In our unpredictable world, we encounter numerous obstacles, but through it all, there are moments of exceptional elegance and heartening kindness that serve as reminders of the goodness that surrounds us. Witnessing shelter dogs, who have been rescued, lined up in anticipation of their meals with the help of devoted rescue teams, is a touching scene that never fails to move countless individuals.
Rescued from dire circumstances, these precious dogs embody both the resilience of animals and the unwavering dedication of those who tirelessly care for them. Their hopeful eyes speak volumes about the transformative power of compassion, as they gather to receive love, care, and a second chance at life. Shelters across the globe serve as a sanctuary for countless animals in need, offering food, shelter, and medical attention to those who have suffered from neglect, abuse, or abandonment. These shelters are a beacon of hope, thanks to the tireless efforts of rescue organizations and the selfless volunteers who work endlessly to ensure the well-being of these dogs. The scene of these dogs eagerly waiting for their meals is particularly moving, as their anticipation and wagging tails testify to the simple yet profound act of kindness that sustains them. Indeed, the commitment and compassion of rescue teams are nothing short of inspiring.
This particular situation is capable of arousing gratefulness and restoring faith in humanity. It serves as a reminder that although the world has its fair share of difficulties, there’s still space for empathy, kindness, and lending a hand to those who require it. The rescue dogs have found their salvation in the shelter, and the rescue team’s love and attention to them serve as a remarkable illustration of the positive influence that can be accomplished through united efforts and benevolence.
Observing the sight of dogs rescued from shelters eagerly waiting for their meals is not just uplifting, but it also serves as a poignant reminder of our collective responsibility towards all living beings. This heartening scene presents an opportunity to make a difference by supporting rescue organizations through volunteering or even considering adopting a shelter animal in need of a loving home. Ultimately, this heartwarming display highlights the undeniable connection between humans and animals and emphasizes the positive impact we can have on each other’s lives. The bond that is formed between shelter-rescued dogs and their caregivers is a testament to the extraordinary power of love and compassion. This beautiful scene continues to touch the hearts of many, inspiring them to become better, kinder, and more compassionate individuals in a world that desperately needs it.
Are playful dogs smarter? Study finds link between learning and romping
Canine eggheads enjoy playing with toys and retrieving objects.
“Gifted” dogs, who have a rare talent for learning lots of words for objects easily, also turn out to be more playful than other dogs, a new study finds.
Prior research in humans has shown a link between playfulness and problem-solving abilities, so animal behavior researchers from Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary, wondered if the same was true for rollicking pups.
What is a gifted dog? In the new study, it was Border collies who had proven in prior research that they were able to learn as many as 12 new words per week and then retain them for months.
To take a closer look at the possible association between giftedness and playfulness in dogs, Claudia Fugazza, a researcher in the university’s department of ethology (the study of animal behavior), and her colleagues asked the owners of 165 Border collies to fill out dog personality questionnaires. Twenty-one of the dogs were gifted and the other 114 were just randomly selected with no testing for word learning ability.
The surveys assessed the personality of the animals in five categories:
- Fearfulness, including fear of people, nonsocial fear, fear of dogs, fear of handling.
- Aggression toward people, including general aggression and aggression in certain situations.
- Activity/Excitability, including excitability, playfulness, active engagement and companionability.
- Responsiveness, such as trainability and controllability.
- Aggression toward animals, including aggression toward dogs, prey drive and dominance over other dogs.
For the evaluation of playfulness the owners were asked to rate their dogs in three areas:
- Dog gets bored in play quickly.
- Dog enjoys playing with toys.
- Dog retrieves objects, such as balls, toys and sticks.
The researchers focused solely on Border collies because earlier experiments found that the breed is more likely to be good at learning new words compared to others.
After collecting the survey responses, the researchers then compared the responses from owners of gifted dogs to those from the owners of dogs who had not been identified as gifted.
Playfulness was the only personality trait that was consistently different between the two groups.
It’s not clear from the study whether it’s the playfulness that helps the dogs learn more words, or whether the extra playful ones ended up with more opportunities to learn, said Fugazza, the study’s lead author, said in an email. That’s because gifted dogs tend to learn words for objects when their owners are playing with them.
Are playful dogs smarter?
Not exactly.
“Intelligence is the result of diverse cognitive traits that allow individuals to flexibly solve different types of problems,” Fugazza explained. “Giftedness refers to an extremely good capacity in the case of a specific skill.”
So, maybe gifted dogs are like people who score high on the verbal part of the SATs.
If your pup doesn’t learn words easily, it doesn’t mean it’s a dumb dog. Adam Boyko, an expert in canine genomics, reassures owners that canine intelligence is more than that.
“Both dogs and wolves are playful when they are puppies, but dogs really evolved to living in the human environment and to responding to social cues,” said Boyko, a specialist in the genetics of behavior and an associate professor at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. “It’s not surprising that the more playful ones exhibit better learning in the domain of learning human words. And it’s not surprising that Border collies, who are bred to respond to human cues, show the propensity to learn words more than other breeds.”
Other breeds of dogs might show intelligence in other ways, Boyko said. For example, wolves are very intelligent although they don’t typically pick up on human cues.
“But they can figure out how to escape,” said Boyko. “Where dogs would look for a person to help, wolves would see how humans did a latch and lock and then the wolves would do it themselves to get out.”
Boyko would like to take the study a step further and look at the genetics of the gifted dogs.
“This is a tantalizing correlation that might be meaningful if you are trying to build better service dogs,” he said.
One thing that can’t be determined from the study is whether the playfulness trait spurred owners to interact more with their dogs and thus teach them more words, said Dr. Nicholas Dodman, a professor emeritus at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, CEO and president of the Center for Canine Behavior Studies and the author of “Pets on the Couch: Neurotic Dogs, Compulsive Cats, Anxious Birds and the New Science of Animal Psychiatry.”
Dodman said the study is interesting but needs to be replicated in a larger number of dogs.
“I would also like to see it done in a different breed,” he said.
The new findings might help people who want to buy or adopt a puppy. It suggests that playfulness might be a good attribute to consider.
“The playful ones might be more likely to interact with a person, assimilate words more easily and be more intelligent,” said Dodman.
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