Inside of a Dog

The article Inside of a Dog, I was curious as to what I would be reading. Would the author take us on a journey through the day in life of a dog? How was the story going to be told? Would it be like Buffalo Gals where the animals have human traits? As I read on, I discovered that it was more of an informative and scientific piece. The senses of a dog are astounding. Their sight and sense of smell are much more advanced than a humans. The article also talked about how animals can read our emotions; which I find to be very true. Whenever I was upset my favorite dog would always jump on my lap and lick my face to cheer me up. Dogs know what their masters want and need from them. There is no need to dominate them in training. The dog will learn by observing the behaviors of other dogs and by their owner’s reaction. The reading was really positive and told the reader why dogs are so special. It also gave many scientific facts and information. The author had clearly researched the topic and had passion for animals. I was both interested and more informed about dogs after reading the article.

Cody Hein

RR #2

For my second reading response I am going to be talking about “Inside of a Dog, What Dogs See, Smell, and Know” written by Alexandra Horowitz. I found this article to be the most fascinating of them all so far this term. Learning about this particular species was incredibly interesting and caused me to gain more respect for dogs, including my own. I found it amazing that dogs pay attention compared to humans. I believed dogs would try to understand concepts more, but after reading this article I was proven wrong. For example when Horowitz talks about what a rose is to humans and to how it is different to dogs fascinated me. I always believed that dogs sniffed this object for the wonderful smell, not for the stench of urine. I believed that humans pay more attention to objects and capture all the details, and to the dog species, they simply see it as a boring object that has nothing special attached to it. Yet I was proven wrong because dogs see more of the world compared to society with their advanced vision. Another concept I found interesting was how a hammer can have so much importance to society as a tool, yet to an animal it is seen as a chew toy or just an object simply laying there sharing no importance to the world. Overall I found this article extremely interesting and now that I have finished reading this I have gained more respect for my dog. Knowing how they are more aware compared to humans even though it may not seem like it causes me to give more respect for the dog species overall.
Noelle M.

Past life as a dog or just a mind reader?

After reading "Inside a Dog" by Alexandra Horowitz, I found myself quite content with some of the observations explained, but also a bit weary of some. I was extremely pleased that I was not the only one who believed dogs responded better to "baby-talk" in comparison to a normal voice tone. I actually sent this article to my brother as "proof" I wasn't crazy, though I'm sure he will still give me a hard time regardless =]. Along with that, I also enjoyed the comparison of dog packs to wolf packs, and the struggle humans have with their techniques of trying to enforce dominancy. It forced me to look back on my own experiences with dogs, whether it was owning my own dogs, dog sitting for neighbors, or my volunteer work at the humane society. When I saw people try to foce dogs to do something with strength, the dog would merely go into submission and only follow orders due to fear. Then there were the trainers who would use rewards, such as a scratch of the ear or even a well deserved biscuit, these dogs, they were only too willing to please, in other words, making them much more manageable and lovable companions. However, when I got to the discussions of how dogs perceive time, facial expressions, and scent, I found myself unconvinced. I do not see ow anyone could make these claims without having been said animal, and perhaps she might have been a dog in a past life, but I'm not so sure I would trust someone who made that claim either. A mind can only be understood by the one who possesses it.

-Maddie T.

Dog's umvelt or Conjecture of a Dog

When I started reading Inside of a Dog by Alexandra Horowitz I was interested. She started off with stating “a dog’s view is not immediately accessible to us” and I agree with that. Although I don’t think it is accessible at all. Throughout this column I found myself agreeing with some parts and completely disagreeing with other parts. I did not like how the author wrote in a way that she was speaking for the dogs like she knew exactly what they were thinking or what was really going on in their minds. Some parts were necessary but most of the time it was arbitrary and unavailing. I understand the fact that we are supposed to imagine this journey into the dog’s umvelt, but why must it sound so bias toward dogs? In a way Dr. Horowitz makes it seem that dogs are more advanced in senses than we are. Although, they might have some advantages in smelling and eyesight, our senses are more advance so I would think. How does she know whether or not dogs can see the time between our blinks? They might experience the world faster than us but how do we know whether they log all they see at one time? We don’t know and can’t because in order to we must become a dog and experience it for ourselves. I was not very amused by the way this article was written trying to explain the cognitive experience of a different life form. In order to do this, you must be that life form; in this case a dog.

Spencer

Dog Umwelt/ Elephant Crackup?

Human and nature. Human nature. I suppose that when one thinks critically, it is safe to assume that though the two have different meanings, they can be interlinked.
When reading Horowitz's, Inside Of A Dog, and the article, Elephant Crackup, I definitely had to some critical thinking myself.
Though I have never had an actual pet, my family member around me did. My grandmother had a Great Dane. I never understood why friends cried when their dog died until our Rocky had to be put to sleep because of an enlarged heart. While reading the short article, it provided a small insight into a dog’s mentality. Their umvelt, their subjective or self world, is a perfect way of putting it. While they may participate in activities we engage in, it has a different meaning and difference to them. We as humans, for the most part thrive on our emotional senses. It was just amazing to also get a glance at how their sense of smell impacts other aspects of their life. Not just their noses.
An Elephant Crackup was an article that intrigued me. In reading this article I found myself asking,” What is going on with these elephants?” After reading more I found my speculations transforming from a defensive opinion to a thought of sympathy. It was amazing and heartwarming to see that the mentality and emotional state of these animals are a lot more sensitive than one would imagine. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is something that they can suffer from during their life span. Reading that young elephants can have this syndrome because of prior experiences of watching their parents poached, or killed in front of them causing them long term pain mentally and perhaps altering their behavior, really spoke to me. I also came to the sudden realization that took me back to certain events in my childhood that did damage to me. Things that I am recovering from that do have an impact and are factors in my thought process and values today. These animals have an amazing ability through action and way of life to express how they feel or state of mind and I find that amazing. I definitely agree with Bradshaw that there are ways to affect the lives of these elephants and our own to better live together instead of continuing with the cycle we are in now.