Animals That Act Like Dogs

I understand that when you are around a certain animal enough, you begin to understand their behaviors to the point that you feel as though you could hold a conversation with them and it wouldn't be entirely one-sided. If you've never had a pet, I understand why you would look at that first sentence and think I'm crazy, but it does happen.  I am in a unique position because I have owned a lot of animals.  My friends used to call the house I grew up in "the zoo" because my mom and I loved animals and we expressed it by owning as many as humanly possible.

We had: dogs, cats, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, ferrets, parakeets, cockatiels, finches, anoles (little lizards), and once mom and I moved to New Vienna, Ohio, you can include a goat, a horse, and chickens to the list.

So, I've been around animals enough that I know two facts.  Dogs act the most like humans because they have been genetically adapted by years of domestication to mimic human expressions in their own ways.  Other animals do not behave like dogs.

Let me repeat that: other animals DO NOT behave like dogs.

Here's an example.  If a dog wags his tail, it means he's happy.  If a cat wags (it looks more like twitching to me) it's tail, it means said cat is irritated and leave it the hell alone or do exactly what it wants before irritation turns to annoyance and someone gets scratched.

Now, with cats, the line can blur.  A cat raised around dogs with very little contact with other cats may adopt the nonverbal language of dogs.  I don't know.  I do know that I've owned countless cats and if the tail looks like it's wagging, you back off or pet it the way it wants to be petted until that tail stops wagging.  Otherwise you'll have a pissed off cat that'll never let you put it in that baby doll dress you picked out for it.

Now, if the extent of your experience with animals is Disney movies.... oh dear...

In Disney, all animals behave like dogs or people.  This includes: hummingbirds, iguanas, raccoons, squirrels, bears, horses, wolves, foxes, mice, rats, and other wild animals that have been barely domesticated if at all.  Let me give you a word of advice, do not try to cuddle a raccoon unless it has been raised by humans.  The same goes for most animals on that list.  Hummingbirds are birds which means they're timid around humans and tend to hide any weaknesses.  Raccoons may have rabies and aren't afraid to bite you.  The same goes for squirrels and opossums. 

So please, please, please remember, not all animals are like dogs.  Dogs have been domesticated over nearly millions of years, evolving alongside humans to be what humans want them to be.  Othe animals, mostly, have not.  Ferrets have been domesticated since around the middle ages.  Cats have been domesticated but kept loosely wild since shortly before the Egyptians.  Dogs are special creatures that should be loved and cared for because no matter how dumb or stupid they act, they are that way because we made them that way.  Leave other animals alone unless they're already partially domesticated.

Love your pets.  You do pick up their mannerisms over time, dogs or not.

And, if you are writing about an animal be aware that no animal that isn't a dog will ever act like a dog.  There is a reason for that.  If you want to write about an animal, either find a way to watch the animal's natural behavior by watching one up close and personal or watching videos on the internet.

Let's fix this wrong that has been done to our furry and not-so-furry friends.

Sweet Dreams.