Many people believe that the animals we live with are able to understand us and communicate with us. This belief has developed due to the bond that is shared between owner and pet. It becomes more than just one of master and animal, but rather of friendship and love. I can attest to this statement, being the owner of four dogs myself.
The argument against this higher intelligence of domesticated animals is that animals actually can’t comprehend the words that are spoken to them, but rather the tone and the gestures used. I agree with this belief, because animals do respond to the tone you use rather than the word spoken. For example, if a dog is doing something it shouldn’t be, and the master says the word “no” in a high, praiseful voice, the dog won’t stop what it is doing. If the word “no” is spoken loud and forcefully, the dog will sense that something it is doing is wrong and will stop. The same works for our dogs, they recognize the word “treat” when said in a particular tone. We could use the words “feet, peat, meat, beat, or wheat” said in the same tone and the dogs will come running because they think that tone means that they will receive a dog treat. This has been scientifically tested by Ivan Pavlov, who’s experiment conditioned dogs to salivate every time they heard the ringing of a bell.
I honestly do believe that pets have a very well developed sense of understanding and communication with their owners. I have grown to trust and love my dog, Elsa, more than anyone else in this entire world. I feel like she will never betray me, and that she is always there for me, no matter what I do. In defense of my belief, after being dropped off and moved in to my new college life, my mom gave me a call. They had just gotten home after a long day on the road, and she told me that everything was good at home, except that Elsa was walking around looking for me. She had seemed distressed that I wasn’t there, and kept looking in my room for me. The behavior Elsa showed can not be disregarded as a higher understanding. She knew that something was wrong, and this comes down to the love and bond that has developed between us.
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