Animal Personalities...
By dodoguy
@dodoguy (1292)
Australia
December 24, 2006 8:30am CST
Have you noticed the distinctive personalities that animals have? Each one is as individual as any person, with just as much intellectual variation as people too. Some dogs are complete idiots, while others are incredibly observant and astute. As for cats, they are generally pre-programmed killers - they can't help themselves from traumatizing any small furry thing they see. And yet it's been my experience to see the occasional cat that wouldn't harm a fly, and would be much happier to just nose up to and make friends with any small fluffy thing it sees. AND I've observed particular cats display an inordinate degree of intelligence (it's my view that they are generally VERY intelligent animals, but they just can't be bothered showing it). And to cap it off, who saw the current affairs TV article on the line-dancing horse that participated in the Australian Country Music line-dancing contest in Tam-bloody-worth a couple of years back. That has got to be the SMARTEST farm animal I have ever seen - a horse that participates in daily life as a family pet, and fully understands plain conversational English, and has no trouble learning how to line-dance with the rest of the (human) family!
But my point is not so much the intellect as the individuality of animals - and birds in particular take the cake. The best thing is that parrots (and crows, and magpies, and many others) typically have the intellectual capacity of a 3 or 4 year old human - at least equal to any of the higher primates. And parrots can actually articulate their thoughts in spoken conversation as well - so you can develop quite a relationship with the feathered family members!
4 people like this
6 responses
@hoghoney (3747)
• United States
28 Feb 07
hey there, I had a cocktail once and you would think that she was as human as the next person. she was really my best friend til I lost her. she would eat with me,bathe with me even when I did dishes she would hang on the sink and play in the water. and at times I know that she what was on my mind and what was wrong with me, so yes they can be almost like a human.
1 person likes this
@rosebug23 (1906)
• Australia
29 Dec 06
Animals are as individual as humans and yes they do and can have some funny habits and personalities. I love animals and have always enjoyed watching animals in their natural habitat.I had a poodle a few years ago and she understood nearly every word we said. they say they don't understand words so much as the tone in our voice ,rubbish. My dog would react to words we used in general conversation like baby which i would sometimes call her .If i was having a conversation with someone or on the phone and mentioned that word she would come to sit on my lap. My mum and dad had a cat that would not go outside at all and every time we would say the word outside she would get up from where ever she was an hide under the bed. My sisters cat would climb into the bus everyday at 11am (it stopped just outside there house)everyday and went on a round trip to Bondi Junction . It started by accident but after the first time she learnt what to do and decided she liked it.We have wallabies at the back of our home and they are fascinating to watch, they each have their own personality. This is a great discussion i hope you get heaps of responses for me to read
1 person likes this
@sunshinecup (7871)
•
24 Dec 06
It's just amazing to me how much of diffent personalities animals can have. I love it! They are something else!
@Modestah (11177)
• United States
19 Mar 08
indeed I have noticed this! we have been owners of a couple of brilliant dogs who enjoyed quite an extensive vocabulary - and then we have had a dog that was as un learnable as the dirt he rolled in. He was a really strong dog, quite friendly - but dumb as all get out - could not even learn his name.
@Perspectives (7131)
• Canada
12 Mar 08
Hi Dodoguy...
I am still way behind in responding to my own responses and haven't been around as much. Your support of my topics is appreciated and and I wanted to drop by and chat with you on your site for a change of pace. As I was looking at your different discussions I noticed this one fairly near the top and was surprised it was posted a year ago.
No matter I liked it and appreciate your observations about the unique imprints all animals have. I grew up with pets and David and I have had four dogs (only one now), 9 cats (not all at once) and two birds. The first one was a cockatiel and the second as a large cockatoo. You are right about them having the intelligence of a 3-4 year old...very smart, talkative and confident birds they are.
Every animal we have ever had always had unique personality traits...and yes, some are definitely brighter than others...just like people!
Fun topic...
Raia
@olivemai (4738)
• United States
29 Feb 08
I guess that you are just way too intelligent for most people here! I can tell by reading what you write. I do not understand why the term bird-brained meant having very little brains. I would love to have a parrot! The Chinese astrology uses 12 different animals to describe everyone's personalities and life. It is part of what makes life so interesting! I wish human animals were not so afraid to be different from each other. Uniqueness is quite a blessing!
