19/09/2025
Yes!
Three little letters form a word with enormous power… WHY.
Whenever I’m observing dogs, or listening to their caregivers describe behaviour, my default thought process is always the same: Why?
Even when I see a video on social media labeled “cute” or “funny,” I pause and wonder: Why would that animal do that? Is it really what it seems?
Take a dog walking happily down the street who occasionally does a little hop. I could normalise it and dismiss it… or I could ask, Why does this dog hop? Yes, maybe they’ve always done it, but dogs aren’t designed to hop. So why is it happening?
Or a dog who refuses kibble but happily eats meat. It’s easy to shrug it off and say, “Oh, they’re just fussy.” Instead, I ask why?
Is it personal preference (something we often deny our dogs)?
As the meat softer, could that point to a dental issue?
Has the dog felt sick after eating kibble and formed an association?
Why, why, why!
It’s easy to read something, watch something, or be told something and accept it at face value. It’s also easy to dismiss the little quirks we see in our own dogs, especially when they seem to just get on with life. “My dog has always done that, they’re fine.” But are they? Why do they sit like that? Why do they climb stairs that way?
Recently, I watched a video of a donkey. At first glance, it looked sweet. But since I don’t know much about donkeys, I asked a friend who does: Why is the donkey doing that? Thankfully, it turned out to be a sign of relaxation. Phew! But I’ve also seen “cute” videos shared where no one asked why, and what was really happening was heartbreaking.
When we share our lives with dogs, I believe we’re signing up to be lifelong students.
Students who should be curious enough to ask one powerful little word:
WHY.
( Pitcure of Derek looking sultry, why, because i was taking his picture and stopped supplying the strokes)
