Do you Think,, That Animals love each other, as much as humans,(usually), love each other???

I haven't read any ofthe other replies but here is my take on it:

Animals to me are like young children, they don't think the way we do, they don't understand as much (in my opinion), but they do have feelings of love or something similar.

I don't know if "love" is the right word. Animals are operating on built in instinct. Some animals such as dogs and dolphins are hard-wired to work in groups and packs. They relate to one another, form working relationships in order to survive and have preferences on who they spend more time with.

They may appear to be mourning or sad, but it is most likely a break from the routine that disrupts them. I have read that dogs can read facial expressions on humans, and they definitely pick up body language etc, but, that doesn't mean they can "love." They are pack animals trying to figure out the actions of another species and how best to respond.

I don't think most animals have the mental facilities to love. Even for us, love is a relatively new concept. It wasn't too long ago that marriages were all arranged and they were done for non-loving reasons.

Prior to that we were a pretty free and wheeling species ourselves.

You could even say that love is a concept that was invented by society in order to provide a more stable family environment that aided in the protection of the species.

reply to post by Sinter Klaas
I like your posts and the way you think. I have three shetland sheepdogs and I foster for a sheltie rescue. My little guys are so very different but I believe that they do -1) think, 2) love and feel other emotions including anger and jealousy and 3) are "self" conscious beings. I spend a LOT of time with them and they communicate in many ways, lacking the ability to speak as we do. Everyone has seen pictures of puppies and cats looking in a mirror and playing with the "other" animal but how about my sheltie DunKen, who looked in the mirror in my living room across the room from where I was sitting, stared at the image of me and himself for a minute and then looked over his shoulder at me when I smiled at him. I can recall many other instances of awareness and thought process. (The lack of opposable thumbs is very inhibitive also...lol)

reply to post by Sheltieslippers


Well, I can certainly wrap my head around larger animals or domestics having the ability to experience "love" or other emotions but just not to the extent that humans do. Kind of like love "lite". Or maybe it is instinctual knowledge that being together is stronger and safer than being isolated, forcing actions that promote the power of a pack or herd for protection or finding food. Leaving anthropomorphism out of the picture, I think they are more raw and instinctual and probably uncontrollable to a large extent. I've seen your dogs do some unusual things and I would expect any animal with a fairly large brain size that spends all of its time with humans to possibly exhibit some unnatural characteristics.

Maybe attempts to mimic sounds we make and use certain behaviors to manipulate us for food or a rubbing or a scratchin'. They definitely respond to affection and seem to be able to dish it out as well but animals of a higher order do these things to each other in the wild as well. I've seen horses and dogs alike "lovin" on each other, nuzzling or nipping at each other, but that isn't love on the human scale. They don't have lawyers yet...

Originally posted by Claudius
Something similar happened to me last week when one of my pet dog passed away.
The other one lives and it is behaving in an unusual way after the incident.


I think that animals love each other in the same way as humans do.

awww sorry for Your loss.....

I've had cats and dogs as pets my entire life, and I know in my heart they feel emotion as we humans do, love, loss, anger, fear, etc. I have observed depression, anger, fear, love, nurturing and caring from all of my animals, towards each other, even if they were from different species. Their communication may be gross, untrained and unrefined as compared to humans, but this does not mean that they aren't experiencing these feelings.

I don't want to derail this thread by bringing up a subject that is controversial, but, having read and worked personally with animal communicators, and the information they can provide on the animal's behalf, I have no doubt that they are just as connected and capable of emotional feelings and even spriitual awareness and they understand that there is no death, only a transition between matter and energy. My apologies if this veered too much off topic.