Dogs Recognize Family Members

Recognize? More than that, I think.

This reminds me of a film I saw years ago about the reuniting of elephants. It is from the PBS, Nature broadcast, in 2000, called, "Urban Elephants." Quite moving. They've dealt with elephants in a couple of other broadcasts: "Unforgettable Elephants," and "Echo, An Elephant to Remember." I can't find a place to watch the entire videos online. But there are different segments on YouTube.

There have been a number of books written about the "emotional" lives of animals. One author, whose books about the subject I have enjoyed, is Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson. And this video reminds me of the first one I read, "When Elephants Weep."

Assigning emotions to animals is still controversial, but any dog or cat owner (or any pet owner, as many animals can be pets) would say animals do have emotions, whether or not they are exactly like ours or expressed the same. People who have had pigs as pets, for instance, become just as attached to them as one would a dog or a cat, and say they are just as intelligent, etc., if not more. -- and likely feel just as sad when they lose them.

I just noticed that the first video link was missing. And editing the post is no longer available.

The first post should read: This reminds me of a film I saw years ago...

sorry for the mishap. I intended it to be viewed first.

I saw the Echo story a few months back. It was definitely interesting to watch the family relationships between the elephants. Looks like you can view it here: http://video.pbs.org/video/1616077152/

Yes, elephants are interesting. So are all animals. I always tried to watch Nature when I could. I might even have taped "The Urban Elephant" when it aired, but finding the videotape -- as that is the medium I was using at the time -- might be a bit of a chore; I didn't label my tapes well.

So many animals are interesting when interacted with, as if they matter. Many here may remember how dolphins became the fascination during the '70s. Chimpanzees and gorillas have been put on the map by Ms. Goodall and Ms. Fossey, respectively. Crows are very interesting. Parrots, too. I find most animals interesting. I try to interact with them whenever possible. In the semi-wild (such as squirrels and birds in parks or parking lots, etc.), they are taken back a bit, that one of the strange forms that usually ignores them, suddenly gives them attention. It's probably the influence of partially reading the book, "Dr. Doolittle," in elementary school. Great name for the character, by the way.

Dr. Edward Wilson has had a life-long fascination with ants. I stalked used book stores for years before finding this book at a reasonable price. But I finally did. (It was around $60 when I first saw it in a bookstore... way more than I was allowed to spend on a book -- especially about ants.

The clip I forgot to link properly in my first post, I think, resonates with any heart.

I found out last night that that episode of Nature will be available May 8. It's a bit pricey, but it's a poignant tale and should be available.

Controversial?

I don't think so.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAbCyA2rbxM

They recognize their humans, too.

I was away from my Great Dane for over a year. When I walked in the door he went wild and nearly knocked me to the floor with his greeting.

He was large enough to sit upright on our couch with his rump and his front paws on the floor. He'd then put his chin on your shoulder and look at you, waiting for a scratch.

Yes. They aren't the little (or big) "machines" some still think.

They not only recognise their own family members they can also recognise members of their "human" family, even when they haven't met them.

My mother was from a large family living in Appleby (-in-Westmorland). During the war (WW2) one of her sisters went off to join the army. The family subsequently got a pet dog which after about six months one of them lost in the nearby town of Penrith (about 12 miles away). A few weeks later the older sister was coming home: she got the train to Penrith and was getting the bus back to Appleby when a dog she did not know latched onto her; she couldn't stop it getting on the bus with her, and, it followed her all the way home.

Of course everyone was very happy to see the dog again.

The asumption was that the dog recognised a family smell.

That is quite a story. Interesting.