Page 24 - MidWeek - June 15, 2022

24 MIDWEEK JUNE 15, 2022
My late dog and I didn’t always communicate with each other very well.
PATERNITY WARD D. L. Stewart
Getting A Good Read On Man’s Best Friend
When I threw a toy and said, “Fetch,” he’ d just look at me with an expression that I assumed meant, “Why should I fetch it, fatso? You’re the one who threw it.”
“Ultimately, dogs un- derstand us better than we understand them,” declared a canine expert in a recent New York Times column. “Over thousands of years of domestication, they’ ve be- come really good at reading our emotions. But I don’t think it’s worked as much in the other direction.”
Which is pretty close to the truth, but less unappetizing. According to another ex- pert in the column, “dogs of- ten lick faces because they’re hoping to get a taste of what you recently ate.” This stems from the behavior of young wolves, who lick the inside of their mothers’ mouths so their moms regurgitate food for them. (Which doesn’t ful- ly explain why my dog need- ed to lick my face to find out
Although I know a lot more now about what dogs are trying to tell us, I still have two questions: are dogs loyal and do they really love us unconditionally?
When he wagged his tail, I thought he was happy to see me. When he rolled over on his back, I figured he wanted a belly rub. When he licked my face, perhaps he was giv- ing me kisses.
Take tail-wagging. It could mean the dog’s happy to see you, she conceded, but a lot depends on the wag. If it wags mostly to the left the dog is happy. Mostly to the right, not so much. If the tail
The author accepts most of the blame for communication breakdowns with his late dog. PHOTO COURTESY D.L. STEWART
I’m guessing a dog will be loyal to just about any- body handing out food. And they’ ve figured out that, to get free room and board for life, all they need to do is wag their tails once in a while. So they’re actually only pretend- ing to love us.
But apparently I was wrong about all those as- sumptions except, maybe, for the fetching part. And, ac-
goes mostly straight up and down, maybe your dog’s broken.
be a dog’s request for a belly rub. Or maybe it just felt like rolling on its back.
Although they probably appreciate us a lot more than cats do.
cording to experts, the failure to understand each other was mostly my fault.
sarily a sign of endearment, although that doesn’t surprise me. I’ ve always suspected that when my dog licked my face he was just checking to see how I tasted in case we ever ran out of kibble.
what I recently ate. He could have just licked the front of my shirt.)
Rolling on its back could
Face-licking isn’t neces-
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