How the dog-human bond can help us understand our shared sentience and create a kinder world for all animals

By Esme Wheeler , dog welfare expert

Whoever said that attention was the deepest form of love surely lived with a dog.

I am constantly amazed by the seemingly endless reservoir of a dog's capacity to extend love and more often than not, in the case of my own dogs, to a complete stranger. Loyalty issues aside, dogs are profoundly loving creatures.?

We share a unique relationship with dogs, having co-evolved over some 40,000 years. It is not an exaggeration to say that they domesticated us - in aiding our transition from hunter gatherer to agricultural based societies- as much as we domesticated them. The dog human bond is unlike any other; dogs are unbeaten in their ability to read human emotions (a blessing and a curse I would argue). They develop deep attachment bonds towards their humans in the same way that babies do with their caregivers and, perhaps most endearingly of all, when dogs and their humans mutually gaze at one another both experience a huge increase in oxytocin- the love hormone- so, yes, your dog really does love you!?

Dogs are great teachers too. Given that they live much more in the moment than we do they are masters of presence. This makes them fully immersed in the experience of being alive. I have really come to appreciate what a gift this is simply by deepening my attention to what happens when we are together. Walking with the dog can become an interestingly meditative experience. Swimming in the sea is something else entirely when shared with the dog. And despite the restrictions, cost and huge investment in time, they are the only family members that I never tire of being around. Dogs are a lot of fun, they approach life with a charming admixture of curiosity and playfulness. I can’t help but think that the world would be a much more harmonious place if we did the same!

I would suggest that the most valuable insight from our connection with dogs exists as it provides a gateway to experiencing and exploring the sentience that we both share.

If you spend any amount of time with a dog you will quickly realise that they are living, thinking, feeling and emotional beings, in other words they are sentient. But this sentience is not exclusive only to dogs and humans, it is rather, shared amongst many different species. However, I think it is fair to say that our relationships with other species of animals can be complex, exploitative, frustrating and plagued by paradoxes. This is not intended as judgement or criticism, it is difficult for us to behave consistently towards non-human animals when we have been taught and conditioned to act in opposition.?

Whilst we still have a long way to go, even with our companion animals - who are still on many levels seen as less than- there has been a noticeable shift in our relationship with dogs, from hierarchy, domination and mastery to cooperation, collaboration and compassion.

I believe this provides us both with a roadmap for reevaluating our relationship with other species of animals, recognising the shared field of sentience and being and perhaps most significantly of all, offering a degree of hope for creating a kinder world for all animals.?