I read an article in the latest issue of one of my favorite non-art-related magazines, called Scientific American Mind that discusses the intelligence of our best friend, the dog. The interview was with Brian Hare, an associate professor at Duke University and also the author of a book called "The Genius of Dogs". There was a lot of fascinating information found out about dogs in various studies, such as, dogs prefer to spend time with humans rather than their own species, something that is unusual for an animal. Personally, I find that to be true with my own dogs, Kameko and Kitsune, both Pomeranians. Sometimes it seems as if they don't even see each other because they are always only interested in what I am doing. Makes sense, though, since I am their caretaker. You want to know that the person who provides you with food and water, who gives you treats, who cleans the gunk out of your eyes and the poop off your bum, is always available and ready to take care of you.
Another interesting observation is how much dogs read our gestures, which "allows them to be incredible social partners with us, whether it's hunting or agility or just navigating everyday life. Their ability to interpret our gestures also helps them solve problems they can't solve on their own."
Although Brian Hare was unable to confirm the level of empathy our dogs feel for us, I can attest to my dogs' behavior when I am upset and crying. Whether or not it is empathy, it most certainly is concern. They want to be as close to me as possible or they watch me from a distance, shaking and obviously stressed. Our first Pomeranian, Sammy, would go into another room and start digging, scratching at the carpet, as if she was trying to dig a hole to crawl into whenever Jim and were yelling. And often we were just talking loud but she interpreted loud voices with anger.
Although I already knew how special my dogs are, reading an article like this proves, scientifically, that dogs are even more intelligent and more special than a lot of people realize.