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I know people often question if dogs and other animals show compassion. You see examples on the internet that shows they probably do. Zephyr raced over and stood by a lady that fell at the dog park being very gentle and staying with her until she was able to get up and he was sure she was ok. Up to that point he had been aloof with her.
Well almost 2 weeks ago I had a total knee replacement and came home the day after surgery, and this is Zephyr that first day and again a few days later. He would come and stand by me like this several times a day and is being very careful around me. I have taken him on leash out with me when I do my walks as part of PT and he has been so good not pulling, waiting when I ask and not trying to race me up and down the stairs that are outside. He acts almost like a trained service dog. Chaos walks nicely with me too but she has always been an excellent leash walker while Zephyr has tended to be a bit of a goof at times and races for steps ahead of me. Both dogs have been fantastic and I am glad I decided to just hire a dog walker for a few weeks and not board them during the early recovery days. I really feel they show compassion for me. Love my dogs!
Anyone else have examples of compassion from their dog(s) ?
Yes, I believe they do...I know they do. 25/30 years ago I was very sick with the flu and my Boston Terrier, Jamie, did not leave my side except to go potty. This was for 5 days.
My pet now is a 5 year old Frenchie...Harry is a retired show dog and has been with us for 3 years now. I was hesitant bringing any dog in as I have MS and I move very slowly. But considering the amount of training he'd had already and talking to his handler, he came to live with us. Harry is always at my side and moves at my pace...he's right in step with me.
Dashdog, you're right...it's like they're trained service dogs.
Absolutely! Some more than others, but I've had dogs react when I see on TV or read about something tragic and my mood changes. Sometimes they'll come over and paw me or whine.
I think they do and don't really care if someone dismisses that as projection or wishful thinking. All my dogs quickly picked up on sadness, worry, or distress and tried to comfort me when I was sick, healing, hurting, etc. We've all heard stories about dogs refusing to leave a sick or injured owner or mate. What may have started off as helping a partner for mutual benefit, contributing to the survival of a mate (that eventually produces their offspring to carry on their genes). It translates to loyalty which could encompass compassion.
Last edited by Parnassia; 07-24-2022 at 02:36 PM..
Aww, the concern Zephyr shows on his face in the first pic is so sweet. My late chi-terrier mix did a similar thing for me when I was healing after sinus surgery. He laid over my legs for hours because he could tell I was in considerable pain/discomfort.
Do dogs show compassion? I'm not sure any species is more compassionate than canines, possibly donkeys and mules. Definitely not humans, they seem to get less compassionate every year.
Hope you heal up well, you are are clearly in good hands(paws).
We had a dog who seemed to know that his neighbor dog was very sick and didn’t try to run around like they usually did. Another example was a dog he visited on walks had hurt his leg and our dog was gentler than usual. My husband has had several joint replacements and while recovering the dog never pulled on the leash during walks-he slowed down.
Call it compassion or intuition, I believe they understand much more than we realize.
Here is the other member of my home care team, Chaos. Today I was working on doing my State disability claim and this is how Chaos kept an eye on me. She looks like a sad neglected dog. Both dogs have been great thus far and I am so thankful for my pet sitter who is walking them for an hour each morning. I take them out and walk them to the mailbox in the afternoons and again before bed, just short walks as I am only 2 weeks post op now, but it will just continue to get better now.
Thanks for the stories as I love reading about other people's experiences with their dogs.
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