A Caged Animal

Discussion in 'Free Thoughts' started by CutsieMarie89, Oct 16, 2008.

  1. CutsieMarie89 Zen Registered Senior Member

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    I've heard a saying several times, about how if you treat people like animals they tend to act like them. I've never really had any objection to that. After watching Desperate Houswives a few weeks ago it got me thinking about treating animals like people. If you treat animals like you would your fellow man do they tend to act more like people?
     
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  3. Steve100 O͓͍̯̬̯̙͈̟̥̳̩͒̆̿ͬ̑̀̓̿͋ͬ ̙̳ͅ ̫̪̳͔O Valued Senior Member

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    Yes. Take a look at dogs.
     
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  5. CutsieMarie89 Zen Registered Senior Member

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    Yeah, that's why I thought about it. But on the show one if the character's mentioned that a woman talked to her cat like it was a person. Do most people not do that? I always talk to my dog like a person. The only pet I didn't do that for were my fish and that's because I assumed they couldn't hear through the tank anyway. But a lot of people I've talked to get all on my case about talking to my dog.
     
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  7. Enmos Valued Senior Member

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    The animal must already be sufficiently like humans for us to think they behave more like humans now that we treat them like one.
     
  8. CutsieMarie89 Zen Registered Senior Member

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    Wait, explain that again...

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  9. spidergoat pubic diorama Valued Senior Member

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    Probably. I even taught my cat to shake hands, so her greeting is very human. She is even a couch potato, likes beer, and it growing overweight.
     
  10. CutsieMarie89 Zen Registered Senior Member

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    My dog rolls his eyes when he thinks you're acting stupid. But I guess not all people really value their animals, so they can't understand why I would go through so much trouble for them. I have a friend who doesn't understand why people get upset when their pets die. I was utterly flabbergasted.
     
  11. Enmos Valued Senior Member

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    lol
    Try treating an ant like a human.
    Dogs are already somewhat human-like compared to non-mammals.
    It doesn't take much imagination to think they really are behaving more like humans if we treat them as such.
     
  12. Enmos Valued Senior Member

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    And he/she is your friend ? Sounds like someone I wouldn't want to have around me.
     
  13. CutsieMarie89 Zen Registered Senior Member

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    Oh I gotcha. :thumbsup:

    It's hard to relate to an ant or a fly, I think it's because their so small. You can't tell what they might be up to. I used to think that about fish until I got to intern at a large aquarium, the fish I worked with were very human like indeed (as far as their personalities and actions were concerned).
     
  14. shorty_37 Go! Canada Go! Registered Senior Member

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    Nietzsche talks to our dog bruce ALL the time. I sometimes do but not as much.
    Sometimes from our dogs reactions, you would swear he knows english. He can pull out words, even if you aren't talking to him. If he hears the word walk, no matter who is talking he starts getting all excited. He picks up on other phrases like, do you want? I can say to the kids, do you want pizza for dinner and Bruce comes over like I was talking to him.
    His ears perk up at certain words or phrases and he does that moving his head from side to side, which is so damn cute.
    He also shows his frustration like no other dog we have ever had. If he gets pissed off at you he will just look at you and keep sneezing. It is actually pretty funny.
     
  15. S.A.M. uniquely dreadful Valued Senior Member

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    Yes, I treat my cats like people, they act like people. I worked with rats as a graduate student and I used to talk to them everyday, pretty soon all you'd have to do is open the cage and they'd placidly go to sleep in your pocket.
     
  16. Enmos Valued Senior Member

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    Yea, but it's all just anthropomorphizing. It's why people dress up their dogs and stuff..
    I've seen people that genuinely treat their dog as if it was their kid. Pretty sad really..
     
  17. Enmos Valued Senior Member

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    The dog is just looking for clues because he knows their might be something in it for him. He's not being human-like, he's being dog-like

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  18. shorty_37 Go! Canada Go! Registered Senior Member

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    Yeah shows how smart they are. It is amazing how fast Nietzsche taught him tricks as long as he got some treat for it. If he knows there is no treat he is a real asshole and justs looks at you with this look, SCREW YOU. You want me to twirl around like an idiot I want a treat you prick! lol

    Now if we could only teach him to pick up his own shit from the backyard.

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    BTW: How are your kittens?
     
  19. Enmos Valued Senior Member

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    lol I bet you could train him

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    They are doing great. The black one is getting quite big. He's going to be massive

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  20. shorty_37 Go! Canada Go! Registered Senior Member

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    Do they go outside?
     
  21. Enmos Valued Senior Member

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    Yep, but only if I'm home. I don't let them stay outside while I'm away.
     
  22. shorty_37 Go! Canada Go! Registered Senior Member

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    That's good, I never could understand the whole strictly house cats thing. When we had a cat he would roam around all day and night. Sometimes he wouldn't come back for days, even weeks a couple of times. He was satisfying all the other "Pussy" cats in the neighborhood. lol
     
  23. CutsieMarie89 Zen Registered Senior Member

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    I don't think you should dress your dog up. I mean unless they actually like it. A friend of mine has a little dog who refuses to go outside without a sweater on when it gets cold. It's so funny. She gets all mad and stomps around, won't listen to anybody and growls if you open the door and tell her to go out until someone goes and gets her sweater, then she's happy and will do whatever you say. But in the summer or when it's hot out like now she doesn't throw a fit and doesn't want to wear anything. At least she doesn't get excited when you try to dress her.
     

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