I was thrilled to discover this fabulous Nature film online as I missed its Feb 2009 debut on PBS. Why We Love Cats and Dogs – Pets and the Human-Animal Bond celebrates the fact that we share our lives with 73 million dogs and 90 million cats, their functioning as best friends and oftentimes the best part of our family. This film delves into these intimate relationships via the insights of animal behavior experts, evolutionary biologists, veterinarians, and pet owners. It was quite impressive to have Dr. Nicholas Dodman and Dr. Marc Bekoff’s involvement.
Dr. Dodman is Professor, Section Head and Program Director at the Animal Behavior Department of Clinical Sciences of Tufts’ Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Bekoff is Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder. One of the world’s most eminent behavioral scientists, he has written over 20 books, our favorite being this one published in 2007, that we feature at our foundation store: The Emotional Lives of Animals: A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy, Sorrow, and Empathy – and Why They Matter.
Vodpod videos no longer available.After watching this did I realize knowing about Tripawd Jerry, his parents, Jim Nelson and René Agredano, dropping everything to travel with him after his bone cancer diagnosis. Jerry’s legacy lives on at tripawds.com, a wonderful support community for three-legged dogs and their people.
Below, is a video that accompanies an interview that Nature did with René regarding Jerry’s final days.
Vodpod videos no longer available.
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Humans and dogs first interacted thousands of years ago with the caveman. Descendents of our current pets would feed on the scraps thrown out of the cave. In time, they stayed around the “home” and would clean up debris and guard the caveman and his family. Eventually, the “dogs” and man became friends and the dog was invited to live with the cave family.
And there you have it. It’s no wonder there are so many of us living with dogs. It was just the natural way of life.
Glad you liked the Nature program! Thanks for writing about it here. Your readers can find out how Jerry’s story ends and how his legacy continues at the new and improved Tripawds Blogs community. Cheers.