How Does Your Pet Say “I Love You”?

On our blog “If They Could Talk,” part of our goal is to help interpret what your dogs and cats are trying to tell you. When it comes to affection, however, your pet is already speaking to you in a language anyone can easily understand. By learning to read your pet’s signals, you can always tell just how much they love you!

Licking: There’s a reason we call our pet’s licks “kisses.” As the blog Miniature Pawsexplains, though there are lots of reasons that dogs lick; one of the reasons is to show that they love you. This type of licking, which often occurs while you are greeting your pet, can easily be compared to human kissing as it has an affectionate meaning behind it.

Upright Tail Wagging: A swish of a dog’s tail is often the first thing people notice when their dog is happy. The Daily Puppy warns that not all tail wagging means your dog is pleased; a low swing of the tail can often indicate uncertainty or fear. If your dog’s tail is wagging quickly and in an upright position, however, you can be sure that they are happy to see you.

Barking and Jumping:Just like humans, excited pets are prone to jumping around and making a lot of noise. Barking, leaping at you, and even nipping are ways that your pooch expresses their affection and excitement to see you. This indicates that your pet sees you as a friend, and is how they would play with other dogs. There is a fine line between affectionate and dominant behavior when it comes to barking and jumping, however, so make sure you only encourage it when your dog is calm and obedient. For tips on controlling barking, read our recent post on recognizing why your dog barks.

Rolling Over: A dog that offers you their belly for a good scratch is completely comfortable around you. Displaying this kind of security is a sign from your dog that they are happy to be with you!

Trying to get your attention: Dogs and cats do this by pressing against you and calling out to you. You know the way they act: a cat will weave between your legs; a dog will press its head into your lap. These pets love you and want to be with you. They will often follow you around, not wanting to let you out of their sight for even a moment!

Smiling! We are often surprised to find our pets with an expression on their face that looks a lot like a human grin. It turns out this twitch of the face might be an intentional smile. Miniature Paws references a McGill University neuroscientist named Jeffrey Mogil, who said that animals feel many of the same emotions as we do and use the muscles in their face to show it. If you think your dog or cat looks like they’re smiling at you, you might be right to assume they are shooting you a smirk. It means that your pet is happy, filled with love and ready for a perfect photo!

What other things does YOUR dog or cat do to show you their love?

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I’m Not a Cat Person or a Dog Person, I'm an Animal Person! What about you?

For as long as I can remember, I have been drawn to animals.  If asked when that love began, I would be hard-pressed to come up with an answer.

 

Could it have begun with my childhood Boxer named Brandy, on whose jowls I would tug mercilessly while giggling like a Hyena as she patiently watched me with her saucer-like eyes in adoration?

Or was it the hours I spent in front of the TV watching Lassie save any number of animals from the perils of “the well”, only to come leaping through Timmy’s window at the end of the day, her “work” complete?

I can’t tell you where it began, but what I can tell you is that I LOVE ANIMALS. I swoon over animals the way many people coo and fuss over a rosy-cheeked, talcum scented human bundle being wheeled in a baby carriage. But what kind of animal person am I? 

When asked if I am a cat person or a dog person, I would have to reply that I have qualities of both. I possess qualities of other animals that make me an ANIMAL person, not specific to one kind of animal!

I remember a Teddy Bear Hamster that I had in college named “Cooch.” I loved that hamster with the same kind of love that I have for my cat and my dog. It was no different.  Cooch was a living, breathing creature that gave me hours of pleasure just watching him go about his daily hamster routine. The pain I felt when he left for the vast Hamster Heaven in the sky hurt the same as it would if any of my other pets were to leave me.

The stereotype of “cat person” and “dog person” has grown to reference personality traits as well as animal preference. When asked if my personality is more cat-like or dog-like, I would say neither!  I have traits that are “animal-like”, and if you think long and hard enough, I am sure that you do too.

I have the:

·       Appetite of a horse

·       Ability to swim like a dolphin

·       The stubbornness of a mule

·       The industriousness of a squirrel

·       The exuberance of a dog with a new bone

·       The grin of a Cheshire Cat

·       The clumsiness of a bear

·       The talkativeness of a parrot

·       The humor and laugh of a chimpanzee!

There is nothing more that I love than:

·       Being greeted by my dog as if I have been gone for a year, (when in fact, I was only gone for five minutes)

·       The velvety feel of my cat’s fur beneath my fingertips

·       The love and sense of acceptance I feel when I have them both in my arms

·       Feeling my cat’s feather-light whiskers brush my cheek

·       Wiping dog slobber from my face after an exuberant licking fest

This week is PET APPRECIATION WEEK, it saddens me to think that we devote just one week to this important event. To me, PET APPRECIATION WEEK should be EVERY WEEK! Our pets ask for so little and give us so much.

All they want is:

·       Love

·       Security

·       Someone to play with

·       Food to eat

·       Comfy places to sleep

·       A safe home

·       Someone to care about their mental and physical health

What they give us in return is unconditional love.

Let’s not define ourselves as cat people or dog people. Let’s all be ANIMAL PEOPLE! I don’t care if you have a ferret, a python, a turtle or a rabbit; a creature has wiggled, galloped, flew, hopped or swam its way into your heart. You are loved and needed by those beautiful creatures that are in your care. They ask for so little, but they give so much.  Let’s lose the “Cat People” and “Dog People” labels and be ANIMAL PEOPLE!

We are pleased to have Caren Gittleman as a guest writer for If They Could Talk. Caren is a Professional Pet Blogger/Freelance Writer. She and her cat, Cody, write Cat Chat With Caren & Cody http://opcatchat.blogspot.com She also writes Dakota’s Den with her Shetland Sheepdog, Dakota http://www.dakotasden.wordpress.com.

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