I was watching a video from HooplaHa. It's a compilation of dogs, puppies and kittens allegedly looking "guilty." The owner has caught the pet having done something inappropriate such as getting into the trash or unrolling a roll of toilet paper.
Frankly, these pets found something to do when they were unsupervised and hadn't been given something appropriate to occupy them. The "look" is not guilt. Dogs and cats, puppies and kittens are very sensitive to us. They're masters at reading body language and if that weren't enough, the owner's tone of voice is a dead giveaway. They know the owner is displeased and the expression is an expression of fear. They want to please us and know that they haven't. They can't predict what the result will be. They were only doing something to amuse themselves, something they were led to out of curiosity and/or boredom. They are not to blame, the owner is.
Now that you have a proper frame of reference, look at the videos, listen to the voices. I hope it will help you have a better understanding of your own pets and your responsibility in the equation. There is so much we can do for our pets to teach them other behaviors, to keep them busy, and not to leave puppies or kittens unsupervised with run of the house.
6 comments:
Oh dear! The poor creatures. You're right of course, Darlene.....it's not their fault. Seeing all those sad, confused faces, made me feel so sorry for them. How could anyone chastise them?
I have a general rule in my house . . . If it is within reach of my cat, it belongs to my cat . . .
As such, I have changed the position of the TP so that if she decides that it needs to be rotated it will not unravel all over the bathroom floor.
If it's shiny and tempting, it is put out of reach, or in another room, or in a cabinet.
There are a plethora of toys around the house to keep her occupied, and as such, she has been very good as to not damage, or move anything in the house.
You just need to understand how they think then second guess their every move!
It's never their fault. We now live in a society where anthropomorphizing in the norm.
Thank you, Gordon. I am appalled by the complete lack of understand by pet parents. It's heartbreaking when they make this mistake over and over again.
Frank, you have done exactly the right thing. Setting up the house so the cat has less chance of doing something you don't like. You are setting her up to win! Thank you for being such a good pet parent!
Thank you, Layla. Anthropomorphizing isn't awful if it results in better treatment but when it is carried to this extreme, it's very damaging to the pet and the human-animal bond. No pet should feel he or she is in danger of being yelled at or, worse, hit. The repetition of this behavior by the owner leaves the poor pet in a state of anxiety.
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