By Don Hanson, PCBC-A, BFRAP
< Version – 2JAN23 >
< A version of this article was published in the January 2023 issue of Downeast Dog News >
Emotions are complicated and messy. So much so that as a youngster watching Star Trek in the 60s, I was attracted to the Vulcan ethos of 
suppressing all emotion and replacing it with logic. However, I eventually learned that without emotion, we are devoid of Joy, Gratitude, Serenity, Interest, Hope, Pride, Amusement, Inspiration, Awe, and Love. But unfortunately, the price for those positive feelings is negative emotions such as Anger, Emptiness, Frustration, Inadequacy, Helplessness, Fear, Guilt, Loneliness, Depression, feeling Overwhelmed, Resentment, Failure, Sadness, and Jealousy. The fact is, emotions are part of our life as sentient beings. Notice I did not say emotions make us human because to do so would be incorrect.
For centuries, science and religion conspired to teach us that animals do not experience emotions. I will never forget the day a veterinarian told me, “Don, you can’t anthropomorphize; animals do not experience emotions.” I walked away seriously, questioning his abilities, thinking, has he never seen a dog wag its tail in joy, bark in frustration, cower in fear, or growl in anger?
Anthropomorphism is attributing “human” characteristics to other animals. Many believe it is a severely flawed concept that should be tossed on the scrap heap of history with other nonsense like dominance. I agree.
René Descartes (1596-1650) is considered the founder of modern western philosophy and was the mathematician who developed the Cartesian coordinate system used in analytic geometry. He was also a devout Christian. The first principle of his philosophy was cogito, ergo sum, or “I think, therefore I am.” He believed that non-human animals were nothing more than biological machines. They were incapable of thinking or having emotions and could not feel pain. He also thought that animals had no soul. These beliefs were how he justified dissecting live animals in his experiments. Some biographies of Descarte claim his first experiment with a live dog involved nailing a live dog to a board and cutting it open.
Sadly, Descartes’s philosophy toward animals was the standard in science for centuries. It has been the justification for animal testing and more. If you have lived long enough, you realize that pets have only recently been sent home with medication for post-operative pain. It is also why many still erroneously believe it is ok to train a dog with pain using tools like shock, prong, 
and choke collars. Trainers using these tools often tell people it doesn’t hurt your dog; it’s just a tickle. Today’s science tells us the pain of the shock is what changes the dog’s behavior and emotions.
One of my favorite books on emotions and dogs is For the Love of A Dog: Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend by Dr. Patricia B. McConnell. It is the book I recommend as mandatory reading for anyone with a dog or anyone who works with dogs.
Dr. McConnell was one of the first scientists to write about emotions in dogs. In her book, she discusses the history of human thought on the topic of emotions in animals and brings us up to date with what we know now. She also talks about the remarkable similarities in how dogs and people express feelings: “It’s no coincidence that highly social animals like people and dogs have exceptionally expressive faces.“
It is interesting to note that not all old scientists got it wrong. For example, Charles Darwin made similar observations in 1872 in his book The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals.
In my 27 years as a pet professional, I have encountered countless people who profess to be “dog lovers” and have the best intentions but do not understand how to read their dog’s body language and emotions. Whether we live with a dog or work with dogs professionally, we have an ethical obligation to meet our dogs’ emotional and physical needs. Fortunately, there is no longer an excuse to be ignorant of these topics thanks to these three books; For the Love of A Dog: Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend by Dr. Patricia B. McConnell, A Kids’ Comprehensive Guide to Speaking Dog! by Niki Tudge and Doggie Language: A Dog Lover’s Guide to Understanding Your Best Friend by Lili Chin. Please, make sure they are in your library.
By saying animals do not have emotions, we deny them sentience and absolve ourselves of guilt for not meeting their emotional needs. However, the scientific evidence is clear; our dogs’ brains contain the same structures related to emotions as our brains. Therefore, while we are still learning about canine emotions, we cannot deny they experience fear, anger, joy, grief, and undoubtedly more. So please join me in celebrating the rich emotional life of our dogs.
“I believe that anyone who insists our pets do not experience emotions will be unlikely to provide a pet with the quality of life it deserves.”
Recommended Resources
Online Resources
Emotional Health & Dogs – https://www.theiscp.com/post/emotional-health-dogs
Lets’ Talk About Our Dogs’ Feelings, Pets and Their People – https://petsandtheirpeople.education/articles/lets-talk-about-our-dogs-feelings/
Books
A Kids’ Comprehensive Guide to Speaking Dog!, Niki Tudge, Joanne Tudge, 0999262092, 2017
Affective Neuroscience: The Foundations of Human and Animal Emotions (Series in Affective Science), Jaak Panksepp, Oxford University Press, 2004
Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel, Dr. Carl Safina, Henry Holt & Company, 1250094593 ,2015
Descartes’ Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain, Antonio Damasio, Penguin Books, 014303622X, 1994
Doggie Language: A Dog Lover’s Guide to Understanding Your Best Friend, Lili Chin, Summerdale, 2020, 2020
For the Love of A Dog: Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend, Dr. Patricia B. McConnell, Ballantine Books, 0345477154, 2006
Mama’s Last Hug: Animal Emotions and What They Tell Us about Ourselves, Frans de Waal, W. W. Norton, 0393635066 , 2018
Minding Animals – Awareness, Emotions & Heart, Dr. Marc Bekoff, Oxford University Press, 0195163370, 2002
On Talking Terms With Dogs: Calming Signals, Turid Rugass, Dogwise Publishing, B003URRK44, 2006
The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, Charles Darwin, 1872
