Blog #90--How Animals See Us

Humans like to think of ourselves as separate and different than all other living species on Earth. We think we have conscious control over our actions, and we imagine ourselves at the top of the food chain. Even most of us who treat our pets as members of our families tend to assume we are naturally superior to them in a number of ways.

Yes, we must juggle more details in our lives than other species, but intelligence complicates our lives in both good and bad ways. Like I describe in my book “It’s a Secret, So Pass It On: a Toolbox For Life,” our physical and emotional weaknesses balance out our strengths, making us merely another variation on a theme of animated species on Earth. We don’t want to be compared with other species, but we base our notions of superiority on our personal preferences. Maybe we need to find out what other species think of us.

We see that many animals, birds, reptiles and fish fear us and assume they are deferring to our natural superiority. But there are also a number of species, plus individuals within other species, that do not fear us. Some stand their ground when their territory is threatened, and some attack us to destroy a potential threat to their or their offspring’s survival. Some see us as their next meal, including a number of insects, parasites and microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses.

All species including humans have a personal territory they will defend with their lives. For the most submissive species, this may be an extremely limited space immediately adjacent to their bodies. For more dominant species, larger territory is necessary. Even pets may have both horizontal and vertical territory much larger than the size of their homes and property because they can see, smell and hear far better than humans and set up a mental territory consistent with their confidence level.

Some humans are agoraphobic and fear leaving their homes, just like our most submissive pets. But others have jobs outside their homes and may take long-distance trips. The same is true for other species. Few humans travel as far as monarch butterflies, which migrate long distances. One tiny bird species migrates 1700 miles over water to complete its migratory instinct. They all have home territories, but migratory species have at least two separate home territories connected by their migratory routes. And they travel without conveniences such as cars, motorcycles, bicycles, busses, trains, boats and airplanes that are necessary for most humans when traveling on vacations or between summer and winter homes.

Humans have complex languages with which to communicate. Animals communicate in a variety of ways as well, including techniques unavailable to most humans. Besides telepathy, which I believe is an essential aspect of all life on Earth and is much more highly developed in species other than humans, various species use things like better vision and smell, sonar, touch sensitivity and other techniques to mark territory and determine friend from foe.

Pets can tell immediately every time their owners’ emotional states change. This aids their survival since they must often respond quickly to protect themselves from our inconsistencies and mistakes. In general, most know when we will be doing things they like and don’t like before we initiate our plans. Many humans are too wrapped up in their own self-interests to notice when their pets are distressed or otherwise in need of assistance or comfort. After all, many of us don’t include our pets in our thoughts except for their utility to us.

Space limitations of this blog prevent a complete comparison between human behavior and other species. But if we watch our pets and the rest of Nature for an extended period of time, we begin to realize they treat us as if they understand us. They can do this because they see us as similar to themselves. If they know themselves, they know us since we are all created the same way.

In other words, they don’t see us as naturally superior. Indeed, as a veterinarian I met many pets that were convinced they were better than humans. After all, ego will be ego. I once had a male cat named Tory that was convinced he was bigger than cars traveling along our street. If he had a choice, he would stand in the middle of the road and expect the car to stop in deference to his superiority. If I didn’t restrict his movement by connecting his collar to a chain, he wouldn’t have lived one year, let alone 15 years, an extremely long lifespan for a dominant cat.

Tory understood me well because he saw me as he might see other cats. Once I realized that, a whole new world opened up to me. If other species see us as if we are similar to them, and if we assume those other species are functioning on the basis of innate instinct rather than conscious control, then they must assume we are behaving out of instinct also. Indeed, that is the case. Even doctors describe our “reptilian brains” as the part of us that functions instinctively, and most if not all our actions are secondary to impulses arising from our instincts. Of course, if humans are consciously in control of their lives, other species likely have the same abilities.

I wrote a book published in 1982 called “Dogs Need Our Love.” The subject was the relationship between human and dog behavior, and I concluded that the only way to create the balance necessary to guarantee compatible behavior in our pets was to treat them as equals. They don’t trust people who treat them as inferior, and most don’t really want to take charge of us when we refuse to accept responsibility for their welfare on a consistent basis. Equality prevents the imbalances that lead to both behavioral and health problems.

We don’t gain confidence by pretending superiority over others, and they won’t trust us when we do. Since other species see us as they see themselves, we must return the favor. I have no doubt we are truly equal to all other species, so acknowledging that is the same as loving them and becoming one with them. This will help them trust us more, and it will enhance our relationship with them. Watch your interactions with other species as you go through your life. You will discover it’s okay to accept our commonality with other species. In fact, it is the key to happiness and peace of mind.

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