Dogs Decoded

For my class we were asked to watch the documentary, Dogs Decoded. Just reading the title of the documentary I was not really sure what to expect. However after viewing it, I am very intrigued with their discoveries. Dogs pick up on not only our hand movements/gestures, but they can also read gestures from our eyes. For example instead of a human pointing with their hand, if they move their eyes in the direction they would have pointed the dog can read it and understand it. The scientist hypothesize that due to the almond shape of the human eye and a white sclera allows the dogs to see the direction of the eye movement   It was also noted that although dogs can communicated with humans through eye contact, they do not do this with any other specie. The most interesting thing that was discussed in the documentary was the movement in eyes. They explain that humans that a natural left side tendency, focusing on the right side of someones face. So to test the dogs they placed a camera focusing on their face and presented the dogs with a slideshow of pictures of objects, other dogs, and human faces. When the dogs looked at objects and other dogs the looked right or left randomly for each image (no consistency). However, every time a human face is displayed, they always look left (to the right side of the face) just like a human naturally does. From my personal experience with dogs, these results do not surprise me; if anything the results make me even more excited to interact with my dogs and see these forms of communication. In addition to my personal pets, I look forward to seeing these patterns in the animals at the center. I already noticed today when I went to visit Sweeden (a new female Pit Bull) trying to communicate with me not only with body language but eye contact as well. 

Baby (58412) Accessed on 5-24-2013
This photograph belongs to the Wake County Animal Center

Baby is a beautiful black and white female Pit Bull. She is two years old and has been in the shelter for 122 days. The photograph above is the current photograph posted for her, however she has 16 other beautiful pictures on her profile as well.

Baby (58412) DeckerSh

Although the photograph I have taken and edited does not look nearly as high quality as her current photograph, it portrays her in a different atmosphere. I had a volunteer assist me in taking her outside to photograph her. In this image she is wagging her tail and has what appears to be a smile on her face. The initial photograph that appears for her on the centers website (the one posted above) she is laying down and has a sad look on her face and it also makes her look older than she really is. Although it is a gorgeous picture of her, some viewers may not look further at her profile and see a happy picture of her. With this photograph I have taken, I really hope it is a new fresh picture that will help her get adopted!