Tips and Tricks in Helping You Communicate with Your Best Friend:
It is hard to recognize what we do not know; especially when we were not raised to understand it.
As people, we are raised to understand and communicate with other people, and we innately tend towards them as a result of that upbringing.
People are no different from animals in that respect. Animals, like humans, instinctively tend towards those that are similar. Unfortunately, due to these upbringings, we have limited our exposure to everything outside our realm, and it has lead to repercussions:
Our nurturing has blinded us from understanding other animals; even our pets. While this may seem irrelevant, it has lead to difficulties along the way. As people expand into new areas, many choose to adopt animals, since they have more available space. In addition, as living expansion have continued they have forced more and more interaction with animals they have never been exposed to. As this happens, animal and human contact zones overlap. Animals have no problem adapting to this change. Domesticated animals are used to human exposure, and are able to find a comfortable place for themselves within the designated area. Non-domesticated animals are also able to adapt to adapt as long as it has no effect on their availability, or convenience of food. People, on the other hand, react in dismay. They are used to their exposure of people, not animals, as they should be. It reflects their upbringing. But, unlike animals, they are not as responsive to change. Growing up in a wooded, suburban area I am comfortable with the additional exposure. Although through observation, I recognize that many are not. People are used to their space, and take pride in their privacy. Sharing their space with animals they neither don't understand, nor feel the need to understand, is not an easy task to overcome. In response to this, many leave their pets outside, considering them as "outdoor" animals. Others consider the exposure to be too much, and choose to abandon the animal, or give them to a shelter. When concerning non-domesticated animals, I've witnessed people chasing the animals, throwing stones at them, even odorizing their plants, all in an effort to prevent this excessive exposure. While these responses may seem like an appropriate answer to the problem at the time, they can only act as a temporary solution. The wild animals still come back at some point in search of food, and the pets you've chosen to abandon, can often wind up in residential areas, scavenging out of hunger. Even the shelters are limited in their carrying capacity, and will often have to euthanize the animal as a result. So where does it all end? In order to answer this question, I think it is equally important to consider how we get to this point in the first place?
I truly believe that it all relates back to our lack of exposure, and ultimately our lack of understanding. Making the effort to expose ourselves more to species outside our own realm, is an easy first step towards furthering our understanding of one another. If that means letting a group of deer pass through your yard unannounced, or simply fitting in more time with your pet; every piece of exposure strengthens our communication among one another. Too often we assume we know what animals intentions are; domesticated or not. Too often we misunderstand. We assume a dog barking means he is angry, or upset, when that it not always the case. Observing and attempting to become more receptive is meaningful in the eyes of the animal; domesticated or non-domesticated alike. I have found that often times if you are patient enough, the animal is able to communicate with you in ways you never bothered to notice. Ultimately, the more we are able to foster these characteristics, the more we should be able to overcome this lack of understanding and dismay. Because abandonment and flagrant harm are often a result of this lack of understanding, the more we are able to overcome this mis-communication, the more it should essentially lower that outcome of abandonment and harm. The transition towards respect and camaraderie is a universal task though. What you as an individual may understand, is of only limited use to you. The more people are willing to discuss and share their own knowledge, the more universal and effective advancement of people and animals will become.
In an effort to further this movement of overcoming abandonment and advance our understanding, I have generated a blog which offers people the opportunity to post their knowledge and experiences they have discovered along the way. It is through the cumulative knowledge of many that will ultimately further our understanding. The more we know, the less common abandonment and flagrant harm should occur!
The effort of understanding can go a long way with a many inquisitive minds. Post a tip, or trick that has helped you in becoming one step closer to understand a specific animal, or just animals in general. The help of one, can soon become the help of many,
So Post Your Thoughts in Support of Animal Assertion/Respect!
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