The Hidden Inner World
I've always tried to imagine what animals think and feel when I'm with them. What common ground of experience do we have? Could we even comprehend their emotional existence? I think we can, especially dogs. Our last dog was a rescued Great Dane called Jess. A beautiful and gentle giant. It sounds funny to say, but she was a very respectful dog. She was incredibly gentle with children and older people, polite and reserved with visitors but unleashed her most outlandish behavior around us. Perhaps her best trait was that if you wanted a duvet day, she'd spend all day on the sofa watching TV with you. Truly dogs can be introverts too. Sometimes, I'd watch a nature documentary or rugby over something I wanted because those were her favorite things to watch. As adorable as it sounds, in reality, I think those excited her prey instinct, especially when tackles were made. But then again, do deeper primordial themes not underpin all that we find entertaining as well?
