More anthropmorphism

Staying on the theme of projecting human emotions and desires onto dogs, I saw a news feature recently about a concert for dogs in Australia, and surfing for dogs in the US.

I'm the first to admit that dogs (and indeed many other animals) have more complex emotional lives than we humans tend to acknowledge, and they can certainly enjoy play. However, I think the concept of animals enjoying live music is fundamentally flawed. Putting on a concert for dogs is probably akin to speaking Japanese to a German and expecting to get a response. Dogs experience the world primarily through their nose, and while their sense of hearing is excellent, it is attuned to hearing prey rustling in the undergrowth or predators approaching, not the strains of violins. There is no evidence to suggest that dogs have ever created 'music' for themselves, so there is no reason to believe that such messages are meaningful for them.

As regards the surfing, this is marginally less questionable in that dogs often do enjoy playing in water and they generally like physical activity. However, it's doubtful that dogs enjoy the challenge of staying upright and keeping their balance on a slippery board. Animals generally don't like standing on slippery surfaces, something which is attested by watching any dog's reaction to being placed on the metal table at the vet's or by observing how any dog will choose to lie down on a rug rather than a hard floor (unless it's very hot, possibly). Dogs like to run and jump; they often find it difficult to stay in one spot unless they are dozing, so trying to stand still on a moving board is probably not most pooches' idea of fun.

If none of this convinces you that surfing for dogs is a dodgy idea, just click on the link above and watch the dogs' expressions. Joy? I think not.