2023 Animal Stories Magazine

Page 6 2023 Animal Stories Lincoln Daily News February 22. 2023 By Derek Hurley Pet ownership can be a wonderful thing. For those prepared to deal with the responsibility, a pet can bring years of companionship and fun. That preparation often means a good deal of research on things like finding the right food; figuring out the right environment for your pet; or narrowing down pet behavior. That last point can lead to a lot of confusion, even once all the research is finished. Sometimes, pets do things that make us scratch our heads. More often than not, these are also the things that make us laugh (eventually- odd pet behavior is not always funny right away). Frankly, sometimes pets do really weird things. But that’s not to say there are not reasons for strange pet behaviors. Every strange pet behavior has a reason Even if it doesn’t look appetizing to people, dogs really do like their food. Many dogs will carry bits of food, or even their entire bowl, to another room at dinner time. This behavior may seem strange, but the dog knows what it’s doing. In the dog’s mind, by moving the food, they are keeping it away from anyone that may steal it. Smaller dogs, especially runts, will do this to keep their food safe. This behavior is a deeply buried instinct. One of my dogs does this, and no matter how often I remind her that her food is safe, or any other efforts we take to make sure her environment stays secure, she will always think she needs to eat her food elsewhere. Dogs may move their food to another room that smells like a member of the family. To a dog, the scent of a family member means security, and that means a safe place to eat. In my dog’s case, that’s usually the bedroom. This means a lot of double-checking for crumbs before bedtime. Another weird behavior in dogs stems from how they dream. Dogs do dream, just like most people. When they do, they often twitch or let out odd noises. This is a result of vivid dreaming, similar to how humans can experience sleep talking or walking. If your dog exhibits these behaviors during a nap, just know that they are indicative of REM sleep, meaning your dog is in a deep sleep cycle. As for what dogs dream about, that question seems like it wouldn’t have an easy answer. After all, it’s not like we can ask them. But the most likely answer is that dogs dream about stuff going on in their lives, just like people do. Dogs likely dream about their owners, other pets in the house, daily experiences, or Continued --