Insight: Mar 10

Insight has gone to the dogs -at least for one week- as it discusses the question: does your dog love you?

Animal psychologists say dogs have the emotional and cognitive intelligence of a two year old.

If you ask most pet owners though, they will instinctively say that their four-legged companion “loves” them.

Some even report their dogs show empathy when they’re upset, and can suffer from anxiety, compulsive behaviour, and depression.

Do we really have a deeper bond with our puppy pals, or are humans projecting their own feelings onto their pets? Could our dogs in fact be manipulating us?

This week Insight explores what science has to say about dogs’ emotions and delves into what our treatment of pets says about the human psyche.

The program also asks where we should draw the line with humanising our furry friends.
Guests include:

Debra Kruz
Dog lover and breeder, who had her beloved beagle stuffed:
“Tuba was the love of my life. He died in 2012. I know he’s not alive, I know he’s stuffed.”

Liz Arnott
Veterinarian and researcher. “(Dogs have) been bred and raised to be highly socialised species so they’re acutely in tune to our behaviour as well.”

Bradley Smith
Psychologist and animal behaviourist. “Dogs are good human manipulators, they basically have nothing else better to do all day than observe our behaviours.”

Jay Lee
Dog lover and dog fashion line entrepreneur talking about his poodle, “Noodle”.
“He loves doggie day care, they have doggie cam so you can log-on and I can see him having so much fun running around with a bunch of other dogs.”

Jennifer Critelli
Dog lover and dance instructor. “With Tinkie, I have a dance studio and I’ll leave her with some of the other teachers and they all say: Oh she was a big sook while you were gone.”

8:30pm Tuesday on SBS ONE