Animal Emotions

Do animals think and feel?

Marc Bekoff Ph.D.

Why Are Beagles Being Poisoned and Killed?

Beagles are force-fed fungicides and killed in a Michigan lab. The EPA doesn't require these horrific experiments, but they're required in Brazil, and they're done here.

Broken Legs and Heart Attacks: Unavoidable in Horse Racing?

Why do so many racehorses die? Their shockingly high death rates are avoidable if they weren't forced to run for human entertainment and money.

Dogs, Captivity, and Freedom: Unleash Them Whenever You Can

Many companion dogs live highly constrained lives. Luckily, there's a lot we can do to give them more freedom and allow them to be dogs.

Animal Emotions: What Must We Do With What We Know?

Frans de Waal's "Mama's Last Hug" summarizes much of what we know about animal emotions and sentience and raises important ethical questions on how we must use this information.

Dogs at Play: Fun-Filled Zoomies Exercising Senses & Bodies

Different forms of dogs' play integrate a frenetic and continuous potpourri of touch, sight, sound, and perhaps smell as they joyfully romp around, often just for the hell of it.

Beware of False Information Used by Pet Euthanasia Services

While some pet euthanasia services do important work, watch out for those that spread myths about how wild animals supposedly die compared to companion animals.

Domestication Gone Wild: Politics, Humans, Animals & Plants

A recent book called "Domestication Gone Wild: Politics and Practices of Multispecies Relations" is an extremely interesting collection of wide ranging transdisciplinary essays.

Stripping Animals of Emotions is "Anti-Scientific & Dumb"

There's more than enough comparative scientific data that clearly show that other animals experience a wide range of different emotions and naysayers are blatantly wrong.

How Dogs Hear and Speak With the World Around Them

Dogs' ears come in many shapes and sizes. More than 18 muscles control them, which allows for nuanced movements that make them both perceptive and expressive.

Why Do Dogs Hump?

There's no general answer, and it mostly depends on the individual dog and specific context. It's high time to put myths to sleep.

How Dogs See the World: Some Facts About the Canine Cosmos

To become fluent in dog, it's essential to know how dogs' eyes work. Visual signals alone and in combination with those involving other senses are important in dogs' social worlds.

"I'm Watching 5 Crows Zooming Here and There, Do They Play?"

Many birds engage in social play and might just "play for the hell of it" just like other animals. They chase one another, dive-bomb, get exercise, and may have fun doing it.

Ground Scratching by Dogs: Scent, Sight, and Ecstasy

Ground scratching may be used for spreading scent or leaving a visual mark, or it may be part of a composite signal.

Being Touched Is Fine For Some Dogs, But Not for Others

Dogs are touched in many situations. Some like it and some don't, and it's essential to honor what they're telling us.

The Rich and Deep Emotional Lives of Dogs in 226 Seconds

A video from Animal Aid Unlimited, India, provides a crash course on our canine companions' feelings.

"Oh Goodness, Why'd My Dog Erin Just Eat Something So Foul?"

Dogs don't agree with what we find icky, nasty, gross, rank, disgusting, or foul. While we gag and don't want to share what's in their mouths, dogs' taste buds are working well.

Dogs Should Be "Unleashed" to Sniff to Their Noses' Content

After I watched Bernie, a huge mutt sniff for 36 seconds, his human companion told me, "His walk is for him and I let him sniff as much as he likes to fill his nasal needs."

Lethal Control: A Film About the Reckless Use of M-44s

A new documentary highlights the ways in which Wildlife Services' careless use of poison cyanide bombs endangers humans, dogs, and other animals by focusing on a recent tragedy.

Accusations of "Invasive Species Denialism" Are Flawed

Researchers and others accused of denying the effects of non-native species aren't really doing so. New Zealand's on-going war on wildlife is an excellent case in point.

Reiki for Animals: The Power of Peace to Heal

Kathleen Prasad, meditation teacher, author and Animal Reiki expert, shares with us how the Japanese spiritual practice of Reiki can offer a way to connect deeply with animals.

Do Dogs Know They're Dying?

Was Sadie really trying to tell her human companion Oscar was dying? What can we learn from numerous similar observations suggesting both Oscar and Sadie knew Oscar was dying?

Learning to ORIENT Ourselves to Address Global Challenges

In this thoughtful guest essay, Zoe Weil, President and Co-Founder of the Institute for Humane Education, offers six practical ways to deal with personal and global catastrophes.

The Strange Relationship Between Virtue and Violence

An interview with Dr. Richard Wrangham about his seminal new book called "The Goodness Paradox: The Strange Relationship Between Virtue and Violence in Human Evolution."

Dogs Live in the Present and Other Harmful Myths

Myths, assumptions, and expectations based on false beliefs about dog behavior can harm, rather than help them coexist, with dogs and people. We've got to get it right.

Ethical Views on the Use and Abuse of Animals

Researchers in Denmark attempt to develop and apply a multidimensional measure for the ethical orientations on which people rely concerning the use of animals.

Allowing Dogs to Sniff Helps Them Think Positively

New research shows allowing dogs to exercise their noses, to do "nosework," makes them optimistic. Not allowing dogs to sniff may be a form of sensory deprivation.

Humans Are Eating Large Animals to Extinction

Data show that seven of ten iconic megafauna will experience significant population declines, and three of five could soon go extinct due to human consumption.

Are Big Dogs Really Smarter than Small Dogs?

It's highly unlikely because the biggest misconception people have about the dog mind is, as Dr. Brian Hare notes, “That there are ‘smart’ dogs and ‘dumb’ dogs.”

Science Shows Positive Reward-Based Dog Training is Best

A new program from Canada's British Columbia SPCA called AnimalKind Dog Training is a model for all to follow. Their techniques are amply supported by empirical research.

"Does My Dog Shara Really Make Friends With Other Animals?"

Wondering if dogs make friends is a waste of time. Science shows they do, as do other nonhumans and humans. Here's an example where "Academics gets in the way of common sense."

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