Whatâs less well known is that dog heaven is also cat hell.
Of COURSE many animals have emotions. And as pack animals, dogs have an emotional range that is somewhat similar to oursâŚReally animals give is a an interesting mirror to the emotional and non-rational parts of our own existence.
Also, that lobsters can be happy, that ferns get anxious, and that certain mosses, under certain circumstances, display an ever-so-subtle condescending sneer.
God damn it you guysâŚ
Shit like this is why I use drugs to block my feelings.
Who is peeling onions in my office?!?
How did this dog die? It seems very rare for a dog to just die in itâs sleep with no known condition or warning.
Iâve seen it happen. The condition, though, was known (a tumor near her spine).
Or old dog passed in that manner - overnight while she was sleeping. It was harsh to wake up and find her like that. I hope it was peaceful for her though.
There was one species on Terra that lived in very close symbiosis with the domesticated primates. This was a variety of domesticated canines called dogs.Schrodinger's Cat Trilogy -- R.A.W.The dogs had learned to achieve a rough simulation of guilt and remorse and worry and other domesticated primate characteristics.
The domesticated primates had learned how to achieve simulations of loyalty and dignity and cheerfulness and other canine characteristics.
The primates claimed that they loved the dogs as much as the dogs loved them. Still, the primates kept the best food for themselves. The dogs noticed this, you can be sure, but they loved the primates so much that they forgave them.
That seems a little harsh on poor cats âŚ
Maybe the cats in dog heaven are supernatural beings, sort of cat-but-not cat houris? Or dog heaven is only cat purgatory and after being a doggie chew toy for a while theyâve done enough penance to be raised to glory? 
The mystery is why anyone would think that animals donât have emotions. Thatâs a far more outlandish supposition than âdogs have feelings.â Avoiding excessive anthropomorphism is one thing, but assuming that animals are unthinking soulless biological automatons is some medieval nonsense theology.
Yeah, totally crying here. I am pretty worried about how our puppy is going to react when our old and near death dog finally dies. You canât really prepare the puppy like you can prepare the kids though.
Medieval nonsense theology or behaviorist nonsense psychology, take your pick.
[quote=âRHD, post:14, topic:51035â]I am pretty worried about how our puppy is going to react when our old and near death dog finally dies. You canât really prepare the puppy like you can prepare the kids though.
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Depending on how it goes down, it might not be too much of an issue. When one of our three dogs was ill and near death, we took her to the vet and put her to sleep. The other two dogs were aware of her absence, but she had been absent before (during a previous surgery) so they mostly didnât react too much when we came home without her.
A few weeks later, I think one of the two dogs realized that the third was still absent, went around the house urgently looking for her, and tried very hard to âsignalâ to me that something was wrong. I may be reading too much into it, but it really seemed like she was in a panic because the third dog was missing. It was a sentiment that quickly passed, though.
That always drives me nuts as well. The mere suggestion that animals have emotions isnât any more âanthropomorphizingâ than suggesting they have eyeballs, hipbones or gonads. Why would humans be so close in morphology/DNA to so many other creatures, yet have completely and utterly alien inner lives?
My cat laid with my dog for hours when he was close to death the night before we put him down. My cat slept in my dogâs bed for a few weeks after the dog passed away. He had never slept in his bed before.
Because GOD GAVE US DOMINION OVER ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL!
And all that rot, which still guides so much (and such unfortunately powerful) Republican thought and action today.
I like to think that mine, who was a shivery little rescue, will die happily warm and ensconced in soft fluffy blankets when his time comes.
Sometimes not only do they break our hearts, they understand more than we give them credit for.
