No matter how far this research goes, it will be a hard sell to achieve for dogs, or any other animal, a person-hood status of some kind. If we admit to ourselves how much we have in common with animals, we not only dilute our "specialness" and sense of supreme entitlement -- we become compelled to do some seriously disruptive, complicated, inconvenient, deeply thoughtful changes personally, legally, practically and culturally. (In other words, stuff we have not yet really mastered in regard to HUMAN BEINGS who we have placed in some category of "other/lesser" in relation to ourselves). Nonetheless, this is some terrific scientific validation for what experience, an open mind, and an open heart have already taught many people about dogs. After all, how can a litter of ten puppies have ten distinctly different sets of attitudes, preferences, fears, social relationships, depths of attachment, etc., unless there is a certain level of inborn self-awareness and emotional intelligence there in those little furry heads? I am excited to see this, and hope that they can keep going forward with the research in the long-term.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Oct 2013 06:03:27 +0000
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