Injured Stray Dog Offers Her Paw To Strangers To Ask For Help In Rescuing Her Friend
Empathy, which is among the complex human emotions, is the ability to connect with another person, sense whatever they're feeling, and respond emotionally in a similar way. It is the ability to put oneself in another's shoes that distinguishes us as truly human.
But are animals such as dogs capable of such a feeling? Or are we merely anthropomorphizing them?
Studies suggest that dogs can demonstrate empathy for humans, their fellow dogs, and even strangers. Not all scientists who study animals agree that these creatures possess cognitive emotions, but most dog owners attribute some human characteristics to dogs.
Dogs are one of the oldest domesticated animals. They have lived alongside us, observing our every action, emotion, and mood.
Their ability to read our emotions has earned them the title of "man's best friend." More studies have found that dogs' emotional and mental capacities are similar to those of a toddler.
Since scientific data show that toddlers can already exhibit empathy, experts can conclude that dogs are indeed capable of being empathic toward other beings. This behavior has been tested by scientists who want to determine if dogs can show concern for both their owners and other dogs.
The experiments usually involve having dogs listen to the cries of a human voice and canines in distress. Today, we're going to look at a story of a dog who showed empathy for her fellow dog by asking humans to rescue her friend.
A sickly-looking stray canine in Romania approached some people and offered her paw in the hopes of being rescued, but she wouldn't abandon her pal.
Fortunately, the strangers that this dog approached were from an animal rescue organization. The team searched for the other dog for more than an hour.
The rescuers took the two dogs to the vet.
Elsa, the dog who approached the team, sadly had a skin condition. Her pink skin was very sore.
For her to recover, medical baths were required for two months. The other dog, Hugo, found a forever home immediately.
This wasn't the case for Elsa. To make matters worse, her large size caused her to be shunned by other dogs.
After six months, she recovered. Eventually, she was sent to a foster home.
She was supposed to spend only a couple of days in her foster home.
But when it was finally decided who would adopt her, her foster parents, Andrea and Maria, couldn't just let her go. It seems that they had become attached to the dog.
We hope that everything has been settled and that Elsa is finally receiving the love and care she deserves. What she did for her friend was truly admirable.
Even dog owners don't know exactly what their dogs are feeling. Yet their actions tell us that they can show empathy for humans and other animals.
This story is a great example of a dog's empathy. Such an action indicates that canines might have an innate concern for the welfare of other beings.
Empathy may be an attribute of humans, but it seems that dogs are very capable of this emotion as well.
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