Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
March 28, 2024, 10:41:56 am

Login with username, password and session length


Members
Stats
  • Total Posts: 772945
  • Total Topics: 66310
  • Online Today: 379
  • Online Ever: 5484
  • (June 18, 2021, 11:15:29 pm)
Users Online
Users: 2
Guests: 352
Total: 354

Welcome


Welcome to the POZ Community Forums, a round-the-clock discussion area for people with HIV/AIDS, their friends/family/caregivers, and others concerned about HIV/AIDS.  Click on the links below to browse our various forums; scroll down for a glance at the most recent posts; or join in the conversation yourself by registering on the left side of this page.

Privacy Warning:  Please realize that these forums are open to all, and are fully searchable via Google and other search engines. If you are HIV positive and disclose this in our forums, then it is almost the same thing as telling the whole world (or at least the World Wide Web). If this concerns you, then do not use a username or avatar that are self-identifying in any way. We do not allow the deletion of anything you post in these forums, so think before you post.

  • The information shared in these forums, by moderators and members, is designed to complement, not replace, the relationship between an individual and his/her own physician.

  • All members of these forums are, by default, not considered to be licensed medical providers. If otherwise, users must clearly define themselves as such.

  • Forums members must behave at all times with respect and honesty. Posting guidelines, including time-out and banning policies, have been established by the moderators of these forums. Click here for “Do I Have HIV?” posting guidelines. Click here for posting guidelines pertaining to all other POZ community forums.

  • We ask all forums members to provide references for health/medical/scientific information they provide, when it is not a personal experience being discussed. Please provide hyperlinks with full URLs or full citations of published works not available via the Internet. Additionally, all forums members must post information which are true and correct to their knowledge.

  • Product advertisement—including links; banners; editorial content; and clinical trial, study or survey participation—is strictly prohibited by forums members unless permission has been secured from POZ.

To change forums navigation language settings, click here (members only), Register now

Para cambiar sus preferencias de los foros en español, haz clic aquí (sólo miembros), Regístrate ahora

Finished Reading This? You can collapse this or any other box on this page by clicking the symbol in each box.

Poll

Do you think your pet has feelings?

Yes.
No.
Maybe... I am not sure...
I don't have a pet.
I have plants.
I don't care.

Author Topic: Nonhumans... Do they love?  (Read 14972 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline ndrew

  • Member
  • Posts: 695
  • ....-.-.-.-.-.....
Nonhumans... Do they love?
« on: March 13, 2007, 02:05:41 am »
Hello welcome to the furry creatures poll... 

Does your kitty make you purr?  Does your dog make you wag?  Do your fishes make you viscous?

But more importantly, do you think they have feelings?  Do you think they love you?

What do they bring to your life with HIV?

Do they have any weird personality traits?

Give 'em some luv!!

Offline Matty the Damned

  • Member
  • Posts: 12,277
  • Antipodean in every sense of the word
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #1 on: March 13, 2007, 02:21:39 am »
Anthropomorphism is never a good idea. A pet does not love you. It stays because you feed it. Love is the sole preserve of humans.

MtD
« Last Edit: March 13, 2007, 05:47:04 am by matty.the.damned »

Offline mjmel

  • Member
  • Posts: 2,069
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #2 on: March 13, 2007, 03:47:10 am »
Andrew, this is a good poll. Thanks for thinking of it.

Some believe animals don't dream. Yet, I've seen my Lucas (canine) dream in his sleep time after time. His legs are going through the motions of running and his muffled barks let me know he is chasing something in his dreams. Unmistakeably. When my mom died several years ago, I sat on the couch and wept. All the dogs came to me and tried to comfort me. They tried to lick my wet face and whined too, until my last sob. Why the comforting touch if they have no emotions?
I recently rescued/adopted a pot bellied pig. A story was related to me of the heroics antics of a pig. It seems a small boy was playing out in the yard when a stray ferocious pit bull approached the boy. The dog attempted to maul the boy. A family pet, a potbellied pig, was with the boy at the time and intervened in time to drive the dog off. It is well-known that pigs have a temper and are quite mean when provoked. I wish I could find a news or article link to validate this account. My curiosity is peaked because why would the pig protect the little boy if it had no sense of "family" towards him. The little boy didn't perform the daily feedings, as the mom was the one who fed and cared for the pet pig. There was obviously some kind of protective, emotionalized reaction here.

I am convinced that some animals have emotions. It is difficult to determine their capabilities of love, however. I know of loyalties. I know of emotional responses. So yes, I believe they love but not in the complicated dynamics that humans do. I am also convinced that people get carried away with alleged attributes/emotional capacities of their pets. Many of some "loving" attributes are merely survival tactics.
« Last Edit: March 13, 2007, 03:53:09 am by mjmel »

Offline dtwpuck

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,013
  • дано мне тело, что мне делать с ним?
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #3 on: March 13, 2007, 05:51:45 am »
There is no reason to assume that humans have a monopoly on emotions.   Clearly LaFaunduh is extroverted... she hates to be by herself.    Harley gets very excited anytime she sees me, and looks ashamed when she does something bad.

I couldn't be happy without pets.  If I didn't travel so much for work, I would have many more.
Floating through the void in the caress of two giant pink lobsters named Esmerelda and Keith.

Offline Bucko

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,947
  • You need a shine, missy!
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #4 on: March 13, 2007, 06:12:37 am »
With all due respest to MtD (who knows that I love him most), My Chocolate Lab felt both jealousy and love. I have a chipped tooth to prove it.

Brent
(Who draws the line somewhere, after all)
Blessed with brains, talent and gorgeous tits.

Blathering on AIDSmeds since 2005, provocative from birth

Offline Dachshund

  • Member
  • Posts: 6,058
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #5 on: March 13, 2007, 07:49:53 am »
Also with due respect to my Poo, animals are the ones that love, not humans. My Sam has more love packed into his 16.7 lb frame than any human I know. He can also talk and knows his times tables. He once rescued a baby from a burning building and he hates cats and squirrels.

I knew I finally had enough emotional stability in my aids ravaged life three years ago when I got Sam. It was the best decision I have ever made.

Aunty Doxie
( who knows Uncle Poo loves the Sammers)


[attachment deleted by admin]
« Last Edit: March 13, 2007, 07:51:49 am by Dachshund »

Offline Peter6836

  • Member
  • Posts: 391
  • Me and my Granddaughter Noa
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #6 on: March 13, 2007, 07:50:34 am »
I know that my three legged, incontinent, epileptic, pug, George, enriches my life daily. When I am not feeling well he is there to silently support me. It is not even necessary to get into a philosophical discussion as to whether or not he has feelings or emotions. All I know is that he is there when I need him. He moves closer when I am in pain. He cuddles closer to me when I cry. Of course those big dark watery eyes staring at you can't help but make you feel understood. Gotta love him.

Offline AlanBama

  • Member
  • Posts: 3,670
  • Alabama: the 'other' 3rd World Country!
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #7 on: March 13, 2007, 10:27:48 am »
My schnauzer did.  Now, Fang the cat -- a different story.  She merely allows me to coexist within the same space.....
"Remember my sentimental friend that a heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others." - The Wizard of Oz

Offline dixieman

  • Member
  • Posts: 889
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #8 on: March 13, 2007, 10:33:45 am »
In my own experience... animals... give "Unconditional Love"... more so than their Human counterparts...

Offline ACinKC

  • Member
  • Posts: 2,994
  • Bring it VIRUS! #2 Ranked In-crowd Member!
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #9 on: March 13, 2007, 10:36:11 am »
Anthropomorphism is never a good idea. A pet does not love you. It stays because you feed it. Love is the sole preserve of humans.

MtD

In all fairness matty...the rabbits LOVE the way people admire me when I wear them, I can just tell.  If you look real close at the left side you can almost see the jacket "smiling"....




edited cause i found a better pic.
« Last Edit: March 13, 2007, 10:40:45 am by ACinKC »
LIFE is not a race to the grave with the intention of arriving safely
in a pretty and well-preserved body, but, rather to skid in broadside,
thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming--WOW! WHAT A
RIDE!!!

Offline Ihavehope

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,366
  • Yes, I'm a cry baby, AND WHAT?
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #10 on: March 13, 2007, 10:42:43 am »
of course pets love.
Infected: April 2005
12/6/06 - Diagnosed HIV positive
12/19/06 - CD4 = 240  22% VL = 26,300
1/4/07 - CD4 = 200 16% VL = ?
2/9/07 = Started Kaletra/Truvada
3/13/07 = CD4 = 386 22% VL ?

Offline Buckmark

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,643
  • Would you like to tie me up with your ties, Ty?
    • Henry's Home Page
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #11 on: March 13, 2007, 10:48:05 am »
Fargo, my German Shorthair Pointer / Red Heeler mix, displays a wide range of emotions.  She is happy when playing frisbee or fetch -- or rolling around on cow patties in the back pasture :( .  She is jealous when I pay attention to other dogs.  She gets angry at the vacuum cleaner and lawn mower.  She is very loyal protective of me and the house.  She lays next to me when I am upset.  She is contrite (sucks up) when she's done something she knows she shouldn't.  And she gets excited and happy when I come home from work every day.  Now if I could just find a man who would get that excited when I come home from work.   :D

Cheers,

Henry
"Life in Lubbock, Texas, taught me two things:
     One is that God loves you and you're going to burn in hell.
     The other is that sex is the most awful, filthy thing on earth and you should save it for someone you love."
- Butch Hancock, Musician, The Flatlanders

Offline Maestro

  • Member
  • Posts: 225
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #12 on: March 13, 2007, 10:58:14 am »
Aren't humans really just advanced animals?  I mean we are in the animal kingdom...we have very similar embryological development...so why would we be the only ones with emotions?  Matty, I see your post about humans being the only ones with love...That implies that humans are 'special' or different from other types of animals...Doesn't seem like a very atheistic p.o.v. to me...

I know my dog plays catch and chase with me and my son and food is not involved in any of those activities...

Offline Buckmark

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,643
  • Would you like to tie me up with your ties, Ty?
    • Henry's Home Page
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #13 on: March 13, 2007, 11:13:22 am »
I think Maestro has hit the nail on the head:  humans are animals too.  Whether we are advanced or not is often debatable.

Here is a picture of my dog Fargo:



[attachment deleted by admin]
"Life in Lubbock, Texas, taught me two things:
     One is that God loves you and you're going to burn in hell.
     The other is that sex is the most awful, filthy thing on earth and you should save it for someone you love."
- Butch Hancock, Musician, The Flatlanders

Offline David_CA

  • Member
  • Posts: 3,246
  • Joined: March 2006
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #14 on: March 13, 2007, 01:16:28 pm »
I know our cats love... and hate and dislike.  They hate it when we go out of town camping or wherever, although we have friends come by a couple times per day.  They love us, especially when we get back in town, and one, in particular, dislikes all other cats, but loves (human)females and tolerates men (we think she's a lesbian). 

My ex-next door neighbors had a Spaniel that absolutely hated me and this one other guy, but loved everybody else.  She'd snap at me, growl, etc.  One day, she became my best friend and I couldn't get her out of my lap without her whining.  So, yes, they can love, but can also be as fickle and hateful as humans.

David
Black Friday 03-03-2006
03-23-06 CD4 359 @27.4% VL 75,938
06-01-06 CD4 462 @24.3% VL > 100,000
08-15-06 CD4 388 @22.8% VL >  "
10-21-06 CD4 285 @21.9% VL >  "
  Atripla started 12-01-2006
01-08-07 CD4 429 @26.8% VL 1872!
05-08-07 CD4 478 @28.1% VL 740
08-03-07 CD4 509 @31.8% VL 370
11-06-07 CD4 570 @30.0% VL 140
02-21-08 CD4 648 @32.4% VL 600
05-19-08 CD4 695 @33.1% VL < 48 undetectable!
08-21-08 CD4 725 @34.5%
11-11-08 CD4 672 @39.5%
02-11-09 CD4 773 @36.8%
05-11-09 CD4 615 @36.2%
08-19-09 CD4 770 @38.5%
11-19-09 CD4 944 @33.7%
02-17-10 CD4 678 @39.9%  
06-03-10 CD4 768 @34.9%
09-21-10 CD4 685 @40.3%
01-10-11 CD4 908 @36.3%
05-23-11 CD4 846 @36.8% VL 80
02-13-12 CD4 911 @41.4% VL<20
You must be the change you want to see in the world.  Mahatma Gandhi

Offline curmudgeonly

  • Member
  • Posts: 50
  • Pet the pussy
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #15 on: March 13, 2007, 03:30:13 pm »
I think love is an instinctual response for many animals although Matty might define human love as more complex.  Having watched several dogs and one cat give birth and tend to babies I think the inherent desire to care for offspring is love of some kind.  My dogs have emotions like happiness, sadness, embarrassment, etc. and as I am the alpha animal they demonstrate love to me as well as to each other.  When I leave town a couple of dogs won't eat for 1 or 2 days and their obvious pleasure when I return seems to demonstrate a preference for me over other humans.  Just as a small child is happy and comforted to be re-united with mom or dad my dogs are comfortable when I return.

Human emotions may be more finely developed but sometimes I wonder if that is more a hindrance to loving others.  So many humans, including me, have very rigidly defined preferences in many areas, ranging from basics like food and clothing (some people buy designer labels) to religious/political/ethical/etc. to music/art/drama/film/etc. to who they are attracted to physically as well as non-sexually.  Humans also seem to be the only animals that screw each other over by taking advantage of emotions or worse.  If a lion attacks a gazelle it's because it's hungry (or may be young, in training), not because the gazelle has $25 in its pocket. 
Life is full of pain, I'm cruisin' through my brain
And I fill my nose with snow and go Rimbaud,
Go Rimbaud, go Rimbaud,
And go Johnny go, and do the watusi, oh do the watusi

Offline puertorico2006

  • Member
  • Posts: 957
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #16 on: March 13, 2007, 03:51:41 pm »
my dog loves me :-D and i love my dog

[attachment deleted by admin]
Infected Probably: may 2005
Diagnosed: 11/2006

11/28/2006 CD4:309 / VL: 1907 No meds yet
12/27/2006 CD4:339/  VL:1649 No meds yet
  4/28/2007 CD4:550/  VL:1800 No meds :-)

Offline thunter34

  • Member
  • Posts: 7,374
  • His name is Carl.
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #17 on: March 13, 2007, 04:09:48 pm »
When I think back on my old dog, Colonel, I can't figure out how exactly to think of his behaviors in terms other than "emotions".  Like guilt.  I could always tell if he had gotten into the trash or chewed up a shoe or something just by the look on his face when I came through the door.  I watched him display things like fear (of cats) and happiness in play with me or other dogs in the park.  So why not love?  Of course, the word on here a few weeks ago was that humans didn't have souls or experience love either- just some bio-chemical responses of some sort.  I guess I'm a simpleton, but those concepts seemed to break things down further than I cared for.  Maybe concepts like souls and emotions are incorrect.  I don't know, but if they are only romantic notions, they're romantic notions that make life a lot more liveable for me.  So even if I'm fooling myself, I'm gonna hold onto my ideology and give myself a soul and emotions.

And my little dog, too.
AIDS isn't for sissies.

Offline Matty the Damned

  • Member
  • Posts: 12,277
  • Antipodean in every sense of the word
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #18 on: March 13, 2007, 05:30:44 pm »
Ah, that's right. Pets are gay children, aren't they?


Whilst this little mince down memory lane is all very heartening none of it proves that one's companion animal's pack instinct equals love.

Matty, I see your post about humans being the only ones with love...That implies that humans are 'special' or different from other types of animals...Doesn't seem like a very atheistic p.o.v. to me...

Nice wiki-try Maestro but no squeaky chew-toy banana for you, my love. ;) The difference between humans and other animals is quite marked. There are a number of characteristics beholden only to humans. My support of such a position does nothing to contradict my fierce atheism.

MtD

Offline Maestro

  • Member
  • Posts: 225
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #19 on: March 13, 2007, 06:04:18 pm »
The difference between humans and other animals is quite marked. There are a number of characteristics beholden only to humans.

MtD

Really?  Like what?

There may be DEGREES of differences...like intelligence, tool using, reasoning...but the basics are there in most higher mammals...and even some squid!

Offline ndrew

  • Member
  • Posts: 695
  • ....-.-.-.-.-.....
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #20 on: March 13, 2007, 07:48:56 pm »
In all fairness I really asked two different questions, do other species love in the subject line and do pets have feelings in the poll.  This may be confusing.  I think it would be easier to say pets have feelings and emotions than love? 

I know my cat is feeling good when he is purring and licking/cleaning my hair (I have given in, it makes him happy and its the only place that does not hurt as he has a tongue like a scouring pad.)  I would be careful about generalizing a lot of human behavior to other species, however I would also be cautious in thinking we are completely special mammals.

I love seeing pictures of folks little friends, it's sweet.  Matty, you don't have any children?

drew

Offline Matty the Damned

  • Member
  • Posts: 12,277
  • Antipodean in every sense of the word
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #21 on: March 13, 2007, 07:55:33 pm »
Matty, you don't have any children?

Presently he does not. Matty the Damned's dog (a most obnoxious jack russell/fox terrier cross) died in 2003 at the age of 15. The fucker had vastly overstayed his welcome. The damn thing received a better standard of health care than most Americans.

As a child raised in the country I had many pets, including horses and a mouse which met an unfortunate demise under a guitar case.

MtD

Offline Jeff64

  • Member
  • Posts: 256
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #22 on: March 13, 2007, 08:31:37 pm »
" LaFaunduh"
That is a great DragQueen name for a dog!!!

My Lorenzo dreams every night...it is so cute how he runs in bed with the weird barks.

Jeff

Offline cjc

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,011
  • Sweet Girl
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #23 on: March 13, 2007, 09:53:27 pm »
I know for a fact that some animals love us. Some  just hang around for the food but some really love us. You can tell..I had a cat that would give me kisses and when I was pregnant with my son, he never left my side whenever I was home.  Cristy

Offline mjmel

  • Member
  • Posts: 2,069
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #24 on: March 14, 2007, 05:04:17 am »
ndrew: Sorry if I didn't stay true to your initial post/poll/question. Got sidetracked.
matty.the.damneds' posting was so cold that I reacted to it instead of your own post.
« Last Edit: March 14, 2007, 05:13:32 am by mjmel »

Offline dtwpuck

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,013
  • дано мне тело, что мне делать с ним?
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #25 on: March 14, 2007, 06:41:59 am »
" LaFaunduh"
That is a great DragQueen name for a dog!!!

She's a cat.  Named after the pretty black girl from Detroit in Napoleon Dynamite.  She's a pretty black girl. 
Floating through the void in the caress of two giant pink lobsters named Esmerelda and Keith.

Offline racingmind

  • Member
  • Posts: 236
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #26 on: March 14, 2007, 11:34:03 am »
My Lab is the prettiest, smartest, and most affectionate doggy in the whole wide world :P
Tested Negative: 5/06
Tested Positive: 9/06 
9/06: CD4: 442 (28%) VL: +100,000
10/06: CD4: 323 (25%) VL: 243,440
11/06: CD4: 405 (28%) VL: 124,324
12/06: CD4: 450 (29%) VL: 114,600
1/07: CD4: 440 (27%) VL: 75,286
3/07: CD4: 459 (30%) VL: 44,860
5/07: CD4: 353 (24%) VL: 50,852
7/07: CD4: 437 (29%) VL: 39,475
9/07: CD4: 237 (32%) VL: 372,774
10/07: CD4: 324 (27%) VL: 115,454 
Started Atripla: 10/07
11/07: CD4: 524 (?%) VL: Undetectable!
2/08: CD4: 653 (35%) VL: undetectable
5/08: CD4: 822 (40%) VL: undetectable
8/08: CD4: 626 (35%) VL: undetectable
12/08: CD4: 619 (36%) VL: undetectable
3/09: CD4: 802 (38%) VL: undetectable
7/09: CD4: 1027 (43%) VL: not tested
10/09: CD4: 1045 (43%) VL: undetectable

Offline Coffeechick88

  • Member
  • Posts: 431
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #27 on: March 14, 2007, 12:37:41 pm »
Dogs really do feel love.  I still remember when my grandpa died, their dog Molly would still look for him each day and wait for him by the door.  My dad, being mean, said "Daddy's home!" and she became very excited and wagged her tail, waiting for him to come through the door.  She really grieved his death. 

Cats, on the other hand, aren't really as loving.  They have a whole different personality.  I think they feel they are doing you a favor by treating you to their existence.  And you really don't often hear about cats that save owners from burning buildings or whatever.  The cats my grandparents had really couldn't care less after he died.  My cats are loving and really weird little animals, but if they found someone else to feed them, I really doubt they would even remember me.  I do love their purrs though, but I have to do some wall repair (who knew a cat would climb walls??) and my female cat Manolo gets into everything--she climbs into the dishwasher and lays down when I am loading or unloading dishes, she climbs into the refrigerator, the cabinets, and likes to be in high places.  She used to be very clingy until I got another cat to keep her company.
Lucas James is here
Born 6-14-08 at 1233 am
8 lbs 14 oz, 22 in long

Offline fred40

  • Member
  • Posts: 15
  • Strength in numbers
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #28 on: March 14, 2007, 12:49:03 pm »
I have dog and I have no doubts that he loves.  When I ask him if he loves me he jumps on my chest and rubs his neck against my face.  This might sound weird to some, but I love it and I love him.  My little buddy.
FJD

Offline milker

  • Member
  • Posts: 4,034
  • Protected phone sex
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #29 on: March 14, 2007, 12:50:04 pm »
fred40, if you ask me, i'll jump on your chest and rub my neck against your face too.
mid-dec: stupid ass
mid-jan: seroconversion
mid-feb: poz
mar 07: cd4 432 (35%) vl 54000
may 07: cd4 399 (28%) vl 27760
jul 07: cd4 403 (26%) vl 99241
oct 07: cd4 353 (24%) vl 29993
jan 08: cd4 332 (26%) vl 33308
mar 08: cd4 392 (23%) vl 75548
jun 08: cd4 325 (27%) vl 45880
oct 08: cd4 197 (20%) vl 154000 <== aids diagnosis
nov 2 08 start Atripla
nov 30 08: cd4 478 (23%) vl 1880 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
feb 19 09: cd4 398 (24%) vl 430 getting there!
apr 23 09: cd4 604 (29%) vl 50 woohoo :D :D
jul 30 09: cd4 512 (29%) vl undetectable :D :D
may 27 10: cd4 655 (32%) vl undetectable :D :D

Now accepting applications from blowjob ninjas™

Offline fred40

  • Member
  • Posts: 15
  • Strength in numbers
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #30 on: March 14, 2007, 12:59:58 pm »
Thanks milker!  I don't know.  My dog gets jealous when I get attention from somebody else.  He's only a 4 pound Toy Yorkie, but he thinks he's a Pit Bull.
FJD

Offline shepsmom

  • Member
  • Posts: 38
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #31 on: March 14, 2007, 02:07:46 pm »
Absolutely! I think dogs have feelings. I have an example as "proof". My husband passed away 4 months ago. He died in bed. Our german shepherd stayed by his side all night until I realized he was gone. For the next two weeks she got up each morning and started to "cry". She whined and moaned each morning for about an hour. The crying tapered off after that. During that two weeks she moped around the house and didn't try to greet anyone that came to the house (very unusual). She just layed around and stared off into space. Whenever I cry she tries to comfort me either with distraction by getting a toy for me or licking my face or "stealing" something that doesn't belong to her and running off so I will chase her. German shepherds are the greatest dogs on the planet IMHO.

Offline megasept

  • Member
  • Posts: 478
  • Steven here...
Re: Nonhumans...Of course they love?
« Reply #32 on: March 14, 2007, 02:27:42 pm »
Anthropomorphism is never a good idea. A pet does not love you. It stays because you feed it. Love is the sole preserve of humans.

MtD

Like toolmaking (a growing list); communication (depends how we define language); grieving at funeral sites (elephants). Oops! Lotsa species do this stuff.

Anthropomorphism is dressing your dog in cute outfits or an old Disney animal "documentary" that was more Donna Reed than animal studies.

Infantilism is a nice product of that, hence all the Teddy Bears on Haryleys "biking for the cure" to this or that disease.

As for opportunism, advanced species like us are potent mix of the former (don't kid ourselves into believing we are above that...and a sense of justice or solidarity----community).

Lot's of the animals on my plate have feelings, though I have hard time worrying about the salmon vs. say the veal (yeah, beef is kind of semi-intelligent). I draw the line at horse, monkey,
etc, unless I had nothing else to eat.

I used to have a turtle who came to me (no food provided) when called, and they're damn stupid creatures.

I once watched one male street dog bring another male food! Easy to understand why the ailing one loved back, but what motivated the gift (these critters were skinny; no McDonalds in site). Think on that!

You know Matty, we may dislike the same cultural manifestations (don't get me started on "angels"), but our species has little exclusive claims to fame. Let's not get caught up in 19th century Manifest Destiny mindset (even Marxism shows traces); full conquest stuff.

We are dominant. We are deluded. We are complicated. We are poor stewards or our planet.

I am not being tenderhearted, because Nature is damn cruel, but trying to use my human intelligence to figure out our relationship to other animals. I don't need to belong to an exclusive club to be special. If I wasn't an atheist I'd use the word divinity to describe the connectivity around us.

By the way, my parrot prefers my company to his favorite foods anytime he thinks I am trying to divert his attention (bribe) away from my pending departure from the room. That may not disprove what you way, but it sure points in a more nuanced direction, right? He's not half as smart as the various rats I owned years ago. A smart rat (or horse) is smarter than a dumb human any day.

That's my take, and I am "anti-cute!"  8)  -megasept
« Last Edit: March 14, 2007, 02:32:59 pm by megasept »

Offline curmudgeonly

  • Member
  • Posts: 50
  • Pet the pussy
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #33 on: March 14, 2007, 03:22:13 pm »
Dogs really do feel love. 

Yes, they do.  Sometimes they are cloyingly annoying but I love them.

Quote
Cats, on the other hand, aren't really as loving.  They have a whole different personality.  I think they feel they are doing you a favor by treating you to their existence. 

In reality each cat is, as even the Egyptians knew, the closest entity to a god on earth.  It is our job to make their lives as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.  People who don't know this fact and act on it are wasting their lives.  I read it in The Book of the Dead

Quote
And you really don't often hear about cats that save owners from burning buildings or whatever. 

Six years ago an elderly friend was awakened about 3 AM by his very agitated 15 year old cat.  Richard smelled the smoke and saved the lives of the other people in his apartment building as well as most pets but, unfortunately, the saviour died in the fire.   She had a good life and several people will always remember they are still breathing due to her.
Life is full of pain, I'm cruisin' through my brain
And I fill my nose with snow and go Rimbaud,
Go Rimbaud, go Rimbaud,
And go Johnny go, and do the watusi, oh do the watusi

Offline ndrew

  • Member
  • Posts: 695
  • ....-.-.-.-.-.....
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #34 on: March 14, 2007, 03:31:38 pm »
I just remembered this cute documentary about the wild parrots in San Fran...

http://www.wildparrotsfilm.com

Here's the trailer...

http://www.wildparrotsfilm.com/TPOTH_Trailer.mov

and Jane Goodall, wasn't she one of the first people to see other species using tools?

http://www.janegoodall.org

For the most part, it seems like we have been focussed on domesticated animals, which have co-evolved with us and have been selectively bred to an extreme degree for particular characteristics.  One could imagine expressing human-like emotional qualities would be one.

Drew


Offline curmudgeonly

  • Member
  • Posts: 50
  • Pet the pussy
Re: Nonhumans...Of course they love?
« Reply #35 on: March 14, 2007, 03:42:40 pm »
Quote from: matty.the.damned
Anthropomorphism is never a good idea. A pet does not love you. It stays because you feed it. Love is the sole preserve of humans.

MtD

Like toolmaking (a growing list); communication (depends how we define language); grieving at funeral sites (elephants). Oops! Lotsa species do this stuff.

I wasn't going to address this since I've only posted a few messages and don't want anyone to know how argumentative I am, uh, think I'm a troublemaker.

Except for opposable thumbs humans have no claim to uniqueness as a species.  Every bird's song, every dog's bark, every cricket's chirp is communication humans will never comprehend.  Even some ants use tools.  Written language may be unique to humans but we don't know definitely.  Many animals demonstrate active imaginations and problem-solving skills when presented with an obstacle to gaining a desired object.  People create "art/music/literature" but again we don't know other creatures well enough to claim these traits as solely human.   Maybe every time a male dog pees on a vertical surface it's olfactory performance art.  I know my dogs love to get a good sniff and add their own marks to the work-in-progress, and they are quite prolific in creating art on almost every tree, bush, and utility pole we pass while walking..
« Last Edit: March 14, 2007, 03:46:44 pm by curmudgeonly »
Life is full of pain, I'm cruisin' through my brain
And I fill my nose with snow and go Rimbaud,
Go Rimbaud, go Rimbaud,
And go Johnny go, and do the watusi, oh do the watusi

Offline ACinKC

  • Member
  • Posts: 2,994
  • Bring it VIRUS! #2 Ranked In-crowd Member!
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #36 on: March 14, 2007, 03:45:09 pm »
This thread is erie.  Very pet cemetery.  I'll keep my opinion to myself.
LIFE is not a race to the grave with the intention of arriving safely
in a pretty and well-preserved body, but, rather to skid in broadside,
thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming--WOW! WHAT A
RIDE!!!

Offline Optimistic

  • Member
  • Posts: 326
  • An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctors Away!
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #37 on: March 14, 2007, 05:30:04 pm »
My Dogs love....whenever my dogs (male and female) get together with another dog...one of them would get jealous when the other is paying more attention to other dog. Thus, jealously is a form of live. So, I would have to say Yes on this one, nonhumans love.

Justin
12/06 (Atripla): cd4 - 260; cd% - 33%; vl - 169
1/07 (Atripla): cd4 - 267; cd% - 38.1%; vl - 132
4/07 (Atripla): cd4 - 373; cd% - 33.9%; vl - <50
7/07 (Atripla); cd4 - 287; cd% - 35.8%; vl - <50
9/07 (Atripla); cd4 - 356; cd% - 39.5%; vl - <50
12/07 (Atripla); cd4 - 517

Offline bimazek

  • Member
  • Posts: 781
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #38 on: March 14, 2007, 08:35:18 pm »

life is short, perhaps more so ours, so

LOVE A HUMAN   LOVE A HUMAN   LOVE A HUMAN   LOVE A HUMAN   LOVE A HUMAN   LOVE A HUMAN   LOVE A HUMAN   LOVE A HUMAN   LOVE A HUMAN   LOVE A HUMAN   LOVE A HUMAN   LOVE A HUMAN   LOVE A HUMAN   LOVE A HUMAN   LOVE A HUMAN   LOVE A HUMAN   LOVE A HUMAN   LOVE A HUMAN   

i know they are super hard to love because they are not subservient and obiedient and completely dependent for food and life itself on you like a dog

but

if you are only on the planet a short time

why go for only the ghost of love, the shadow of love, the subservient  obiedient and completely dependent behaviour of a helpless animal that thinks you are the alpha dog and so it must be instictually completely responsive to you (from fear of being distroyed by alpha dog)

yes it is fun because they do infinately different things in same situation so they keep your mind occupied
a trance but

in paris in revolution, great siege, all the dogs and cats were eaten butchered and sold for food, you would eat your animal happily if you were hungry

is that love?

as far as dreaming.. yes they may have dreams of chacing bird but that does not make them human
or capable of love

even a child of 7 or 9 or 11 years old is COMPLETELY INCAPABLE OF LOVE
real love,

they say i love you mommy but what they are really saying is... are you still there to take care of me (same with most boyfriends when they say it) ... are you still there to love me, are you still there to provide my food, needs

the proof is , if both parents are in car accident... killed gone ...   a child of 7 or 9 or 11 years old ... is going to in a few weeks or a time, get over it and say that they love the new care taker... the new care taker  -- (yes there will be pain and scar, but they cannot equaly love)

that is why it is more painful to loose love as a 45 year old than as a 22 year old

a 35 yr old begins to be mature have have love

love is a smoke that is attached to an action

there is not love only proof of love

love is a smoke that is attached to an action ... doing an act, sacrifice... etc

i can say all this but for me it is so tough to deal with human beings...

love is like a flowering of your soul, if you get enough food water, exercise, stay in same routine, eventually for a short time you flower like a tree or plant, then you are able to love and another person who is flowering will be open to it

the mistake people make is to try to force or find love  ... love is not outside to find, or find right person

it is about cultivating soul your own and growing and then flowering...

it is only created as a by product of tending the fire of life

keeping all the good things going and all bad out

sometimes smoke comes from fire, sometimes no smoke, same thing your lover does angers you or you feel love to them

it is inside you

so many suffering caused by unknowing about love

drugs, alcohol, meanness, greed, etc, 7 dead sins, stop this... love

love is a smoke that is attached to an action  .. taking care of all aspects of life, food, water, basics...

then

but a cat or dog... jump out of your sleep jump out of your sleep jump out of your sleep try to love a human

i know it is very very hard,

not just mom dad sis,

life is so so short

zen says

be alive now
love a human
eat a non human
be happy

animals can sacrifice for us, like if we eat them or they are used for medical research and we can love them for that sacrifice...

i think pets can give a hint of love, a echo but not the real thing, they can help soften a person to be able to love

i dont know

just some thoughts

yes of course for us, being ill, they are great and give comfort and fantastic support and the feeling of love
that can be healing and good

but is it real

and if life is short isnt real love and a human love worth it

"Anthropomorphism is never a good idea. A pet does not love you. It stays because you feed it. Love is the sole preserve of humans."  i agree with this guy

Offline aupointillimite

  • Member
  • Posts: 3,233
  • FUS DO RAH!
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #39 on: March 14, 2007, 09:45:55 pm »
It's rather strange that while we argue over the hows and potential whys of animals having emotions... does it occur to you to ask where your human emotions come from?

Do we love each other because of some sort of altruistic impulse, or do we merely desire the companionship (and maybe food if you end up with a good cook)?  Is it merely our primate pack instinct and genetic need for sociability that drives us to seek each other out?  And if it is, does that make our feelings for each other any less valid or meaningful?

That said, I really don't care why my cat hisses and swipes at my evil ex only after we break up, or why he nuzzles me in the mornings... just like why I don't really care why someone likes me... it's just pleasant when they do.
Your tastebuds can't repel flavor of this magnitude!

Offline Matty the Damned

  • Member
  • Posts: 12,277
  • Antipodean in every sense of the word
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #40 on: March 14, 2007, 11:12:37 pm »
Koreans eat 1.5 million dogs each year.

MtD

Offline aupointillimite

  • Member
  • Posts: 3,233
  • FUS DO RAH!
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #41 on: March 14, 2007, 11:13:25 pm »
Koreans eat 1.5 million dogs each year.

MtD

They taste of chicken.
Your tastebuds can't repel flavor of this magnitude!

Offline Matty the Damned

  • Member
  • Posts: 12,277
  • Antipodean in every sense of the word
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #42 on: March 14, 2007, 11:40:03 pm »
They taste of chicken.


So they do.

MtD

Offline Bucko

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,947
  • You need a shine, missy!
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #43 on: March 14, 2007, 11:43:02 pm »
Glad to hear, because cats taste NOTHING like rabbit.

Brent
(Who, sadly, knows this to be true)
Blessed with brains, talent and gorgeous tits.

Blathering on AIDSmeds since 2005, provocative from birth

Offline Oceanbeach

  • Member
  • Posts: 3,564
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #44 on: March 15, 2007, 12:01:16 am »
I would like to think they do... I got a puppy shortly after being released from the hospital w/ PCP and an AIDS diagnosis.  This one had been abused, starved and for all intents and purposes filled a void in my life.  That puppy started sitting by my desk when on the computer trying to begin working again.  There is the same puppy (as an old dog) still sitting here as we speak.

I used to travel 13 hours each way to medical care and on the first trip, I left the puppy at a boarding kennel.  I was staying at BF's apartment when in L.A. and he had two cats.  Our pets never hit it off.  I got home and to the boarding kennel a day early and waited 12 hours for a human person who was supposed to be feeding and caring for other peoples animals.  They did show up after midnight and the lady started screaming about calling the police because I was sitting in my car in her driveway.  When her husband showed up, he retrived my dog who took 1 leap through my open car window and was more than ready to go home.  I have never left the dog in a kennel again and he has traveled thousands of miles.  Have the best day
Michael

Offline pozinbama

  • Member
  • Posts: 74
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #45 on: March 15, 2007, 12:30:29 am »
I have 2 cats and 4 dogs (1 old english sheepdog, 2 yorkies, and 1 chihuahua). They are my friends and I couldn't imagine being without their love.

Offline ndrew

  • Member
  • Posts: 695
  • ....-.-.-.-.-.....
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #46 on: March 15, 2007, 01:15:58 am »
That said, I really don't care why my cat hisses and swipes at my evil ex only after we break up, or why he nuzzles me in the mornings... just like why I don't really care why someone likes me... it's just pleasant when they do.

I agree, it is all quite mildly pleasing.

Offline Maestro

  • Member
  • Posts: 225
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #47 on: March 15, 2007, 09:01:38 am »
Koreans eat 1.5 million dogs each year.

MtD

Reminds me of one of my favorite scenes from Pulp Fiction when they are eating breakfast towards the end of the movie:

Jules: Pigs are filthy animals. I don't eat filthy animals.
Vincent: Bacon tastes gooood. Pork chops taste gooood.
Jules: Hey, sewer rat may taste like pumpkin pie, but I'd never know 'cause I wouldn't eat the filthy motherfucker. Pigs sleep and root in shit. That's a filthy animal. I ain't eat nothin' that ain't got enough sense enough to disregard its own faeces.
Vincent: How about a dog? Dogs eats its own feces.
Jules: I don't eat dog either.
Vincent: Yeah, but do you consider a dog to be a filthy animal?
Jules: I wouldn't go so far as to call a dog filthy but they're definitely dirty. But, a dog's got personality. Personality goes a long way.
Vincent: Ah, so by that rationale, if a pig had a better personality, he would cease to be a filthy animal. Is that true?
Jules: Well we'd have to be talkin' about one charmin' motherfuckin' pig. I mean he'd have to be ten times more charmin' than that Arnold on Green Acres, you know what I'm sayin'?

Offline ACinKC

  • Member
  • Posts: 2,994
  • Bring it VIRUS! #2 Ranked In-crowd Member!
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #48 on: March 15, 2007, 10:19:23 am »
Great quote Maestro!

And matty.  FUNNY AS HELL.  Where do you get this shit.  I thought I was good at finding pictures but you my friend are in a different league.

I bow to you oh exalted leader of all things funny!

your humble servant in laughter,
Andrew
LIFE is not a race to the grave with the intention of arriving safely
in a pretty and well-preserved body, but, rather to skid in broadside,
thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming--WOW! WHAT A
RIDE!!!

Offline Ihavehope

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,366
  • Yes, I'm a cry baby, AND WHAT?
Re: Nonhumans... Do they love?
« Reply #49 on: March 15, 2007, 02:16:03 pm »
Irresistable ..
Infected: April 2005
12/6/06 - Diagnosed HIV positive
12/19/06 - CD4 = 240  22% VL = 26,300
1/4/07 - CD4 = 200 16% VL = ?
2/9/07 = Started Kaletra/Truvada
3/13/07 = CD4 = 386 22% VL ?

 


Terms of Membership for these forums
 

© 2024 Smart + Strong. All Rights Reserved.   terms of use and your privacy
Smart + Strong® is a registered trademark of CDM Publishing, LLC.