Essay 3

Stephanie Cruz

Jessica Hutchman

LANG 120

2 October 2012

Research Paper

            Emotions, physical connections, and the support of both play a huge role in the well-

being of an abandoned animal. When being protected in a shelter, animals become more

defensive towards other animals, or the people who intend to help them. Through the use of

 distraction, rehabilitation, and constant attention, the animals can become more stable in their

previously poisoned environment. Not only will the animal become more affectionate, but they

may increase their chances of being adopted through systems such as temporary adoption. The

behavior of the animal may change so drastically that they are a desirable companion, and

therefore the issue of feeling insecure with the world around them dissipates.  In result of these

varied outcomes, there is a direct inference that humans are psychologically influential in

animals’ lives and can be the driving force in contributing to the health of many more animals.

            Humans are oftentimes seen as being the superior race simply because of the ability to

communicate in complex way and are more inclined to think before they act. A gap between the

communication of animals and humans can be filled due to the fact that they are similar

in the way that their brain functions and how they reciprocate emotions. In the article “What

Tashi Taught Me: “Petagogy” And The Education Of Emotions” by Seonaigh MacPherson, he

analyzes the research of Panskepp and writes:

Panksepp (1998, 2005) uses neurological data from animals and humans to posit seven “core emotional

 

feelings” that constitute a shared primary affective consciousness. Four of the seven derive from the

 

deepest layer of the forebrain, the basal ganglia, a region of the brain common to all vertebrates: seeking

 

(desire), fear, rage (anger), and lust. The three remaining core affective states are associated with the limbic

 

system, or emotional centres and functions of mammal brains (much smaller in reptiles): care (maternal and

 

social bonding), panic (separation distress), and playfulness. Panksepp (2005) acknowledges the value of

 

this research, not only because it contributes to an understanding of human consciousness and pathology,

 

but also because ‘an understanding of affect in the lives of other animals may be critical for making

 

informed choices on how we ethically treat other creatures’ (p. 37). (4).

 

Not only does Panskepp note that the psychological structures of mammals are all the same; but

 

he also states that through the understanding of this knowledge, humans will observe the well-

 

being of animals in a different way. The obligation to comfort animals in shelters will increase

 

because just as humans require attention and support, so do the abandoned animals. Therefore,

 

more shelters should be inclined to change their habits of lacking in emotional care as opposed to

 

only being focused on only getting rid of the animals.

 

The attention which is provided to the animals is one form of extremely effective care;

but the actual environment in which they temporarily live must also adjust to comfort them.

When first arriving at a shelter, animals feel as though they must protect themselves and this may

not translate into an appealing attitude in response to their surroundings. In the article “Some

Factors Influencing Adoption Of Sheltered Dogs” by Bono Gabriele, solutions which coincide

with the ideals of appropriate living conditions are discussed:

Some forms of environmental enrichment, such as toys in the cage, were found to have a positive effect,

 

even if the dog did not interact with them (Wells and Hepper 1992). Among the different forms of

 

environmental enrichment (Hetts et al. 1992, Hubrecht 1993, 2002; Hubrecht, Serpell and Poole 1992;

 

Wells 2004a, b; Graham, Wells and Hepper 2005) found increased human interaction (Wells and Hepper

 

2000a; Hennessy et al. 2002; Coppola, Grandin and Enns 2006) helped kenneled dogs cope with stress. (

 

2).

 

Though the animals may not saliently be comfortable in their living space, there is still a

 

psychological registration which occurs. The animal is put to ease for the simple fact that there is

 

a resemblance of a home, as opposed to being lonely in a cage in the shelter. Along with the

 

environmental security, the human interaction is still required above all other methods. The love

 

and care which occurs in a relationship between a human and an animal is much more valuable

 

than the objects. At the same time there is only so much attention which can be placed upon one

 

animal in a shelter. In the place of absence of the volunteers, whether they are feeding other

 

animals or cleaning their cages, the toys and blankets serve to perform a temporary job.

 

            Even though the animals are comforted with objects and attention from humans, the

factor of aggression and fear which already exists within them must be controlled in order to

comply with various home situations. Much of the time, animals arrive at the shelters aggressive,

which is directed either towards certain types of people or other animals, and are therefore not

 adopted or are euthanized.  In the excerpt “A Survey Of The Management Of Inter-Dog

Aggression By Animal Shelters In Canada”, the management of the aggression in varying

shelters is analyzed through a questionnaire:

            Finally, participants were given a list of various treatment approaches for reducing inter-dog

 

aggression (Table 1). The techniques were based on a number of commonly recommended

 

treatments (Voith 1980; Hart and Hart 1985; Blackshaw 1991; Mugford 1992; Overall 1997), including

 

positive reinforcement, desensitization, counter-conditioning, correction of aggressive behavior, and

 

distraction. Two additional practises that may influence aggression where included: obedience training,

 

which is often used as a preventative measure for canine aggression or in combination with treatment based

 

on behavior modification (Blackshaw 1991; Reisner, Erb and Houpt 1994; Cameron 1997; Overall 1997),

 

and increased exercise and/or play, which is sometimes included in shelter enrichment programs as it may

 

affect the psychological well-being of dogs (Reid, Goldman and Zawistowski 2004). Participants were

 

asked to rate the degree to which they believed the treatment would be effective (how successful it would

 

be at reducing inter-dog aggression), practical (its ease of use, and the availability of qualified staff and

 

space) and affordable (financially possible) within the shelter ( 5).

 

As opposed to simply resorting to the worst possible means of management for the animal, there

 

are clear methods which can work around finances, difficulty connecting to the animal, and

 

possibility of progress to be made. In the survey, about 69.8% of the shelters did use

 

rehabilitation programs and adjusted the environment to accompany the animal. They also noted

 

that there was no correlation between how many aggressive dogs were brought in to how many

 

where brought back as a whole. Due to their work with the aggression, there was not an increase

 

in the behavior and not many animals were returned in response to that issue frequently.

 

Though the rehabilitation did not necessarily improve the aggression, there was no worsening of

 

it either.

 

            There are many methods of therapy for the animals, but the most important is positive

 

reinforcement from humans, which demonstrates the idea that humans play the biggest role in

 

animals being comforted. Animals may have their own capabilities of being emotionally self-

 

sufficient but when they are handled in a certain manner, their security can be lost in a matter of

 

seconds. Through the process of working with the aggression, humans must be conscientious of

 

the fact that their actions can change the confidence of the animal. The article “The View From

 

All Fours: A Look At An Animal-Assisted Activity Program From the Animals’ Perspective”

 

evaluates the affect Animal-Assisted Activity Programs has on shelter animals specifically:

 

                Many times the human volunteers began to get a sense of the temperament and energy level of the dog or

 

 cat immediately after leaving the shelter. Not all shelter animals have had much previous experience, or

 

much positive experience, with automobiles. Therefore, getting in to the car or carrier and riding in the car

 

is a troublesome experience for some, but not all, of the visiting animals. Dogs and cats can and do

 

associate certain experiences (like riding in the car), or certain people (like the vet), with negative or

 

positive reactions and feelings.13 Moreover, if a handler finds that the animal, especially a dog, is afraid of

 

the car it actually provides a good opportunity to engage in some training. By using positive reinforcement,

 

and perhaps treats, the volunteer can coax the dog into the car, and thus begin to help the dog overcome

 

their fear. Many volunteers used such reinforcement to get dogs into the car, but few had the time, patience,

 

or knowledge to engage in much training. Some volunteers mentioned picking the fearful dog up and

 

placing him or her in the backseat. From the standpoint of using AAA as a way to also socialize shelter

 

animals, this method may not be helpful in the long run ( 6).

 

Dogs create an association, just as humans do, which connects to the psychological ideal of

 

 classical conditioning. The animal will feel threatened, even if it is coaxed into the car, and

 

furthermore, if they are placed into a car by force the feelings they were already experiencing

 

increase. The animals may help people to feel better, but it is at the cost of the discomfort in the

 

animal. The nervousness of an animal can increase in the ill experience with a human, in which

 

case the article also states:

 

                However, sometimes the reactions toward the animals are not positive, and could even be dangerous. For

 

                instance, Claudia recalled when a staff member jumped in front of a dog to scare it (and it worked!).

 

                Perhaps the most troubling of all experiences is the one Brian had with a small dog:

 

I had a dog in my arms, and I brought it closer to this one person who I thought seemed to want to see the

 

dog, and that person just swatted the dog in the nose! And the dog just reeled back a little, looked at me,

 

looked at the person, looked at me like ‘what the hell?’ Obviously, the experience of being hit by a human

 

is not good for any dog, but arguably it is even more problematic for a shelter dog ( 7).     

 

Being physically abused by humans causes the same correlation of fear that the car evokes in the

 

animal. Since the humans are forcing the animal into the situation, there is no escape and

 

therefore the animals respond by becoming very unhappy or aggressive. These reactions thus

 

determine the well-being of the dog in the eyes of the shelter owners, and they may end up not

 

being as desirable to be handled or adopted.  If calmness can be obtained from anyone putting

 

the animals through therapy, then there is less likely of a chance of falling back into unhealthy

 

behavior. This also reinforces the fact that the animals have a source for why they behave in

 

certain ways towards humans throughout their lives. There must be recognition that animals feel

 

emotions and evaluate situations to protect themselves from, just as humans do.

 

            The behavior of the animals is to be somewhat predicted, based upon proper care and

 

therapy; but this information is only affective and possible if the human caregiver is aware of it.

 

In the article “Relationship Effects In Psychological Explanations Of Nonhuman Behavior” three

 

experiments are used to assess the relationship between owners and their animals. One of these

 

experiments included the ownership of a fish during a two week period and an evaluation of their  

 

involvement with the pet:

 

            Participants varied in how diligently they cared for their fish, although only one participant treated his fish

 

 poorly; he left his fish in a dormitory bathroom, from which it was immediately rescued. By contrast, most

 

participants developed a considerate relationship with their fish. One participant described taking her fish

 

outside to ‘enjoy the sun.’ Still another took her fish home for a holiday weekend, secreting the fish in her

 

 backpack after airport security personnel refused to let her carry the fish through the scanner. Twenty-two

 

 percent purchased additional supplies or bowl decorations during the two weeks of the experiment. Sixty-

 

nine percent said they would not sell the fish if asked to do so. At the end of the two-week study, all

 

participants were asked to reaffirm their intention to own a fish; 84% of the participants adopted their fish

 

permanently ( 12).

 

At first, the participants are not overly enthralled by the idea of owning a fish, but over time they

 

come to appreciate the companionship which they have developed. Since the fish belongs to the

 

 participants, they invest more of their time and effort into maintaining the relationship instead of

 

losing something they believe to be theirs now. When humans own a pet, they are more devoted

 

to it because the animal belongs to them. However, the journey to get to that point of attachment

 

takes more than a day. When connections are made over longer periods of time, then

 

relationships can flourish and be sustained through the devotion of both the animal and the

 

owner.

           

            Animals are seen as articles in the eyes of humans; and whether they are worthy objects

 

of affection are not defines how healthy they will become. When living in the shelter, the

 

animals are left to their own defenses, even with many people around them. They need to be

 

comforted and psychologically tended to in order to gain some form of security. In response to

 

the fact that they have been abandoned, the animals are defensive against the world and

 

be the source of attention from humans because it is what they desire. Humans are influential

 

enough to make such a filling of attention and responsibility for the animal, yet they still need to

 

know how to do so. With the special belonging between the two beings, there is a very powerful

 

force which cannot only heal the animal, but also heal the humans. They are one in the same

 

because of the growth of emotional understanding which can be achieved.

 

 

 

Work Cited

 

Gabriele Bono; et al. “Some Factors Influencing Adoption Of Sheltered Dogs.” Anthrozoos19.3

            (2006): 211-224. Environment Complete. Web. 30 Oct. 2012

 

Hatch, Alison. “The View From All Fours: A Look At An Animal-Assisted Activity Program

 From the Animals’ Perspective.” Anthrozoos20.1 (2007): 37-50. Environment Complete.

Web. 30 Oct. 2012.

 

Kiesler, Sara, Lee Sau-Iai, and Adam D. I. Kramer. "Relationship Effects In Psychological

 

            Explanations Of Nonhuman Behavior." Anthrozoos 19.4 (2006): 335-352. Environment

 

            Complete. Web. 30 Oct. 2012

 

MacPherson, Seonaigh. “What Tashi Taught Me: “Petagogy” And The Education Of Emotions.”

            Canadian Journal Of Environmental Education16.(2011): 76-92. Environment Complete.

            Web. 30 Oct. 2012.

 

Orihel, Jane S., Rebecca Ledger, and David Fraser. “A Survey Of The Management Of Inter-

            Dog Aggression By Animal Shelters In Canada.” Anthrozoos18.3 (2005): 273-287.

 Environment Complete. Web. 30 Oct. 2012.