1. Could Canines be Mankind's Salvation?
By Chris P. Janelli, Executive Director, Center for Canine Behavior Studies
March 9, 2015
Whether you fall into the 10,000 years or 30,000 years camp of how
long the human-canine relationship has existed, there is near
universal agreement that the man-dog relationship is the most
unique in the animal kingdom. It is quite possibly the most
symbiotically beneficial one and in certain circumstances, perhaps
even more beneficial than the human-to-human relationship. The
brilliant scientist Stephen Hawking might even agree based upon his
recent discourse on the human failing that “now threatens to destroy
us all.”
As Dr. Nicholas Dodman, Chief Scientific Officer at the Center for
Canine Behavior Studies, says repeatedly, whether it’s the bond
between humans, or between humans and their companion dogs, the
strength or weakness of the bond comes down to one thing, behavior. Sadly, because the bond between
man and dog is behavior based, it is unacceptable behavior to the owner that is # 1 killer of dogs under
the age of 3 years old.
The question, however, remains—if, according to Hawking, mankind’s own failings now threaten to
destroy us all, how much of a companion dog’s misbehavior that leads to relinquishment and possible
euthanasia is due to its human owner?
The Dodman & Serpell Animal Ownership Interaction Study at The Simon Foundation – Center for
Canine Behavior Studies will investigate that question and more. Any dog owner in the world is invited
to volunteer to participate in this groundbreaking Study by registering at the Center.
The bond between canines and mankind is so strong and intertwined that domesticated dogs, which are
all descendants of a common wolf ancestor, have evolved dietetically to be able to
assimilate the primary food staples of mankind worldwide—grains (carbohydrates and starches). A
research article entitled “The genomic signature of dog domestication reveals adaptation to a starch-rich diet”
was published in Nature Magazine on this subject.
While the dogs’ behaviors and characteristics were naturally evolving to support mankind’s survival
endeavors—from migratory hunter-gatherers to sedentary agricultural societies, inter-species
communication—both verbal and non-verbal—was also developing. Human manipulation of canines for
specific “pure” breed characteristics, behaviors and conformation is a relatively recent human endeavor.
Important as mankind’s influence has been on canine development, the dogs have always been ahead of
us humans in understanding us, versus us understanding them.
Most people do not recognize the level of communication—both vocal and sensed—between humans
and dogs. Human and dog brains share common “voice” regions within the brain, which allow dogs like
humans to understand subtleties in human voice tones that express our emotional state. We also share
“similar brain mechanisms to process social information. This may support the successfulness of vocal
communication between the two species.”
Research has also shown that canines and human share many of the same emotional experiences. For
example, while jealousy is assumed to be unique to humans “because of the complex cognitions often
involved in this emotion,” dogs exhibit it as well. Dogs coming out of war zones can also exhibit PTSD
despite the fact that veterinary medicine doesn’t yet fully recognize PTSD in animals and many animal
2. behaviorists still question it as well. However, there is near universal agreement that “animals can suffer
lingering after-effects of trauma.” Research has also proven that dogs can not only identify an
individual as being a liar, but more fascinating is that they won’t transfer that realization about one
human being to another new human they meet.
Researchers today are investigating not only the amazing cognitive abilities of dogs, but are delving
deeper into the realm of the health and wellness benefits for humans that come from a human-canine
relationship. There is a growing body of clinical and empirical evidence of the beneficial effects of the
relationship between dogs (and other pets) and their humans.
From sniffing out diseases like cancer or detecting in a human’s sweat or breath from a faraway distance
rising cortisol levels due to increasing stress, dogs can do amazing feats that make Superman look like
an earthling wimp.
While much of the emerging canine (companion pet) health research is being qualified with statements
such as, “strong specific” or “sound scientific evidence to support these effects is still lacking,” what is
undeniable is that dogs are delivering very specific health and preventive wellness benefits to humans.
Research is proving that dogs (and other pets) are providing social support that reduces stress, lowers
blood pressure, lessens anxiety, mitigates loneliness, reduces the sense of isolation, and much more. I
almost wrote unprecedented social support, but as amazing as this emerging research is and will
continue to be, the fact is that it’s been going on for thousands of years even if we humans haven’t
recognized it for what it is.
A recent article in the Journal of the British Veterinary Association entitled Animal-assisted
interventions: making better use of the human-animal bond enumerates a lot of the “still lacking
evidence” research that enumerates the enormous benefits dogs can have on a child’s emotional and
societal development. It should surprise no one that the words dog and cat are among the earliest and
most frequently used words in the budding vocabulary of infants.
Emerging evidence from interactions by children with dogs has lead to one hypothesis that “the human-
animal bond is instrumental in shaping a child's emotional development.” This evidence, even if “strong
specific evidence is still lacking,” is indicating a “positive influence on child development in terms of
task accomplishment and responsibility,” “help[ing] to build a child's self-esteem, which is essential for
social competence and academic achievement,” fostering “better social encounters,” being “more
popular with their peers,” “reducing negative human emotions and increasing positive emotions” and
helping develop “more positive attitudes towards school and learning,” and most importantly,
developing exactly what Stephen Hawking says the world needs more of to survive.
Another hypothesis is that companion animals fulfill a basic biological need in human beings, which is
based on the biophilia hypothesis introduced and popularized in 1984 by the renowned Edward O.
Wilson regarded as the “father of sociobiology and biodiversity.” The biophilia hypothesis “is
predicated on the assumption that people have adapted to attend to and have empathy with human and
non-human life in their environment.”
So what exactly did Stephen Hawking have to say about the threat to humanity and what it needs to
survive?
Hawking said, “The human failing I would most like to correct is aggression. It may have had survival
advantage in caveman days, to get more food, territory or a partner with whom to reproduce, but now it
threatens to destroy us all.” According to Hawking, the solution to aggression and more of what the
world needs is EMPATHY.
So if connecting children and dogs can help develop empathy, wouldn’t it be great if every home in
America with children had at least one dog?
![behaviorists still question it as well. However, there is near universal agreement that “animals can suffer
lingering after-effects of trauma.” Research has also proven that dogs can not only identify an
individual as being a liar, but more fascinating is that they won’t transfer that realization about one
human being to another new human they meet.
Researchers today are investigating not only the amazing cognitive abilities of dogs, but are delving
deeper into the realm of the health and wellness benefits for humans that come from a human-canine
relationship. There is a growing body of clinical and empirical evidence of the beneficial effects of the
relationship between dogs (and other pets) and their humans.
From sniffing out diseases like cancer or detecting in a human’s sweat or breath from a faraway distance
rising cortisol levels due to increasing stress, dogs can do amazing feats that make Superman look like
an earthling wimp.
While much of the emerging canine (companion pet) health research is being qualified with statements
such as, “strong specific” or “sound scientific evidence to support these effects is still lacking,” what is
undeniable is that dogs are delivering very specific health and preventive wellness benefits to humans.
Research is proving that dogs (and other pets) are providing social support that reduces stress, lowers
blood pressure, lessens anxiety, mitigates loneliness, reduces the sense of isolation, and much more. I
almost wrote unprecedented social support, but as amazing as this emerging research is and will
continue to be, the fact is that it’s been going on for thousands of years even if we humans haven’t
recognized it for what it is.
A recent article in the Journal of the British Veterinary Association entitled Animal-assisted
interventions: making better use of the human-animal bond enumerates a lot of the “still lacking
evidence” research that enumerates the enormous benefits dogs can have on a child’s emotional and
societal development. It should surprise no one that the words dog and cat are among the earliest and
most frequently used words in the budding vocabulary of infants.
Emerging evidence from interactions by children with dogs has lead to one hypothesis that “the human-
animal bond is instrumental in shaping a child's emotional development.” This evidence, even if “strong
specific evidence is still lacking,” is indicating a “positive influence on child development in terms of
task accomplishment and responsibility,” “help[ing] to build a child's self-esteem, which is essential for
social competence and academic achievement,” fostering “better social encounters,” being “more
popular with their peers,” “reducing negative human emotions and increasing positive emotions” and
helping develop “more positive attitudes towards school and learning,” and most importantly,
developing exactly what Stephen Hawking says the world needs more of to survive.
Another hypothesis is that companion animals fulfill a basic biological need in human beings, which is
based on the biophilia hypothesis introduced and popularized in 1984 by the renowned Edward O.
Wilson regarded as the “father of sociobiology and biodiversity.” The biophilia hypothesis “is
predicated on the assumption that people have adapted to attend to and have empathy with human and
non-human life in their environment.”
So what exactly did Stephen Hawking have to say about the threat to humanity and what it needs to
survive?
Hawking said, “The human failing I would most like to correct is aggression. It may have had survival
advantage in caveman days, to get more food, territory or a partner with whom to reproduce, but now it
threatens to destroy us all.” According to Hawking, the solution to aggression and more of what the
world needs is EMPATHY.
So if connecting children and dogs can help develop empathy, wouldn’t it be great if every home in
America with children had at least one dog?](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)