Okay, I’m alone coming out of the bedroom after a shower and its 6 pm. Midge and Chloe, our Springer-Daschund and long-haired Daschund are waiting for me on the other side of the bedroom door. (Part of me hates these dogs because my kids promised to look after them yet all too often I have to get up for them, while part of me finds them cute.)
Midge is running back and forth indicating " come on, come one , come on", while Chloe just frantically jumps up and down. I swear that Midge is the smart one.
Well I guess that means its SUPPERTIME !!! I start towards the utility room where the dogfood is kept when suddenly I decide to be a little cruel. I deliberately slow down to a veeeeeeery slooooooow pace and observe the tortured animals. Chloe is now frantically yapping now while Midge slows down with intermittent pauses clearly wondering what the hell is going on. At the moment when a left turn towards the utility room is expected I turn right and turn for 270[sup]0[/sup].
Finally I get the bowls out and fill them with dogfood and slowly descend to put them on the floor when suddenly a brilliant idea flashed into my head. Lets see what happens when I put the bowls in front of them but briefly prevent them from eating with restraining petting on their heads.
Well almost immediately I realized no restraint was neccessary. Both dogs simply abandoned their feverish hunger in favour of staying under my stroking fingers. This truly impressed me, and has me wondering the following.
jAre all dogs like this? I"ll bet they are, but I’d be interested to hear of confirmations and/or contradictions from dopers who would like to experiment with their own dogs.
My dog is a bloody nuisance. She destroys my stuff with her frantic chewing, she harasses the cat, she runs off in the park…but then she puts her head on my knee and gazes up at me with such love and devotion in her big brown eyes that I just melt.
Both of our dogs like me, but Isaac thinks I’m the most wonderful being in the universe. He took one look at me and for some reason fell completely in love. It scares me a bit, but then he gives me The Look and I quit worrying. He’d forgive me anything.
At least with a cat you must earn its love.
Dogs are stupid.
I could be the reason the word idiot was created (and I probably am) and a dog would still love me.
Give me a cat and I will show her that my love is worth having.
Dogs are not stupid, they’re just clever in a different way to cats.
While most cats are more selective with their affection, it’s possible to end up with one which is dog-like in it’s devotion. My much-missed tabby, Ernie, and I had a real love-at-first-sight thing going on. He used sleep on my chest with his nose pressed up against mine.
Having had both dogs and cats, I’ve observed that most dogs have a slavish, unconditional love for you while most cats seem to come to love you when they respect you.
I’ve appreciated the love my cats have given me. But there’s nothing better on a crappy day when I’ve made a general mess of things than to come home and see my doggies look at me with absolute adoration.
My dog is the most obedient, courageous, friend I have. I hate even using the word obedient when speaking of him, but hey, that is what he is. Especially today, everyone in the family get’s to see how welll trained he is. He will not step foot in the kitchen and will not enter the dining room while we are all eating. My cousin just told me how much he like Grissholm (full blood Rhodesian Ridgeback)
People on these boards know how proud I am of him…Just simply the best friend I have… I can see him outside right now playing with my neice and nephews.
I love dogs…
Rusty is a dumb dog, but I adore him anyway. He’s such a sweetheart.
I credit the dogs with helping me through the aftermath of a REALLY bad breakup. All that uncondional adoration was very helpful. They NEED me. I’ve never had a cat that didn’t need me, but they don’t like to admit it. The dogs admit it.
A dog’s affection has nothing to do with stupidity, nor a cat’s with intelligence, nor respect. Dog’s and cats use affection to manipulate you to give them what they want; be it attention or food. Dog’s are pack oriented, and always look to you (the leader) for guidance. Cats are solitary hunters hence the aloof attitude. Though both hunting strategies are successful, i’m willing to bet that dogs need more intelligence to work together, than cats do to hunt’ since felines are better equipped naturally.
Exactly! Dogs are hardwired to interact with their pack. They give unquestioned love and loyalty, but their interactions can be suprisingly subtle and downright sneaky. F’rinstance, if you even mildly challenge your dog to a race, say by heading up a flight of stairs at a gallop, betcha the pooch will make a point of bumping your leg before streaking ahead. Just a sly reminder who’s the faster, funnier animal, doncha know.
“Dogging your footsteps”? If it’s just us at home–and only then–my dog will literally tap my heels with her front paws at every step as I carry a dish from the kitchen to the table. Only then. She’s never underfoot in the kitchen, and I don’t feed her from the table. She’s just reminding me that packs share food. And she doesn’t like to eat her chow unless I’m nearby. Packs share.
Dogs are unqualified love, joy and loyalty on four paws.
My dog is currently in another room snoozing in bed with my mother :), so I can’t do the experiment, but I agree that the love and devotion dogs show towards humans is amazing. I feel like a house isn’t a home without a wonderful goofy dog running around.
I don’t have kids yet, so my animals are like children to me. Cuddling my precious pooch makes me really appreciate the wonderful simple things in this world.
Buddy, my English Springer Spaniel, is amazing! He waits for me at the door for our morning walk, and cheers me up when I am ground down by other humans…he’s just great!
On occasion, my dog will stand up go to the door and wag his tail feverishly…When this happens I know my wife will be home in less than five minutes…how does he know you ask? I have no Idea, I just know he does…My wife has observed the same thing if she is home and I am about to arrive…Griss just knows.
