Loyalty of Dogs: The Ultimate Manifestation

Stories of dogs rescuing their owners from danger not minding that they are also putting themselves at risk never fail to break hearts and gain sympathy from people, especially animal lovers. 

Even a man with a heart as hard as an iron would melt at the stories of dogs braving the fire, flood, landslide and earthquake, among others, to save their owners. The extent of dog’s loyalty has never been quantified. At this point, man can only describe the loyalty of dogs as ‘unique’ to its owners and to its kind.

In 2006, an English Cocker Spaniel, then only five-month old, saved her owner from dying in a violent car accident by calling rescuers. The dog was Honey. She and her owner Michael Bosch in an SUV fell and rolled upside down into a ravine unnoticed. Bosch, pinning all his hopes to Honey, helped honey get out to find help, which she sure did. Later, rescuers declared that Bosch could have died if had not been for Honey. Honey was awarded the 2006 Dog of the Year.

In 2004, a golden retriever named Brutis fought a coral snake that was slithering close to child. He sustained deadly bites from the snake. His heroism did not go unrewarded. He was awarded the National Hero Dog award in the same year.

Isn’t it interesting to know where dogs learn the act and values of selflessness for the sake of man? For a dog lover, somehow there is pride at the thought that dogs never fail to live up to their repute as a man’s best friend. 

Yet loyalty of dogs do not only exist to the hand that feeds them. There are also countless of stories about dog’s loyalty to their kind. 

A video posted in the internet sometime in 2008 showed a dog who helped and rescue a friend dog. The hero dog braved the speeding vehicles to get to a friend dog that was just hit by a car. The hero dog then dragged his friend at the side road to avoid being hit further. 

There are also stories of dogs whose loyalty go even beyond death. Almost in different parts of the worlds, you will hear stories about dogs that chose to stay beside the grave of their loved ones instead of moving on. They undergo grief, too. Who knows how much grief they are going through after the loss? 

 There are dogs who continue to wait for their owners who died in an accident outside, not knowing that their beloved owners would never come back. Who knows until when they are going to wait?

The ‘unique’ loyalty of dogs is not what these creatures set them apart from other animals. Some said that they are loyal because they depend on their owners for everything. Pet owners disagree. The affection that dogs develop to their owners seems unbreakable for something founded on material things.  A dog’s love is unconditional. Its loyalty knows no boundaries. 

This love and connection leads dogs that were separated from their owners back home. Remember Cash, a German Shepherd from Colorado? In 2008, Cash found his dead owner who went missing for months. He stayed by his owner’s side for weeks without food and drinks in the plains of Colorado only to protect the cadaver from coyotes.

Cat Intelligence: Understanding How the Capacity of your Feline

Most pet owners love boasting about how clever and intelligent their pets are. Dog and cat lovers alike even seem to delight in never ending debates as to which pet is ‘smarter’. And while most dog owners argue that their pet dogs have distinct abilities of doing tricks, feline lovers often counter such claims saying their cats are most of the time too intelligent and smart to perform on command. However, both dogs and cats are smart in their own rights. Like smart dogs, cat intelligence is also something that felines can learn as they grow. 

So are cats really intelligent? Just like humans and other animals, cats have different levels of intelligence. Some cats are bright while others are just ordinary. Anybody who lives in a household full of felines can attest to that fact. Intelligent cats often display their smartness by showing keen interest in the things around them, attempting different strategies especially when an effort to reach a goal is crucial, learning from their various experiences, or communicating with their humans and other pets at home. 

Cat Curiosity.

The classic adage “curiosity killed the cat’’ often begs the question why a particular animal that lacks intelligence is still willing to risk his own life in order to learn something out of an unfamiliar situation or object that rings his curiosity. Why, purely out of instinct, do some animals like cats show a strong sense of interest on things that do not necessarily have any direct deportment on his survival? In essence, the behavior is actually very human. Most people in fact have risked their own lives just to satisfy their curiosity. Just like human children, cat intelligence begins with kittens. The baby felines, when exposed and provided with an interesting and stimulating environment from the time they are born, are more likely to development sharp abilities. When handled and played regularly, these kittens are expected to grow up smart than those raised in a surrounding with less sensory stimulation. 

Experience and Practice.

Have you noticed at some point in time that your cats may seem unable to learn? This is actually a common issue among pet cat owners. However, this happens when a particular subject matter does not catch their interest. Studies show that cats actually learn from experience especially when they a situation information relevant. Meaning, the most interesting a situation is, the more likely your pet felines develop cat intelligence. Additionally, cats have very strong sense of memory. They can easily remember useful information like the sound of their humans or the animals they have interacted with. 

Communication.

Another impressive trait is their ability to communicate. Although only a few cats are vocal, all cats generally communicate. Communication may include cheerfully greeting their owners once they arrive from work, or seeking for food by trying to express anxiety about the issue. 

Navigational Skills.

Cats have very remarkable sense of direction. In fact, cats can easily find their way back home even from long distances. Their superb navigation skills is believed to come from two things: their being sensitive to the magnetic fields of the Earth (although this is only a hypothesis after it was discovered that when a magnet is attached to a cat, their sense of navigation is disrupted), and by using the sun’s angle for navigation. 

Understanding cat intelligence will give a better and deeper relationship between pet owners and their felines. Cats are indeed truly rewarding and enjoyable pets at home. With their intelligence, having a pet feline at home is one thing pet owners should be proud of.