Sometimes when I am dwelling on a problem, I think about how complicated it is to be a human being and that this complexity is one of our own making. From here my mind wanders to a general comparison of people to animals:  

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1. We are animals

2. Animals aren’t complicated

3. Why are we so complicated?  

 

I project onto these animals -- the ultimate noble savages. Sure, this construct is overly simplistic and yes, it comes from a long tradition of anthropomorphizing, which has probably been around since we were running on all fours.

 

Lately I have been watching a lot of The Dog Whisperer on Nat Geo. On the show, Cesar Millan teaches Dog Psychology, how dogs think. Because dogs are pack animals and want to fit into the hierarchy of the pack, their humans need to become pack leaders to ensure “a balanced dog,” or good behavior.

 

Of course in my head, integrating this information just leads to further anthropomorphizing of dogs. But it also has me thinking of people in dog terms—the canine-ization of humans.

 

Human beings, like dogs, are social animals with strong adherence to hierarchies. Whether we are running with the pack or pulling at the leash, we are still trying to find our place among others by sniffing out the competition.  

 

I find a lot of parallels between people and dogs:

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