Canine Confidential: Why Dogs Do What They Do by Marc Bekoff

 

 I devoured this fascinating book about dogs. Marc Bekoff is a dog lover and an ethologist. Ethology is the science that studies animal behavior. I am always curious to learn more about dogs; I am enthralled by the ways my furry friends surprise me through their understanding of human language and expressive gazes. The communication that ensues when we genuinely care to pay attention to them leads to a more peaceful and meaningful coexistence.

  The first point to remember is that each dog is a unique individual. Marc Bekoff makes it clear at the beginning of his remarkable book: “As I will discuss, it’s wrong to talk about ‘the dog’ as if all dogs were the same. They’re not. Dogs are as individual as people, and learning to care for your dog means paying attention to your dog, discovering his/her likes or dislikes, and so on.”

  At least 67 percent of American households own a pet, and dogs are the most popular one. Sixty-five million households in the US own a dog, and stats show that there is an increase in the numbers of dog adoptions in other countries of the world.

  Marc Bekoff sensed the need to write a book about their cognitive, emotional and moral lives. Canine Confidential inspires us to be excited for this endless field of exploration. There is still a lot to be learned about dogs.

 Food, water and shelter are not enough. Building a relationship of love, trust and support is crucial for a healthy existence.

  Did you know that dogs can understand hundreds of words?

  Like human beings, dogs require mental stimulation and physical exercise. Taking dogs out for regular walks is essential, and we need to let them explore everything through their sense of smell, which is highly developed in dogs. This exploration is an important source of stimulation and learning. (I don’t understand why some humans deny dogs their basic right to go out for walks and explore the territory as much as they need to).  Tail wagging is another interesting subject of the book.

 Marc Bekoff prefers to use the word “teach” instead of “train” when he talks about the education of dogs. Unfortunately, in the United States of America anybody can call himself or herself a trainer, so he urges people to use caution when they choose a person for such a purpose. Transparency is one feature that should be sought for to make sure that the dog is in safe hands. Bekoff shares the experience of an acquaintance whose puppy was killed by a so-called “trainer” in the state of Florida.

 When we teach dogs, we have to do so with respect, love and kindness—being bossy is not a good option. Also, a sense of dominance over the dog should be avoided.

  Researchers refer to dogs as “social catalysts”. The reason for this is that they foster connections between people. Marc Bekoff loves to visit dog parks because he learns a lot about dogs and people in these places, although he acknowledges that not every dog likes to visit dog parks, and their wishes should be respected.

 “Dogs grease the way for people to open up to one another, and this seems particularly true at dog parks. Most people go to dog parks to let their dogs have fun and meet other dogs, but people wind up meeting one another, too.”

  It was reassuring to read Canine Confidential because I know that taking the time to observe my furry friends helps me to develop a solid relationship with them.  It is enlightening and fun to watch their quirks and actions and to get to understand their unique individualities. Dogs sense the world differently; Canine Confidential delves into this crucial topic to gain insight into their behaviors.

  Dogs help human beings in various ways, but this should not give humans a pass to abuse them. Seventy-five percent of the dogs of the world are still struggling to survive. Although Marc Bekoff highlights the progress that has been made across the world in this regard, he also educates us on the multiple ways in which dogs continue to be abused and treated with cruelty.

 “People still breed dogs who they know will have short and likely miserable lives because of inbreeding and selecting for traits that make it difficult for them to breathe or walk. These people are breeding for beauty over health…at the cost of empathy. At Texas A & M University, dogs are intentionally bred with deformities to study various forms of muscular dystrophy. Many of these experimental dogs are profoundly crippled by six months of age, and half of them don’t live more than ten months.”

 

 It is necessary to educate ourselves to do our best to advocate for dogs. In advocating for dogs, we are building bridges of kindness toward one another and toward other non-human animals.

I hope Canine Confidential will inspire people to treat dogs with respect and to celebrate their existence with consideration and love.

    

   

Why Dogs Hump and Bees get Depressed by Marc Bekoff

 

  It was by accident that I stumbled upon the sunflowers and almost fell onto them when several bees were busy on them a few weeks ago. I thought my unexpected interference would upset them, but I was wrong. The bees kept their attention on their tasks as if nothing had happened. As I reflected upon my experience, I concluded that I was familiar to them; after all, I tend to my garden regularly, so why would they treat me with distrust?

  Two days later, I came across an interesting essay that mentioned that bees are able to recognize individual human faces. I got a bit emotional when I read it, and then I searched more about this subject and found several articles online about research on this topic. At the library, I landed on Marc Bekoff’s book: Why Dogs Hump and Bees get Depressed. His book is a compilation of essays about the fascinating science of animal intelligence, emotions, friendship and conservation.  

 Don’t be fooled by the small size of the bees’ brains, because size does not matter when it comes to intelligence. The complexity of their neurons correlates with their intelligence. Their tiny brains use abstract thought and symbolic language; in fact, bees have multiple abilities:

 “Each day they solve advanced mathematical problems of how to most efficiently travel between multiple sites. They know when to mix medications for the hive and distinguish complex landscape scenes, including types of flowers, shapes and patterns. Bees also learn categories and sequences and adjust them for future rewards. They are masters of mazes and show short-term and long-term memory, ranging from days to entire life spans.”

 One important concept he debunks is that of speciesism, or the idea that there are higher and lower classes of animals, a hierarchy that is used to justify the abuse of animals. In his essays Bekoff examines the science about morality, intelligence, emotions in non-human animals. He emphasizes the presence of empathy and cooperation and highlights the need to understand that animals have individual personalities. Furthermore, he explains that, just like human animals, non-human beings are also affected by traumatic experiences and psychological distress.

 Pigs, for example, hate to be kept in filthy conditions, and you may be shocked to learn that when you use the word “pig” as an insult, you are giving somebody a compliment, because pigs are empathic complex creatures. They are intelligent and sensitive. The same concept applies to other animals, and the more we learn, the more we need to open our minds to new possibilities.

 If you have been following this blog, you know how much I cherish books about animals, and I have to confess that Marc Bekoff’s books are my favorite ones. He has a special way of sparking my curiosity and awakening my fascination, encouraging me to read more and do more to expand my compassion footprint. This specific book was published nine years ago, and the scientific information he shared is more relevant now, because research in this field has continued to evolve and to help us gain a better understanding of the foundation of knowledge he provided.

 The essays he included were blog posts published in Psychology Today a decade ago, and I am happy to report that he continues blogging for this site.

 I also appreciate the fact that he includes several book recommendations about related topics. Marc Bekoff is an ethologist. An ethologist is a scientist who studies animal behavior. Bekoff is good at explaining complex subjects in simple terms, but what I enjoy the most about his writing is his enthusiasm to inspire us to make positive changes wherever we are. I appreciate his courage and embrace his compassionate nature, which he puts to good use, for his talents promote positive changes in the lives of others, both human and non-human beings.

 Marc Bekoff’s spirit is a wellspring of hope and action. He is an excellent role model of perseverance and patience. The light of his wisdom reminds us to never be sidetracked by the naysayers.

 This is a thoroughly researched read; it is entertaining, educational and life-transforming.

  Research has clearly shown that animals kept as pets have a positive effect on the mental and emotional health of their caregivers, so if we know this, why is it okay to abuse them?

 The Physicians Committee for responsible medicine shared some important information this week, and I hope it encourages you to take action.

 “Wayne State University in Detroit subjects dogs to invasive, painful experiments in which devices are implanted in the animals’ chest, in their hearts and around major arteries. The experiments, which have not resulted in any improvements for human patients, have cost taxpayers 12 million dollars and have killed hundreds of dogs. Please, tell the leaders of Wayne State to end these experiments immediately and focus on human-relevant research.”

 Take action at EndDogExperiments.org

I always say that what we do to the animals, we do to ourselves. Violent human actions including polluting the environment have a deleterious effect on our present and future and they contribute to destroy our home: Mother earth. We are all interconnected in the web of life, so we need to do our best to live in harmony with each other.

  Dr. Monica Aggarwal is a cardiologist who is supporting her patients by encouraging them to adopt meaningful healthy lifestyle choices. One of her patients had 9 stents placed in his heart. He was very frustrated and wanted to improve his life to stop going to the hospital. Dr. Aggarwal told him that the food he was eating was hurting his heart. Her patient hunted for a living, but Dr. Aggarwal inspired him to adopt a plant-based diet and his life changed for the better. They worked together consistently and her patient has not been back to the cardiac catheterization lab in almost five years.

Her patient is no longer a hunter, because he does not want to give meat to anybody else.

Here’s an interview with Dr. Monica Aggarwal, cardiologist.

 I stand in solidarity with the courageous women protesting for their rights in Iran. 

https://www.npr.org/2022/10/03/1126603977/iran-mahsa-amini-solidarity-protests

 https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2022/oct/03/something-sparked-iranian-women-art-protest-mahsa-amini

 https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/04/opinions/iran-ukraine-autocracies-struggle-democracy-ghitis/index.html

 

 

 

The Animals' Agenda: Freedom, Compassion and Coexistence in the Human Age by Marc Bekoff and Jessica Pierce

 

“The Animals’ Agenda brings us closer to the day when our behavior toward our fellow species is determined not by convenience or greed but by compassion.” Sy Montgomery

 

 It is a common “mistake” to make generalizations about groups of people, and this mistake is also made in relation to animals. Just like people, animals have individual personalities. Their intelligence and intuition allow them to adapt to their environment. They have emotions and they experience trauma. Despite the scientific progress made in understanding animal cognition and behaviors, the poor treatment of animals continues to ignore the suffering and pain humans inflict upon them.

  The Animals' Agenda by Marc Bekoff and Jessica Pierce is a detailed account of our interactions with animals; the authors propose solutions that can be applied to address these issues.

 Animal sentience is well established in the scientific community, so why is it okay to disregard the ethical implications of this knowledge?

 What is the meaning of freedom? According to Hope Ferdowsian, physician and bioethicist, freedom for animals has the same meaning that it has for humans. “Freedom to meet our basic physical needs, whatever those might be by species and individual—including freedom of movement (bodily liberty); safe and secure from harm from humans (bodily integrity—and this should include freedom from harm to the mind); freedom to love and bond with whom we wish; respect for our choices, and freedom from humiliation and intentional shaming.”

  The Animals' Agenda reveals the ways in which we mistreat animals, and it opens the door to a new possibility: the hope to turn the Anthropocene, or Age of Humanity, into the “Compassionocene.” First, The Animals’ Agenda sets the path to acknowledge how the consequences of our actions have effects on our own lives, so we are not immune to these consequences.

  There is no way out of the chaos unless we choose a path of compassion and understanding.

   What we do to others, we do to ourselves. Changes need to happen from the heart. Caring for others is intelligence in action.

     It was devastating and disturbing to learn about the details of the massacre in a school in Texas. As a mother myself, my heart breaks for the lives of the kids and the teachers lost. A hater shot 19 children and two teachers, but first he shot his grandmother. Then he had enough time to crash his grandmother’s car and to perform these atrocities inside the school building while enforcement officials hesitated outside and stopped parents from breaking into the building to be with their children.

 The hater had bought the ammunitions on his eighteenth birthday. Every detail of this horrifying event is traumatizing. There are no words to describe the desperation I feel as I type this paragraph.

  The hater responsible for killing 21 people had a history of abusing animals. Not only did he abuse animals but he also promoted the abuse of animals by sharing photos on social media. 

  Animal abuse should never be ignored.

  The white supremacist in Buffalo, New York, who killed ten people at the grocery store two weeks ago, has a history of animal abuse, and it had never been reported. Why?

  How is it possible that the person who whines about “politicization” of the shootings receives large amounts of money from pro-gun groups for his political campaigns? His statement is not only contradictory, but the whole situation seems to have been taken from a terrifying dystopian novel. And why is animal abuse not taken seriously?

  I wrote about the association between cruelty toward animals and criminal behavior when I reviewed the book Second Nature by Jonathan Balcombe. You can also learn about this by reading the link of the Humane Society I provide at the bottom of this post.

 The way we treat animals is indeed a reflection of how we fail on many levels.

I am sharing an articles that may be of interest to you:

https://leb.fbi.gov/articles/featured-articles/the-link-between-animal-cruelty-and-human-violence