conscious rubbing off

[Bosco]

dogs by nature are just animals, but what happens when dogs start living with people? Does your consciousness rub off on the dogs? Is it possible us being conscious with animals they become even a little more conscious?

[Mes Tarrant]

What do you mean specifically by "they're just animals?" I've considered this question before. It's a tough one. If a human child grows up with dogs, he will act exactly like the dogs: walk on all fours, bark, etc. But a dog remains essentially the same when growing up with humans. It doesn't mimic any of our behaviors to any significant degree. Meh. Anyway, you have to take a dog's brain and its capacity into consideration when thinking about this.

[dragonoverlord]

Well Mes Tarrant is sort of right about this. If a Human child grows up with a pack of dogs, the child will grow up beleiving it is a dog. Much is the same with a dog, if a dog grows up with humans it will beleive it is a human, that's what is called Imprinting. The dog will think of itself as a human.

[Mes Tarrant]

] Much is the same with a dog, if a dog grows up with humans it will beleive it is a human, that's what is called Imprinting. The dog will think of itself as a human. Hmm, really though? I think it's more that the dog thinks that we are dogs as well, not the other way around. I know that they say this about cats, anyway.

[dragonoverlord]

Hmm, really though? I think it's more that the dog thinks that we are dogs as well, not the other way around. I know that they say this about cats, anyway. To be honest i dont know more about this then you, i just have a vague memory of hearing about this on tv.

[Taosaur]

Well, we're also 'just animals,' but animals that came to depend on the group for survival, and so fell under the sway of ever more complex social selection pressures in addition to environmental ones. Dogs and wolves are likewise intelligent, communicative, social animals, so I would say they're well poised to benefit from inclusion in civilization, insofar as their lives include increased leisure, socialization and education. If you enjoy this line of thinking, track down a copy 'Lives of the Monster Dogs,' a magical realist novel about a society of anthropomorphic dogs created by a 19th century Prussian scientist and hidden in the Canadian wilderness until they exodus to present-day (well, the '90s) NYC. From a Buddhist perspective, I've long speculated that animals who live and die in civilation have better odds of human rebirth.