Not to long ago my cat, Whittington, sat in front of the French door in my livingroom surveying his domain following a major snowfall. As he watched, a section of snow slid off the roof immediately above the door with a whump! He immediately leaped back in surprise, then for the briefest of instants looked at me. This didn’t surprise me because I’ve seen him and my dogs do it many times. Still, why do he and other felines and canines do it? My intuitive response is that my pets want to know my reaction to their reaction: Will
Read more →For many, the worldwide uncertainties of life highlighted by the attacks on New York City and Washington, DC have made their relationship with animals more important than ever. We hear news that frightens or saddens us beyond words in the company of other people and we feel obligated to summon those words anyhow, regardless how inadequate those words may be. If we’re lucky enough to find ourselves in the company of someone who shares our thoughts and feelings, we gain comfort from this communication. If not, if we must weigh each word lest we upset that person in some
Read more →After years of making excuses, I’m finally emerging from my semi-Luddite state in response to requests for a web site from clients, students, and friends. Add two sons with the necessary know-how and here I am, dragged middle-aged, kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Because both my upbringing and my veterinary education occurred at a time when self-promotion morally ranked only slightly above exposing one’s self in public (with self-promotion possibly ranking as the more offensive of the two), this site will focus on providing what I hope those who visit will consider quality educational, provocative, and entertaining
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A Twinkling Revisited
I think it’s safe to say that whenever an animal experiences an unexpected and dramatic event—such as snow sliding off the roof, the sudden appearance of a stranger, blare of the smoke detector, an owner’s angry voice—it initially responds fearfully. For years, scientists have acknowledged that frightened animals respond in one of three ways: freeze, fight, or flee. However, research by neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux suggests that this isn’t an either/or phenomenon. His work revealed that threatened animals initially freeze, then opt for another response if that doesn’t work. This raises the possibility that the freeze response might actually serve
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