Figure 3 - uploaded by Marco Adda
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-A free-ranging Bali juvenile dog scavenging on daily offerings. (Sayan, Bali, 2015). Photo Marco Adda / AEDC Archive
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Humans' suffering often relates to other-than-human animals. It may be the case of professionals or volunteers experiencing compassion fatigue, local people witnessing the culling of dogs, the global community reacting to animals killed by hunters, or people suffering due to their unexpressed animality. Scenarios are numerous and the spectrum of hu...
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... they coexist, cooperate, or compete? Through fascinating and convincing reasoning, Pierce and Bekoff foresee that the dogs would entirely adapt to a world without humans and within three canine generations -less than 50 years ( Figure 3). A Dog's World is "a necessary book that, through a visionary horizon, a metaphor if you prefer, acknowledges many aspects of dogs often overlooked. ...
Citations
... Dogs mirror human emotions (Adda 2022, Bekoff 2022, and their behaviour reflects a broader family dynamic which requires attention. On the contrary, a healthy relationship happens when all the parts of a family system are emotionally stable and have a certain degree of deliberate choice. ...
Understanding dog and human interaction in all forms is essential to improve the relationship between the two species and further contribute to a fair process of mutual influence. That is fundamental for dog parents/caregivers/ guardians and professionals working with dogs and people at any level. Additionally, dog-human communication, behaviour and training may play a critical role in rediscussing human supremacy, for people follow dog behaviour and training models extensively and worldwide.
Countless studies on dog behaviour and cognition have unfolded excellent knowledge in recent decades. However, the psychophysical interface of dog-human interaction needs to be explored further. To investigate this aspect with a multidisciplinary approach, I gather elements from Theatre Anthropology, psychophysiology, cognitive neuroscience and bodymind practices. I introduce the theoretical frame of Canine Anthropology to focus on the psychophysicality of the human bodymind and its canine counterpart when some interactions between the two species occur. I describe the roles of the human “actor” and the canine “spectator” involved in complex events that generate meaning. A human's body position, action, and intention critically impact dog behaviour, and the dog-human interaction acquires a phenomenological significance. As spectators and mediators, dogs can affect human behaviour and flip their roles. They are the receivers and the reciprocators of human synaesthetic transmission. Thus, the dog-human interaction discloses itself as a psychophysical and embodied experience.
