Don’t Humanise, Empathise
5 cards · about a minute
The kind mistake
Reading human motives into a dog, spite, guilt, jealousy, is an affectionate habit and the fastest way to misread what is actually happening.
What they do feel
Fear, joy, frustration, attachment and grief are all real in a dog; shame and revenge are ours, and we lend them out far too easily.
The guilty look
Flattened ears when you find the chewed shoe are a response to your face, not a confession, dogs read the accusation rather than the crime.
Empathy is observation
Empathising with a dog means asking what they are experiencing, not what you would be feeling if you were standing where they are.
The need, not the story
A dog who follows you room to room needs a routine more than reassurance, and the story we tell about it decides what we try.