Pets are generally loyal to their owners. They are assumed to have unconditional loyalty especially dogs. However, I have discovered that this can be qualified if my recent observations are anything to go by. My uncle has an old dog which he acquired as a puppy. When his son started his own family, the dog shifted allegiance and no longer goes to his compound preferring to remain in his son's compound. He bought a puppy and I can vouch that it can do the same given a chance since it has accompanied me home and stayed there for some time. I think it has something to do with marking territory or if not, my uncle handles them in a contrarian way. I have also seen cases of puppies deserting their owner to live with a new host completely oblivious of the facts and gets well adjusted including barking and the like. This is particularly so if the dog is treated fairly compared to its former abode. Have you observed this phenomenon?
My mom lives out in the country and for decades, stray cats or dropped off cats have found their way to her door. Wherever they came from, they likely never returned there because most of our pet cats came to us in such a way. To this day, stray cats still wander in to my mom and dad's home, where they get fed and get taken care of in ways that apparently they had never enjoyed before. So, yes, I firmly believe that some animals choose their own home, and their own people.
I've seen pet shop animals do the same type of selecting, ignoring some people who walk into the store, and going out of their minds with joy over others, hoping those people would take them home with them. Whether it depends on how that person smells, or what they look like, or how they act, I don't know, but animals do seem to have a sort of sense about people and are quite often correct.
Animals are usually opportunist and will seek what is best for them, though I do believe cats and dogs chose their 'owners' differently. I've had tons of pets and in my house it was always easy to figure out who the pet's favorite was. Dogs hugest desire isn't to be loved, they want pack and seek an alpha-like person. My mom bought my sister and me a dog named Blondie. My sister would pet her and kind of play with her. I would to, but I was the one who would spend time teacher her how to shake, sit down, and other tricks. If she had a choice between my sister or me, I could commander her to my side. It wasn't because I spent more time with her, Blondie liked obeying. While I was living in a small country town full of farmers, I notices that dogs stick close to the one they respect the most. My neighbor who lived across from me had a dog who was the sweetest guard dog I've ever met. The girls took that dog everywhere but it was their dad that was alpha and who the dog liked the most, despite the bags of treats from the girls. On the other hand, my other neighbor had a Pomeranian. Husband treated like a toy that never minds, and the daughters casually played with it. But the wife was the dog's alpha and knew if it did something she didn't like, she wouldn't get treats. So I've seen dogs chose who they respect over nice treats, at least for long term relationships.
Cats though are pragmatic. I always felt they were the accountants of the animal world. They mentally keep track and tabs on how much food, treats, water, toys, belly rubs, and other specials you give them to sway who is the favorite. You have to court a cat into liking you if it already has a favorite person. If you cross some boundary, and it's different for every cat, they'll snub you promptly. I have to say that despite all the cats I've had, all of them were my mom's cats. I think part of this has to do with the fact that giving them a bath was my job. Nothing will ensure that you will get glared out from behind a couch or table like a soapy bath and a new flea collar. I was always in the red with my cats.
I think that there is probably some good truth in what Cat Cuddler is saying about animals respecting the alpha person in their home/pack. My little Chipperseems to do this as well.
I have had Chipper since he was a small puppy, and he is SO totally MY dog. He slept bedise me, and when I am in my recliner, he has alittle bed right beside it; so he is either in my lap, or beside me in his bed. Now that he is getting older, he has a harder time getting into the chair and usually prefers his soft little bed.
Now, here is where this gets interesting.......
When it is time to get ready for bed, we let the dogs out for one last trip around the yard to do the necessary bathroom chores before going to bed. Chipper will be sleepingin his little bed beside my chair, and does NOT want to have to wake up and go outside.
When I call him, or even try to pick him up, he will start this little muttering and low growling because he doen't want to get up and go outside. He will not budge out of his bed, no matter what I say to him.
However, when he won't get up, then my husband will command Chipper to get up, in his big deep voice, and Chipper will then get out of his bed and go outside like he is supposed to do.
So, even though Chipper loves me best, he still recognises the voice of authority when my husband speaks to him, and that is who he minds the best.
When our housemaid left us for a job abroad, our pug looked lonely and seemed to have lost its appetite although he eats when cajoled or when hand fed. That housemaid had treated our pug like a son so maybe their closeness is what has caused our dog's loneliness. When our housemaid was still here, we noticed that the pug would always be by her side. When we arrive home, our 2 other dogs would go gaga over our arrival but the pug was not that avid. Obviously, we are just friends to that pug and not its master for his master is our housemaid. But that was 2 years ago and now our pug seemed to have his loyalty back to us.
I was given two little puppies for my birthday. Two beautiful toy poodles. My cat Nikki came to us herself, we could not find her master and decided that she would live with us. Of my two dogs, Chakka loves me the most, but Mathilda loves my husband more.
(11-03-2017, 12:05 AM)Samilly Wrote: I was given two little puppies for my birthday. Two beautiful toy poodles. My cat Nikki came to us herself, we could not find her master and decided that she would live with us. Of my two dogs, Chakka loves me the most, but Mathilda loves my husband more.
