Today On the Dogwatch we have an opportunity to talk with Hal Herzog about our relationship with animals, especially dogs. Hal is both a psychologist and academic, and has a new edition of his book Some We Love, Some We Hate, and Some We Eat: Why It’s So Hard to Think Straight About Animals coming out very soon. He also writes the Animals and Us blog for Psychology Today.
Hal helps us think about why we love dogs, how they have fit into our lives as humans in the past and how they do now, why we care about them more than the mice we trap in our basements, and the dilemma that surrounds thinking of them as members of our families. He also helps us address some urban myths such as whether your dog will get help if you are injured, if people really do look like their dogs, and there is any evidence for a special channel of communication between humans and dogs.
Ultimately, we get a chance to approach different moral and philosophical perspectives on our favorite pets.