I am Bunny: How a "Talking" Dog Taught Me Everything I Need to Know About Being Human

 

“Trust creates peace.” (Anonymous quote).

 Trust is the foundation of every healthy relationship. Relationships with dogs are not the exception to this rule. Genuine friendships with dogs are based on trust and communication.

 Alexis Devine has always been eager to do her best to optimize communication with her adopted dogs. In a delightful friendly style, Alexis shares her personal journey with Bunny, a dog she adopted three years before publishing her book. Alexis’s curiosity, kindness and sense of wonder led her to seek new ways of understanding Bunny. For this reason, she resorted to the use of buttons that her furry friend accepted with enthusiasm; Bunny uses them to express herself. These buttons play recorded words when pressed.

 Alexis Devine’s exploration eventually led her to connect with researchers who study dog behavior, and now she is collaborating with their work. Interestingly, the choice of buttons kindles conversations with her dog, interactions that reveal fascinating insights into Bunny’s thoughts, emotions and feelings. This kind of communication shines a light on the ways Bunny perceives the world around her. If you’ve ever wondered whether dogs have night dreams, you will learn about this topic in her book…

  In addition to the anecdotes and dialogues she shares, there are relevant snippets of Alexis’s life intertwined with Bunny’s experiences. Alexis shares aspects about herself, vulnerabilities and challenges she had to contend with, and a personal adventure of self-discovery, growth and transformation. She also carves out interesting reflections about life in general, inviting the readers to appreciate situations from refreshing perspectives.

 There are a few chapters about research on animal communication interspersed throughout her book. I chose to read these chapters separately because I did not like to be distracted from the story of Alexis and Bunny.

 Alexis Devine is an artist and entrepreneur from Seattle, Washington. She is also part of an ongoing canine cognition research study at the Comparative Cognition Lab at UCSD. “Her goal is to further our understanding of the power of connection and importance of empathy, meeting her dogs where they are and understanding them on their terms to facilitate trust and promote an environment that supports them as the incredible creatures they are.”

 You can learn more about Alexis Devine and her experiences with Bunny by listening to this brief interview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Id6jvQPzEQo

 

 There are various photographs of Bunny and Alexis in this book, but they don’t reveal the essence of their unique connection. Most pictures showcase Alexis’s unconventional clothing style and makeup. There is nothing wrong about an artist marketing her art, but we somehow miss out the energy of the bond between Alexis and Bunny in those images. On the other hand, the heartwarming photos of her parents spending time with Bunny truly reveal the spirit of their relationship:

 

  Books that focus on communication with dogs are of special interest to me. I experience a deep connection with my own furry friends. Words can hardly describe the bond that blooms when we care deeply for them. Every moment with them is a precious gift that I don’t take for granted.

 You can also check my review on Canine Confidential.by Marc Bekoff.

Have fun with these supplementary links!

 

https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/dogs-that-saved-lives

 

https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/13/health/playing-with-dogs-affects-brain-waves-study-wellness/index.html

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9534402/

 

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.

    

   

Unlikely Heroes by Jennifer Holland

 

“Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul,

And sings the tune without the words,

And never stops at all.”

Emily Dickinson

 If you hear a person using the word “parrot” in a negative way, be prepared to share the story of Willie, the parrot who helped save a toddler’s life. Meagan, her babysitter, had been in the bathroom for only thirty seconds when she heard Willie’s frantic calls:

 “Mama!  Baby!”

 

 He kept repeating the same words. Meagan dashed out of the bathroom immediately and found Hannah choking on her favorite treat. Her face and lips were blue. Meagan performed the Heimlich maneuver on Hannah and saved her life. 

Willie had never used those two words together, but in this specific situation he did and made an unforgettable difference in many peoples’ lives.

 Unlikely Heroes by Jennifer Holland shares true stories of animals who saved both human and non-human lives with no expectation of rewards. They just do it because saving somebody’s life feels right, and in doing so, they demonstrate that being kind and caring has nothing to do with wearing any sort of badge.

 There are also cases of animals able to sense a cancer diagnosis or some other ominous medical condition that had been overlooked. There are animals rescuing other animals. For example, an elk saved a marmot from drowning; a seal did the same for a dog drowning in a river. No rewards were given for those deeds.

 

 These true stories flooded me with smiles and tears. It is the kind of book I love to read before going to bed at night because it brightens my mood and paves the way to a wonderful night sleep.

The heroes and heroines are various animals, including several dogs, cats, rats, horses, cows, dolphins, goats, a hippo, gorillas, a camel, a llama and many others. Dive into this wonderful read and surprise yourself.

 

Another positive aspect of Unlikely Heroes is that I learned a lot. With every anecdote Jennifer Holland adds curious facts about the animals involved. It awakens our interest in the natural world and has the potential to inspire us to become more mindful of our actions and the impact they have.

 

 There is a chapter about cranes. Did you know that cranes enjoy dancing? It is true that dancing plays a role in mating, but they also dance for fun. Dancing has several benefits; it relieves stress and supports communication and cognition, to mention just a few.

  The Whooping Crane is the tallest North American bird. It is an endangered keystone species due to habitat loss and hunting. 

 Some states in the United States of America still allow the hunting of cranes. If you don’t know the meaning of “keystone” species I invite you to look it up, and hopefully, you will be encouraged to spread the word on the need to protect them.

 The International Crane Foundation is doing an incredible job of protecting and supporting the survival of Whooping Cranes with the help of the Sandhill Cranes. If you visit Wisconsin, don’t miss the chance to visit their site. It teems with prairies and wildflowers, and there are glorious trails to soothe your mind and recharge your spirit.

 This delightful place is ideal to spend time with family and friends.

 

The educational material is engaging and fascinating, and you will create special memories that will last a lifetime.

  Artworks at this exhibition will uplift you and boost your zest for life. This painting is by Melanie Hava, an Australian Aboriginal artist.

 

 Hunters in Wisconsin are not allowed to kill Whooping Cranes, but they sometimes slaughter them by accident. The fact is that hunting causes stress and suffering in all the animals of a community.

 If somebody started shooting your neighborhood, you would be terrified. The same happens to animals when hunters attack. Hunting causes stress and suffering in ALL the animals, not just the ones that are targeted.

  It takes empathy to understand it, and empathy is a kind of intelligence.

 It is strange to me that so much is spent on seeking life in other planets, when we cannot come together to understand,  respect and protect life in our own planet.

The only thing I do not like about Unlikely Heroes is the title.

 Who are we to determine who is an “unlikely” hero?

As you know, words play a role in perpetuating biases, misconceptions and prejudices.

I think the book should have a fair honest title instead:

      “Heroes and Heroines”

        We can do better.