Your doggie is no dummy
By Anita Manning
USA Today
To anyone who loves a pet, the idea that animals experience emotions is as plain as a wagging tail.
But until recently, says veterinarian Allen Schoen, most scientists, even many veterinarians, just didn't get it.
"Not so long ago, when I would discuss emotions in animals at professional gatherings, the scientists around me would become very quiet or mumble softly to themselves as they ... moved to the other side of the hall," says Schoen in his new book, "Kindred Spirits: How the Remarkable Bond Between Humans & Animals Can Change the Way We Live" (Broadway Books, $23.95).
Not anymore. Now scientists are finding chemical and genetic similarities between animals and humans that show there's a lot of common biology among all creatures. Chemical connections that occur in humans in response to emotions such as fear, joy, sadness and love also exist in animals, Schoen says. Recent evidence from brain imaging technology has found that activity that occurs in parts of the human brain during various states of emotion also occurs in the brains of animals in similar emotional states. Scientists at MIT even reported in January that they found brain wave patterns in sleeping lab rats that suggest they dream.
"As far as I am concerned," Schoen writes, "this proves that not only do animals have the same emotional responses as humans, but that they have a full range of feelings."
The moral implications are profound, he says: "It's time to acknowledge that there are these deeper connections between all of life."
Once that is understood, he says, it follows that humans have a moral and spiritual obligation to take care of Earth.
"This awareness makes it more critical that we preserve green spaces to be with our animal friends," Schoen says. "It's in our genes to be with other beings. If we wipe out our green spaces, it's going to take a terrible toll on us as compassionate beings."
He lives that philosophy through his work. A veterinarian for 23 years, Schoen blends standard Western medical practices with alternative treatments, including acupuncture, massage therapy, natural medications and Chinese herbs.
Schoen speaks in the patter of the new age, uttering such sentences as "Co-species healing is the key to our soul survival," and "Animals open the door to our heart-space." Yet he comes to his philosophy from a background firmly rooted in mainstream academics, having been educated at the University of Illinois, where he earned a master's degree in animal behavior and neurophysiology, then at Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine.
Formal education notwithstanding, Schoen says one of the most important and powerful teachers in his life was Megan, a very special golden retriever.
A stray, Megan found her way to Schoen just in time. She was hungry and sick, infected with heartworm. Schoen helped her to recover, and the two bonded as kindred souls. Megan accompanied him on his veterinary rounds and soon displayed an uncanny, even spooky ability to empathize with other species.
Megan became his medical assistant. He describes, in his book, one cold night when they were called to a farm where Jesse, a cow, was having trouble delivering her calf.
"When she sees Jesse starting to strain once again, she approaches carefully, as though to make sure that the cow, who has met her many times before, recognizes her and accepts her presence. Once Megan feels she has a clear signal, she starts licking Jesse's face. The contact seems to have both a calming and a revitalizing effect on the struggling animal."
Even during her last days, when she was dying of cancer, Megan seemed to know how to care for herself. She would go to a nearby spring and soak her tumorous leg in mud, a time-honored way to reduce inflammation. When it was time for Schoen to put her out of her misery, Megan lifted her paw so he could inject the needle.
Schoen struggles to understand how Megan developed such insight and sensitivity. "When they're in our presence, animals develop consciously to a different level," he says. "If they're out in the wild, they're just a dog. But when they're with us, they study us, mimic our behavior patterns. Megan, by watching me all the time, started developing herself. ... And there's part I can't explain. I think as she watched me take care of other animals, she started doing that in her own way. That, combined with her maternal instincts, being a golden retriever ... "
He trails off, unable to fully explain the unexplainable.
What he does know, though, is that his current dog pal, Shanti, is cut from a different cloth:
"I did a brain scan on him, and the only thing in there was a tennis ball. Shanti teaches me to lighten up."
Connecting with your pet
To enhance the spiritual connection between human and beast, Allan Schoen prescribes ways to foster "kindred connections," starting with "co-species meditation," sitting quietly with your pet, or as Schoen refers to them, your "animal companion." It combines the stress-reducing benefits of meditation with the health-enhancing effects of companion animals.
Other suggestions:
- Think like an animal: Try to think in pictures, rather than in language, and "think how you might experience the world with those images in your mind."
- See the world through their eyes: Get down on the floor and look around. When walking the dog, watch to see what catches his attention and try to see what he's seeing.
Animals provide a soothing balm to nerves frazzled by workday stress or the latest news, he says. "Our animal friends are even more beneficial in down times. If you are depressed about the (stock) market, go for a walk with your dog, play or cuddle with your cat — and realize their teachings. Be in the moment. Laugh, love and enjoy your kindred spirits ... they love you no matter what!"
