Tanner refused to look at me after I came back for a short visit. His tail wagged for everyone else, except for me. I looked at him and said, “Tanner! Hi! I missed you!” No respond. It had been three months since my departure from my mom’s house. It was difficult to get the cold shoulder from the dog I loved, but I could not blame him.
Do animals look back?
The assumptions are that animals make us happy or give unconditional love no matter what. Tanner was not this “type” of dog. He responded with affection only if you took care of his basic needs of food, water and exercise. Otherwise, he simply chose not to see you. The look of the animal is hunting because is how we make up for the verbal communication barrier. The look also tells us the animal is aware of our presence. Tanner’s refusal to see me was a way to communicate discontent. I immediately became aware of my actions and my relation to him, and vice versa. Tanner looked back at me when I looked at him too.
This took years for me to figure out! Once I realized my dog was not there to only make me happy, but I needed to make him happy as well, our relation was much healthier. I believe the animal look cannot be ignored because a mutual gaze needs to be acknowledged for the relation to work.
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