Science of Pets essays

Science of Pets essays Most people had some kind of pets sometime during their lives. For whatever purpose they might have, pets are obviously an inseparable part of our lives. Therefore, this time, the US News magazine had its cover story about one very special aspect of animals, their emotions. This report presents two different points of view about animal emotions: as usual, one is for and the other is against. Of course, for their part, the nations 61 millions pet owners need no convincing at all that Fido and Fluffy can feel angry, morose, elated-even jealous or embarrassed. With several first-hand observations, case studies, and scientific brain analysis, the thought that animals can have emotions is extremely convincing. However, the opposed side makes some points too. Even the most strident skeptics of animal passion agree that many creatures experience fear-which some scientists define as a primary emotion that contrasts with secondary emotions such as love and grief. Unlike these more complex feelings, fear is instinctive, and requires no conscious thought. Researchers skepticism is fueled in part by their professional aversion to anthropomorphism, the very nonscientific tendency to attribute human qualities to nonhumans. For example, even if an animal may behave as if it is having certain kind of emotion such as happy, you still cannot prove that it is happy since facial expressions or gestures are not universal among all animals. It is true that I cannot prove anything, especially for unfamiliar animals, but I do know exactly what my dogs feel by their body language and facial expression. I am no scientist, but as a pet owner for almost 15 years, I can say this with confidence that animals do have emotion. I have observed my dogs over and over again, and their consistent reactions to my treatments confirmed my belief. From my own experience, I expand and relate it t...