Penny and I are both inquisitive and both have bad hair days. So I had a good laugh when I came across this photo accompanying an article at Itchmo, one of my favorite sites, that says News for cats and dogs - You And Your Pet May Be More Alike Than You Think
I think one of the reasons people and their dogs become more and more alike as time passes is that the human rewards the dog for certain behaviours. For instance, Penny has always been encouraged to explore and to experiment. That's why we have to put up with digging-up of plants, tearing-up of newspapers and slow walks around the streets.
We set off when Penny was young to learn obedience. I'm embarrassed to say we didn't even pass level three. The trouble was, I got bored and so did she. I wanted something more lively and so did she.
I'm the kind of person who is interested in many different things and that's probably why Penny knows a bit of obedience, a little agility and a few doggy dancing steps. My father used to say, 'Jack of all trades, master of none.' Well, that's me - and I guess Penny is doomed to be the same.
At All For Animals Karen Lee Stevens asks, 'Do Mutts Match Their Masters?' She seems to be having great fun sipping iced tea as she researches it but doesn't come to a definite conclusion.
Here's the study into pets and owners mentioned by Karen Lee Stevens. It appears to by a genuine study that decides that people might pick dogs to resemble themselves and that if the puppies are purebred the owners are likely to get what they want. However, Michael Roy and Nicholas Christenfeld point out that the study was published on the day before April first and suggest it could be a joke.
But an article in The Southern Digest treats it seriously and has a quote that I can relate to:
"People are attracted to looks and temperaments that reflect themselves or how they perceive themselves," said Gail Miller, a spokeswoman for the American Kennel Club. Miller, who has owned several bearded collies, described her "beardies" as gregarious, active dogs.
"I'm definitely like them -- very outgoing, likes to have fun and get active," she said.
6 comments:
Hi Parlance,
You asked me about the meaning of WFT, well it's an abbreviation for Wire Fox Terrier. Our neice thought it looked like our airedales and bought it for us one Christmas. I didn't have the heart to tell her it wasn't an airedale lol.
Denise
Oh yes, dogs usually reflects the owners. Some dogs are aggressive & stay aggressive becoz of the way their owners behave. Sometimes, I come close to a dog & the owners of that dog will pull away their dogs from us. I have no idea why & the owners appear to be very scared of us. I don't understand why they have dogs themselves. We're not aggressive or anything, just wanna say HI to their dogs.
Love licks,
Solid Gold Dancer
Hi, Denise
I thought the stuffed dog looked like a little airedale too, so your niece is not alone.
Amber-Mae, I agree with what you said about owners who get nervous when Penny and I approach them. Some of them seem very unfriendly.
On the other hand, at one of my dog classes there is a very 'reactive' dog and his human has to keep away from other dogs. He will suddenly leap at Penny if she so much as glances his way. It's as if he's saying, "Hey, what are you looking at?" He's improving all the time, because his human is working hard to improve his confidence, but still she has to be very careful of other dogs when she is out walking.
Well, maybe I am ditsy and inattentive becos my Mum is!! On the otherhand, I am friendly and playful with other dogs even though some dogs don't like me becos I am a German Shepherd. I have been mostly handled in a gentle manner by my Mum and her friends so I tend to trust people.
Jabari
Jabari, you are certainly friendly and sweet-natured. Tell your Mum I don't think she is ditsy OR inattentive. By the way, I don't think you're inattentive, either, just politely assertive about what you like doing or not doing.
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