Do Dogs Have Feelings?

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I came across an article called “Do Dogs Have Feelings?” by Michael Arbeiter. My answer before reading it is, YES, all animals do!

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Cinnamon

This article mentions that dogs feelings (or emotions) can be things like fear, aggression, and panic. These feelings/emotions can cause behavior problems. There is also joy in animals.

“If I act very, silly, that’ll produce a joy that is greater in a dog than just wagging their tail. When you’re acting goofier-maybe you’re running around in the yard or you’re playing fetch-there’s a higher level of happiness.”

Quote above taken from the article by Michael Arbeiter

Although this article is about dogs, I can tell you my cat, Cino, shows a higher level of happiness when I run around and play “hide & seek and jump out to scare each other” with her. When I dance around to music while I am cleaning, well that shows a look of “my mom is crazy” from Cino. But when it is time to change the bed, woo hoo, it is high level of happiness play time.

cino-making-bed-copy

Another question asked in the article is “Do Dogs Experience Sadness?” Again, my answer is YES.

“An estimated five percent of dogs returning from war zones have PTSD [and] will often shut down and refuse to work.”

Quote above taken from the article by Michael Arbeiter

I believe animals feel sadness over many things. The loss of their pet parent, being rejected by other animals or people, being left outside all of the time without companionship, etc.

One more question asked in the article is “Do Dogs Have the Same Emotions as People?” I believe so!

“[When] dogs and their owners look into each other’s eyes with soft eye contact, it releases oxytocin. The love hormone,” Forst says. “It’s the same hormone that parents feel with a newborn baby, that adults feel when they first connect with somebody and fall in love […] our dogs have the same thing.”

Quote above taken from the article by Michael Arbeiter

I know love was in the air when Cino & I first made that soft eye contact. I told you the story of Cino & I in one of my Tuesday Tales. When I first met Cino at the Humane Society she wouldn’t make eye contact with me. She was looking up at the ceiling and walking around. But then there was a point where she finally stopped and looked right at me and there it was, love at first sight.

cino-eyesLook at Cino’s beautiful, beautiful eyes.

As you can tell, I do not need convincing that animals have feelings. A hint is the name of my blog. I found this powerful video below online. Please watch it and let me know what you think.

Here is a link to the full article: Do Dogs Have Feelings?

The picture above of Cinnamon is from Jeanne Owens who participated in the Share Your Animal Pic. Here is a link to her blog. Thanks Jeanne for sharing! I hope more people will share with me.

21 thoughts on “Do Dogs Have Feelings?”

  1. IreneDesign2011

    I agree so much with you, that animals have feelings. This film shows so clearly the very sad, that many people want animals, but they don’t want to take the responsibility to raise them and teach them right and wrong. They just give up and leave animals for starving etc.

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  3. colinandray

    There is no doubt in my mind that dogs have feelings. They also dream. They also express emotions. Anybody who believes to the contrary has either never lived with a dog, or not spent enough time just watching and trying to understand their dog. Ray has chased things in his dreams; has experienced discomfort in his dreams; he has displayed loss when either one of us leaves him, and has expressed disapproval upon our return; he has expressed joy when in the garden and concern (used to) if I approached him with anything resembling a stick (broom, garden spade). He is clearly capable of anger, as he is of showing affection.
    A doubter could argue that I am simply putting human emotions onto him and, to some degree, that could be true. Is he really chasing things in his dreams or is it some neurologically based muscle reaction? However, his indisputable traits of anger, friendship, fright, caution, protectiveness, happiness and pain are indicators to me that he has feelings. I really don’t see how else those traits could exist without them.

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  4. jowensauthor

    I agree that animals have feelings. I have seen so many videos that show it plain as day. And it’s known that elephants can die from a broken heart. One of my favorite movies is Eight Below. It always brings a tear to my eye, and I often say I dare anyone to watch it and not realize that dogs have feelings.

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    2. Animals Are Feeling Beings Too Post author

      Oh and speaking on elephants, they are so smart and so social that humans have to stop using them for circuses, Renaissance Festivals, etc. They need to be in the wild with their families, not doing tricks or going in circles all day so people can be entertained. We are breaking their hearts and their spirits.

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  5. AmyRose🌹

    You should have warned me beforehand about the video. I know only too well what neglect does to animals. You know how I feel about animals, LeeAnn. I have neighbors who threw out their house cats into a barn (who I now take care of) and who will not allow their dogs to live in their new house but keep them in the garage. It’s heartbreaking. And there is nothing I can do except step in and do what I can. ❤

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    1. Animals Are Feeling Beings Too Post author

      I know the video is so powerful! In fact, I think it is so powerful that I am going to make a post regarding the message in it in the next week. I hope you’ll read the post and let me know what you think, but you don’t have to watch the video again if you don’t want to. 🙂 It gave me goosebumps!

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      1. AmyRose🌹

        To make sure I do see the post, swing by Petals and leave a comment on my latest post the day you post. I’m sorry if that sounds selfish, but I truly have so many people who I reply to. I really want to read your post. OK?? 🙂

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  6. CalicoJack

    Howdy LeeAnn!

    Great article, and I couldn’t agree more. Dogs have all of the emotions that people do. I read, How Dogs Love Us: A Neuroscientist and his Adopted Dogs Decode the Canine Brain” by Gregory Berns. He trains dogs to lie still enough for their brains to be fMRI’ed. He demonstrates conclusively that dogs do indeed love us. And, they love us deeply. You’ll never look at a dog the same again.

    Huzzah!
    Jack

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    1. Animals Are Feeling Beings Too Post author

      Thanks for your comment. This innocent sweet love they have for us makes it even more heartbreaking that some people abuse them when all they are looking for is love and someone to care for them. Isn’t that what we all crave?! And they are living beings too, so they deserve it.

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meow, woof, moo, neigh, however you want to say it, please say it