I have often wondered what dogs think about being in close relationship with humans. Do they sense that they are in the presence of a higher consciousness that puzzles and intrigues them, that maybe stirs them into being more than they are? Yes, I actually do think about such things. I have often been curious about this interspecies interaction. And I wonder if that might reflect something about us also who aspire to or imagine that we can have a relationship with a higher consciousness, a spiritual entity. Odd ponderings perhaps and maybe I just have too much time on my hands.
However, last week "Fifteen Dogs" won the Giller prize worth $100,000. It's a novel about 15 dogs who are given human intelligence. One of the dogs ends up in the company of a human and deals with much of my curiosity about such a relationship. It also deals with another thing I ask myself: what would make a good death. Although in this case the author, André Alexis, deals with a canine's good death, he does answer the question of a good death.
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What about you? What are the things that you wonder about?
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I see that your mind has been churning over the last few months since I saw you and in regards to your question about what dogs think. I think you may have it wrong.
ReplyDeleteThey think we are wonderful providers, but somewhat stupid when it comes to walking in the fields. Their senses are far more acute than ours, which in my mind makes them the superior being, as does their understanding of pack solidarity. Dogs have a wide variety of ways of showing us that we are accepted members of the pack: they lie next to us, often with a paw or snout on our body somewhere, or they will brush past us giving us a little hip check to let us know they are there. At any given moment they are fully aware of any movement that I might make in the house and are very quick to react to sounds such as cheese being unwrapped that might be to their benefit.
Some people think that dogs are violent, but I think dogs brought up in a healthy environment are far less likely to do harm that humans are. Numerous times I've seen dogs get into spats and roll about on the ground exchanging the nastiest of conversations, but seldom do they do permanent damage. In your perspective I think you would say they are extremely loving and very willing to join in the work of the pack.
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ReplyDeleteI have kept several English Bull Terriers over many years – I can assure you they did not think of us as superior – in their view we were all equal - just we had a greater authority to command.
ReplyDeleteI do not think any part of creation thinks humans are superior – we are just a component part within the environment – it is we and only we, who like to think of ourselves as superior over all animals, plants and the environment.
Life is life - whether in a cat, or dog or man.There is no difference there between a cat or a man. The idea of difference is a human conception for man's own advantage.
Sri Aurobindo
This is so true – we create stories to meet our own self illusion of grandeur