On the Tenth Day of Christmas... Liam and Anna Liffey

I read an article about a study which showed that the relationship between pet owners and dogs parallels the deep connection formed between young children and their parents. The experiment tested the Secure Base Effect with dogs. The Secure Base Effect is a fundamental part of parent-child bonding. Human infants view their caregivers as a “secure base” when it comes to gaining confidence for interacting with the environment inside and outside the home. It was determined that dogs were generally only motivated to seek a reward when their owner was present.

In the experiment, dogs experienced three different scenarios; (1) a present and motivating owner; (2) a present and silent owner; and (3) an absent owner. The dogs could earn a food reward by manipulating interactive dog toys. The dogs seemed much less interested in working for food when their caregivers were absent. Whether an owner was motivating or silent had little influence on the animal's level of motivation to earn a food reward. In a follow-up experiment, the dogs experienced further scenarios with total strangers and it was observed that most dogs didn’t interact with the strangers and were not much more interested in trying to get the food reward than when the stranger was not there.

It comes as no surprise to me, and not that it would change how I interact with my own dogs, but it is quite normal for us to treat our dogs like we would treat our children. It only makes sense considering that our dogs think of us in much the same way children think of their parents. That thought struck me when I was recently contacted by two adopters who told me they felt so lucky to have their beautiful "kids", Liam and Anna Liffey.

Liam, an eight year old fawn with a stunning black face, and Anna, a four year old red, are the light of these adopter’s lives. Anna is an outgoing girl who cannot contain her joy when she meets new people or other animals. She licks new acquaintances and shows her excitement by jumping and making all kinds of silly noises. Liam also shows his excitement by jumping and barking, and is especially energetic when he welcomes his owner’s home.

Liam and Anna are also very affectionate with each other. They have a large fenced area where they run and are a joy to watch as they fly in sync around the yard. And in the mornings, Anna cannot wait for Liam to awake. She dances around him and licks his face to wake him from his slumber. Liam loves his wake up call.  

But when the owner’s described what they call “Family Time” I really got that feeling that Liam and Anna were their children. Every evening after supper they retreat to the living room where they have two big couches. They call "FAMILY TIME ", and from wherever the Greys are, they come screeching into the living room, jump onto their chosen couch and lay down with their heads in their owner’s laps. The dogs can’t get enough of that time filled with petting, scratching and loving. The Greys often fall asleep, at which time they get covered with their blankets and rest for several more hours. And if for any reason Family Time is delayed, both Liam and Anna begin to whine and cry until all attention is paid to getting into the living room.

It warms my heart to hear such wonderful stories about people who love their Greyhounds as much as these owners love Liam and Anna Liffey. I know how happy the dogs are to be a part of the family. And when I'm looking for "forever homes" for adoptable Greyhounds, I always know I've found the people when the Greys go home with adopters that will treat them as well as they would treat their own children.