What Our Pets Know That We Don't

We humans are learning that our pets are pretty smart creatures. Not only have they managed to negotiate free room and board for life, they also help people heal and have learned how to communicate with us using our own language.

There's a border collie who, according to one researcher, can recognize 1500 English words. Research has shown that even reasonably bright poodles, retrievers, Labradors and shepherds can learn as many as 250 words, signs and signals. ("Muffin, would you bring me the Arts section of the Sunday Times?")

How many of you have been out for a drive with your pet and noticed that Miss Kitty Cat or Mister Woofie might know when you are getting close to home? There are rational explanations for this, some offered by biologist Rupert Sheldrake. In order for your pet to perk up when your drive is ending the animal is likely recognizing patterns of behavior, sensory stimuli, and other less-obvious cues.

What's most interesting about all this are those less-obvious cues. A research group following the same path as Dr. Sheldrake has made a video showing how pets seem to know when you are about to walk in the door - even if you come at random times of the day. We've all seen this occur and maybe wondered about it. Turns out it happens more than 80 percent of the time. Rover just seems to know when you return.

Can animals be tapping into some kind of deep consciousness? There's some evidence for that.

Helper animals, usually dogs, can be trained to offer comfort to hospitalized humans. These animals can also function as an early warning system for humans who suffer from seizures. The New York Times recently reported that dogs are able to anticipate a human seizure, panic attack or even variations in blood sugar levels. The animals can be trained to alert their owner to what's happening by starting intently or dropping a toy in her lap. If the human has a seizure, a helper dog can be taught to position himself to cushion a fall.

Nobody knows why a dog might be able to anticipate a human's emergency before it happens, but those abilities are being taken seriously by the military. The Times says that the US Army is spending $300,000 to study how psychiatric service dogs might be paired with soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The Army wants to know if dogs placed with veterans could help them cope with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Studies have also established that people who own pets live longer. If you want to look at research that is farther out on the edge, know that the metro government of Tokyo has sponsored research to find out if catfish might be able to warn us of earthquakes. Seems that the fish might sense electromagnetic activity and start swimming strangely before the tremors start.

I don't think we'll see a Labradoodle performing surgery anytime soon, but there is ample evidence that our pets have skills far beyond the talent needed to beg for table scraps.

 

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Comments

[LeroysMom]

True, John, military regulations do not allow troops to bring their companion animals home with them.
A couple of years ago, SPCA International started Operation Baghdad Pups to rescue the pets of U.S. service men and women serving in Iraq. Here's a story about their latest rescue missions, which saved 33 dogs: http://www.ilovedogs.com/blog/?p=4210. It's a great program!

[Sharon Sakson]

The US military had a deplorable history with their own war dogs, culminating in leaving 5,000 of them behind when they left Vietnam. It used to be that a dog was like a rifle, one soldier uses it, then another. But things have changed and the training that goes on now in San Antonio pairs a soldier with a dog right from the start of training. They deploy together, and come home together, even on leave -- the dog does not get passed to another soldier as if he were a jeep. It's a more humane approach but they do it that way because they've learned that it's not the best trained dog who works most efficiently but the dog who is most bonded with his handler. I interviewed many dog handlers who planned to turn down promotions and advancement so they could stay with the dog who every day saved their lives, and many others. (for more information see Paws & Effect: The Healing Power of Dogs)

[Lee Schneider - Huffpost Blogger]

That is amazing - thanks for contributing.

[greymen]

Our cat absolutely does speak with us every day!



(now, it's mostly about food, of course, but...)

[NancySeymour]

I think you are right on. It is more than a coincidence, but a 6th sense or connection we have with our pets. Think of the dog awaiting each day the school bus. A statue is huge in Japan for an Akita who waited 7 yr.s at the arrival time from a deceased master at a train stop. Dogs are used to now medically sniff cancers, tumors, seizures, and great work with autistic children. Once you connect with a pet and have them peer into your soul with those soulful eyes, you understand there is something special there. I know they feel a dog has the intellect of a 3 year old human, but I question if age in years is the same as the love, loyalty, and connection they share and give to us. Even stories in news show strange dogs finding people and keeping them warm. All fascinating and worth studying.

[Lee Schneider - Huffpost Blogger]

Thanks for commenting - I read a piece in the NY Times recently about dogs being used to sniff out contraband cell phones in prisons. Animals deserve a lot more credit than we usually give them.

[SCboy]

My dog is way smarter than many of the people I encounter on a daily basis. She's also a heck of a lot more fun to be around.

[Lee Schneider - Huffpost Blogger]

I think a lot of people feel that way about their dogs! Thanks for commenting.

[RMankovitz]

Perhaps in the future we may also find that plants can be useful pets.

There is mounting evidence that, like animals, plants are capable of feeling pain and defending themselves. I suggest "The Lost Language of Plants" by Stephen Buhner and "The Secret Life of Plants" by Tompkins and Bird (film version available on YouTube). Plants are capable of communicating with each other, defending themselves against predators with toxins made to order, and possibly remembering which animals hurt them, including humans.

New research shows plants recognize their relatives and form communities:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8076000/8076875.stmm),

and are so smart they can fake illness to deter predators:

http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1708770/first_discovery_of_plant_that_fakes_illness/index.htmll).

Roy Mankovitz, Director
http://www.MontecitoWellness.com

[Lee Schneider - Huffpost Blogger]

Fascinating stuff - thanks for commenting!

[QueenMaedb]

>>Nobody knows why a dog might be able to anticipate a human's emergency before it happens, but those abilities are being taken seriously by the military. The Times says that the US Army is spending $300,000 to study how psychiatric service dogs might be paired with soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The Army wants to know if dogs placed with veterans could help them cope with post-traumatic stress disorder.

[QueenMaedb]

Hmm. The rest of my post didn't take.

That's pretty rich, given the military does not arrange pet care for deploying troops. I fostered my nieces cat while she was in Afghanistan. She has a friend who had to have her cat put down because this friend could not find foster care for him.

Instead of issuing returning troops a puppy, why not care for their pets while they are in a war zone?

[JohnFromCensornati]

Good point QM, not to mention how difficult they've made it for returning troops to bring companion animals back home with them from war zones.

I never trust their motivations.