Mountain Views News          Saturday, January 23, 2016

9

JUST FOR BEST FRIENDS

Mountain Views-News Saturday, January 23, 2016 


LOOKING FOR A BEST FRIEND?

SMILE FOR THE CANINE

Happy Tails

by Chris Leclerc

I spend a lot of time hanging out with animals. I’ve always 
enjoyed (perhaps even preferred) the company of my furry 
and feathered friends, and I kind of like to think they enjoy 
spending time with me. While I do appreciate the presence 
of all animals, I have to admit the dog has become my 
favorite. Dogs make such great friends. They can make 
me laugh out loud, and at times they can make me cry, but 
regardless of what the mood of the moment may be, they 
are always there for me emotionally.

 I used to have a dog named Lady. She was unique in 
that she would smile when you looked at her. I don’t mean 
the kind of smile that only shows through the eyes from 
inside, I mean she smiled the same way we humans smile. 
Well, maybe her smile looked a little different because of her 
long snout and pointy teeth, but as far as the way our lips 
curve back and curl upward, and our eyes 
get squinty during a smile, Lady actually 
smiled, like people do. I had to explain it 
to the folks we’d meet along the way, that 
she was just happy to see them, not baring 
her teeth as a warning that she may bite. 
No, that girl was sporting a big grin - she 
was happy!

 I smile at dogs all the time. I’m pretty 
sure I have always smiled at dogs I’ve met 
along the way, but I guess it’s possible 
that it could be a relatively new habit for 
me. One that I’ve developed over the 
years from spending so much time with 
canines. Lately I often find myself smiling 
at dogs I don’t even know, like ones riding 
in the back seats of cars looking out at me 
through the window. I smile and wave, 
as if I’m trying to engage a small child to 
smile and wave back. I don’t even care if 
people see me doing it. It just seems like 
the natural thing to do. Other than Lady, I 
have yet to see a dog smile back at me, but I’ll keep trying.

 Now I have a dog named Molly. She’s a very attentive 
and somewhat sensitive pup. She uses facial expressions 
all the time, to tell me what she’s thinking. I’m sure of this, 
because she is consistent in repeating the same expressions 
in response to what is going on at the time. For example, if 
I reach for my keys and head for the front door, she follows 
me, plops down on the floor in front of the door and stares 
at me with her hopeful look…the one that says, “You’re 
taking me with you, right?”. It’s the same look she gives me 
when I am sitting eating a meal, only the latter look is one 
of hope for a nibble of what’s on my plate, versus a walk 
around the block. Still, it’s the same facial expression.

 It wasn’t until recently that I realized how much 
attention Molly pays to my facial expressions. I don’t have 
to say a word. I can be sitting across the room from her. I 
suddenly give her a real silly look. I open my 
eyes wide, lift my eyebrows into tall arches, 
twist my mouth sideways and look up at the 
ceiling. That’s when she jumps up, runs to 
her basket and picks out a toy for us to play 
with. She knows I am teasing her, inciting 
her to play. If I frown and look down, she 
walks slowly and tentatively towards me, 
with a somewhat anxious look on her own 
face. A look that asks, “Are you okay?”. How 
in the world does that dog know something’s 
up just from looking at my face?

 Over the past 10+ years, much focus 
has been placed on studying the canine’s 
capacity to recognize human emotion 
through facial expression, in the scientific research field. 
The results of a 2014 study conducted by researchers at the 
Messerli Research Institute of the University of Veterinary 
Medicine Vienna in Austria indicate that dogs are indeed 
able to discriminate emotional expressions in human faces. 
Meaning, not only can a canine tell the difference between a 
sad or happy human face, a dog can also interpret the inner 
emotions that human facial expressions represent…sadness 
or happiness. (Source: HYPERLINK “http://www.cell.
com/current-biology” www.cell.com/
current-biology)

 What made the 2014 Messerli study 
and it’s results unique to several others 
before it, is that there were no ulterior 
cues used to encourage the dogs’ 
responses, as had been typically used 
in other studies. “Here, we show that 
dogs use the emotion of a heterospecific 
(organism of another species - in this 
case a human face) as a discriminative 
cue.”

In this study, the scientists used only 
picture pairs showing parts of human 
faces (some only the mouth, some 
only the eyes, and some only a half-
face) with either an angry or happy 
expression, as cues for the canines‘ 
responses. Interestingly enough, all of 
the subject dogs in the study were more 
than willing to approach and touch the 
pictures showing happy expressions, 
while consistently resisting the images showing angry or sad 
expressions. Smart dogs! The researchers involved attribute 
their results mainly to the amount of time people now spend 
with their canines, which makes total sense to me.

 Regardless of how or why dogs “get” our moods just 
from looking at our faces, I think it is awesome that my 
Molly can tell by looking at me, how I am feeling. I know 
some humans who would rather run the other way than 
stay, if they see a sad look on my face. I know Molly doesn’t 
necessarily like to see me sad either, but I have yet to see her 
turn around and run the other way when I’ve expressed 
myself in a sad way. My experience has been quite the 
opposite. She’ll approach, perhaps slower than if I were 
happy, but approach she will, and the give me a little lick on 
the cheek, or a pat with her paw as if to say, “I love you, cheer 
up!”

To sit on your lap and watch the Super Bowl? Rosie 
is a big football fan! She is a lovely Chihuahua mix 
girl who is a little less than two years old. She has 
a short tri-color coat that requires very minimal 
grooming other than the occasional bath and 
brushing. She weighs about 
7 pounds and is perfect “lap 
dog size.” She was found as a 
stray dog in Rosemead with no 
identification, and no one has 
come in to claim her.

 While Rosie can be a little 
shy at first, she warms up 
quickly and will put her paws 
on your leg asking to be picked 
up. She will nestle in a lap 
quite comfortably to enjoy pets 
and cuddles, and she has been 
known to relax enough to fall 
asleep.

 Volunteers report that 
Rosie is easy to harness and 
walk, moving forward with no 
pulling. She holds her white-
tipped tail up high and looks 
like she is balancing a cotton 
ball on the end. Rosie is interested in sniffing and 
exploring, and likes meeting new people. She is 
happy to take a break, climb in a lap, and gently 
take some treats if you have any to offer her.

 Rosie has calm energy and a gentle disposition, 
and would make a lovely addition to any home. She 
is not a demanding dog, and has been described by 
volunteers as a “sweet, cuddly charmer.” Come in 
to meet this pretty girl and see if her charm doesn’t 
make you want to take her home with you.

 Her adoption fee is 
$130 and includes spay surgery, 
vaccinations, microchip and 
a free wellness exam at a 
participating veterinarian. Feel 
free to call us at (626) 286-
1159 for more information on 
Rosie. If you are interested in 
meeting Rosie or any of the 
other wonderful pets at the 
shelter, visit the San Gabriel 
Valley Humane Society at 851 E. 
Grand Ave., San Gabriel, Calif., 
91776, Tuesday through Sunday 
from 10:30am to 4:30pm. See 
our website at www.sgvhumane.
org for information and photos 
of all our wonderful pets. 

 2016 calendars are 
available at the shelter for a 
$10 donation. The photos were 
selected among hundreds submitted by shelter 
supporters. If you would like to order a 2016 
calendar on line, you can stop by the shelter or do 
so through Paypal. Go to the shelter website at 
sgvhumane.org for more information. 


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