This is not absurd: thinking of dogs as children is actually normal. Indeed, it is even natural. Clearly it is necessary to make the necessary distinctions and remember that the dog is an enchanting and complex creature, which has its own way of being, living and aging.
However, as we have often said, the virtue lies somewhere in between: for example, we talked about the absurd assumption that dogs should be treated like dogs and how dangerous it is. Equally absurd and the phrase dogs are not children.
Yes, because this is true and is underlined by four legs, fur, tail and soft ears, but the statement is formally empty and substantially dangerous. And no, it’s not a question of being a fanatic or anthropomorphizing dogs. but to know and respect its nature and the extraordinary relationship that dogs have with humans. Let’s see the details.
Index
- Attachment
- The chemical bases
- The fragility
Attachment
Dogs have lived with humans for millennia and their relationship with humans has become such that in many cases owners have replaced other dogs in the role of primary social partner: this is how we talk about attachment. In psychology, the attachment bond (which develops in children with parents) is described with four components:
- Stay close and resist separation from the attachment figure;
- Suffering involuntary separation from the attachment figure;
- Look for the attachment figure to have contact and reassurance in moments of worry (safe heaven);
- Using the attachment figure as a basis for anxiety-free exploration of the surrounding world (secure base effect).
Starting from this, let’s say that it has been scientifically proven, by several studies over several years, that:
- Dogs seek out their reference humans to deal with stress;
- The removal of the attachment figure generates behaviors that indicate separation stress;
- The presence of the human helps dogs to mitigate the effects of a stressful event (the safe-heaven);
- The presence of an attachment figure makes dogs more free to explore things they don’t know (safe base effect).
In other words, scientists have established that the attachment bond that forms between dog and owners is characterized by the four characteristics of the attachment bond that arises in the relationship between children and their caregivers.
So what has been shown is that dogs develop an attachment bond with humans comparable to that of children with their parents . Jozsef Topal and then others after him have established that “The relationship of a dog with his humans is analogous to that of child-parents.” The chemical basis
The bond between dog and owner also has chemical basis. A group of Japanese researchers found that when dogs look us in the eye they trigger a major rise in oxytocin levels. And, guess what
It is the same thing that happens when a mother looks at her baby (and when the baby returns his gaze).
From this interaction the bond between the mother and the newborn child develops and the same goes for dogs: exchanges with them arouse in both the same type of reaction that is observed between mothers and human children, so much so that Scientists agree that the bond of attachment between dogs and humans is comparable to that between parents and children , with dogs dependent on human care and their behavior stimulating human care and attention to them.
The peculiarity of dogs compared to children is that they remain small even when they grow up. For example the safe base effect offered by parents (owners) in humans is limited to infancy while in dogs it also remains as adults. Fragility
does not end there. When they are small, dogs cry like babies, they are delicate and fragile like babies, they need to be pampered, to feel safe, they need to grow up healthy and strong, they need to be looked after, to be supported, to be guided, to be educated, to be prepared for life, like children.
And unfortunately for them, many owners, intoxicated by the mantra, dogs are dogs , they are not children, they must be treated like dogs, they treat them inadequately and in many cases this lack translates into real abuse.
In conclusion. Dogs are children
No. They are like children
Yes. They make them so their nature, the bond they have with their owners, and the enormous responsibility that humans have towards them.
