely intelligent creatures with which I can communicate with. These dogs are smarter than chimps! They can examine our faces, they know what we’re feeling, and they’re engaged with our actions and behaviors. Because dogs are so sensitive to us, I need to be even more sensitive when interacting with them at the shelter. For example, if a dog is extremely shy and fearful, I will approach her with a comforting tone and give her time to examine my smiling face before taking pictures of her. I will allow my gestures to be welcoming and friendly. Because I learned from the video that dogs are so unique in their ability of understanding hand gestures, I will try to communicate more with my hands when interacting with the shelter dogs. For example, I could point to something to get the dog to look in that direction, gesture where I want him to sit for my photo, and reward him by petting him. This will force the dog to engage with me, allowing both of us to be more comfortable with each other and letting the dog know that he can communicate with me.  

Speaking of very engaged canine friends, I got to spend time with Pigpen today. He is a Labrador and Terrier mix. He's just a little over a year old and has been at the shelter for approximately 61 days. Pigpen is a playful little guy and very friendly with other dogs. He's a puppy in a dog's body. With a good owner and training, Pigpen would make an great dog! Why has he been in the shelter for so long? His profile photo on the WCAS website may contribute to this problem. 

Pigpen. ID#85852. Photograph taken by a WCAS volunteer. Date copied: 5/22/13.

This is NOT a good photograph in terms of increasing the likelihood of finding this animal a home. Is the photo advertising the human or the dog? Pigpen is not the emphasis and focus of this image. We are distracted by his environment, instead of focusing on him. The exposure/brightness of Pigpen's white face is so bright that the image loses all detail in the dog's face. We are unable to tell what Pigpen's face really looks like. 

Pigpen. ID#85852. 

This is a photograph taken by me. Pigpen is undeniably the focus of this image. The details in his face and body are legible and the environment is not as distracting. In my photograph, he is seen with a human being, but the person is not the emphasis of the photo. The presence of the human also shows his ability to interact and share a relationship with human beings, tying us back into what I was discussing about earlier in this post about the Dogs Decoded documentary. Dogs are extremely intelligent animals and are capable of loving humans. I believe showing the animals intelligence and/or capacity to love is important to portray in my photographs. The portrayal of these shelter animals in this light of the intelligent and relational creatures that they are, is a key factor in getting these animals adopted into loving homes. For example, this photograph of Pigpen shows that she can sit/walk at the heels of her owner when she is on a short leash and is comfortable in such intimate contact with human beings (intelligence and capability of love). These aspects that are shown in this photo will trigger positive thoughts in the viewers, encouraging them to adopt him. 

In conclusion, we need to see, treat, and represent our canine friends for what they really are, intelligent and loving creatures.

-P.Ro