Animal Emotions

Do animals think and feel?

Marc Bekoff Ph.D.

Hospice For Dogs: Let Them Have Whatever They Want and Love

Most human guardians know what their dog loves, so give them plenty of whatever it is as their lives are coming to an end. They must come first at this very difficult time.

How Well Do You Know What Dogs Do, Think, and Feel?

It's important to become fluent in dog to learn about who they are, what they do and why, and to develop and sustain close social bonds.

How Children's Literature Links to Narcissism and Violence

Layla AbdelRahim's book "Children's Literature, Domestication, and Social Foundation" shows how the stories we tell ourselves work to justify the abuse we inflict on the planet.

Killing Animals Is "Weirdly Addictive" Says New Zealander

New Zealand's brutal war on wildlife relies on teaching kids and adults to enjoy killing sentient animals to meet its goals. Youngsters are misinformed and adults think it's fine.

Birds of a Feather: Hope, Healing, and the Power of Animals

Lorin Lindner's "Birds of a Feather: A True Story of Hope and the Healing Power of Animals" shows how much animals can help us along when times are tough. It's a game-changer.

Jealousy in Dogs: Brain Imaging Shows They're Similar to Us

Behavioral evidence shows dogs feel jealously, and a new study has discovered more amygdala activation when they watched a fake dog get food than when food was placed in a bucket.

Trophy Hunting: Confronting the Elephant (Head) in the Room

A new essay argues that trophy hunting, killing an animal and claiming its body or body parts as a trophy of conquest, is an immoral activity and doesn't have conservation value.

Let's Give Dogs a Break by Distinguishing Myths From Facts

While we know quite a lot about dog behavior, numerous misconceptions exist. Let's be fair to dogs and portray them as who they really are and stop putting out false opinions.

What Would a Mother "Food" Cow Tell Us About Her Children?

Cows are very smart and emotional beings. Nonetheless, most people wrongly view them as "food" or other products, rather than as sentient individuals with different personalities.

"Everyone Wants a Lost Dog Found," Bridging the Empathy Gap

An essay “World (or at least Brooklyn) Stops for Lost Dog” and a 90-year old quote from naturalist Henry Beston can help give dogs. other animals, and humans much better lives.

Fixing Male Dogs Isn't a Proven Quick Cure-All, Say Vets

Veterinarians disagree if routinely desexing male dogs is desirable. A study of 6235 dogs shows castration can have undesirable outcomes and individuals respond very differently.

Social Behavior of Dogs at an Off-Leash Park in Newfoundland

A study of free-running dogs showed sex, age, and size influenced behavior and that serious aggression was never observed, similar to research at the same and other parks.

Ants Build Traps for Grasshoppers, Male Fruit Flies Orgasm

Insects are amazing beings and we need to be careful about thinking they're not all that clever or emotional. Who'd have thought they set up torture traps and enjoy sex.

Compassionate Conservation Meets Conservation Psychology

Compassionate conservation asks us to reflect on who we are and what we do to other animals. There's marked inconsistency between what people say and do and we need to know why.

The Doggie in the Window: Izzie, Pet Stores, and Puppy Mills

Rory Kress' research for her book about where Izzie and other pet store puppies really come from was an eye-opener and heart-breaker for her, as her book will be for readers.

Dogs Need Tails and Voices: 'Cosmetic' Surgeries Need to Go

Tail docking, ear cropping, debarking, and piercing and tattooing are more for humans than dogs. Let's work hard to let dogs keep their tails, voices, and natural look.

Veterans For Wildlife, Animals, and Recovery From Trauma

The Footprints of Hope program developed by the organization Veterans For Wildlife is designed to help traumatized individuals transition into civilian life and heal scars of war.

How We Domesticated Dogs and They Domesticated Us

Laura Hobgood's book "A Dog's History of the World: Canines and the Domestication of Humans" is a remarkable, enlightening, and wide-ranging read about who rescued whom.

Dogs Are Not Smarter Than Cats, and More: A Media Muddle

An essay titled "Ha-ha, sourpuss. Cats have 9 lives but dogs have the sense of humour" is cute but misleading. It's another example of how media can conflate facts with beliefs.

Dogs' Noses in the News: Scents Reduce Stress in Shelters

Dogs' noses are amazing works of art. Two recent books discuss this fascinating organ and a new study shows scent enrichment reduces stress (activity and barking) in shelter dogs.

Support Animals Aren't a Waste of Time or a Panacea

Emotional support animals can't always keep doctors away, but can work wonders for some people. If their support works for you, find an animal who also benefits from their work.

Dog Parks Can Be Fun Places To Go, But The Dog Has To Agree

Some people love dogs parks and some dislike them, but it's what a dog feels that really matters. If a dog doesn't enjoy them, don't go even if you like them, or go on your own.

How Dogs View the World: Brain Scans Tell Us What They See

Dogs recognize happy or sad faces, and neuroimaging (fMRI) tells us how they do it — and how similar it is to how humans do it. Negative emotions are more difficult to distinguish.

A Veterinarian's Stories of Love, Loss, and Hope

The new book, "My Patients and Other Animals," is a gem. In this inspirational work, we read about a doctor's personal journey as a caregiver for animals in need.

Canine Confidential: Why Dogs Do What They Do

Data and stories of how dogs sense the world, play, dominance, peeing, cognition, emotions, and discussions of dog-human and human-human interactions at dog parks and elsewhere.

Marmosets Surprise Researchers By Sharing Food in Private

It appears as if these monkeys truly care about the well-being of youngsters by sharing food when no other individuals see them do it. This is called a "reverse audience effect."

Murdering Animals: A Book About Social and Species Justice

A thought-provoking interview with criminologist Piers Beirne about his book "Murdering Animals: Writings on Theriocide, Homicide and Nonspeciesist Criminology."

Cuddly Pandas Are "Cuteness Crack" Says British Zoologist

In a recent essay Lucy Cooke discusses the un-cuddly truths about pandas. "In their shrinking natural habitat, the bears are tough, sexually potent survivors" not hapless bunglers.

Seeing Species: A New Book Looks at Animals in Media

Debra Merskin brings together sociological, psychological, historical, cultural, and environmental ways of thinking about nonhuman animals and our relationships with them.

Secrets of the Snout: A Dog's Nose Is a Work of Art

An interview with Dr. Frank Rosell about his fascinating book, "Secrets of the Snout," in which we learn what dogs' noses know and how they work.

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