Do stray dogs know they have no home?
There's a topic on Zhihu: What do stray dogs think when they see pet dogs? Many netizens' replies are heartbreaking.
@Anonymous User: I often encounter stray dogs when walking my dog. They all have timid eyes, wanting to get close to my dog but also afraid. My dog will enthusiastically wag its tail at the stray dogs to show affection, but they are usually frightened and become even more withdrawn, drooping their tails and wagging them low, with expressions just like humans who are flattered. When I feed them treats, they will sniff them for a long time with a skeptical attitude. Only when I am not watching will they gobble them down and then happily lick their lips. If I were to say what they are thinking, it would probably be wariness, envy, and heartache.
@Nina: I took my dog, Wanzi, to play in the grass. The stray dog's reaction was quite heartbreaking. It only dared to secretly look at the pet dog. After I discovered it, it hid itself even more. They must have been loved by people before. You could tell it really wanted to play with people too.
A stray dog hiding and secretly watching pet dogs; it's almost impossible to spot unless you look closely.
@471: I saw it once. It was right across from me, and across from it was a pet dog, dressed in fine clothes, leisurely walking with its owner, looking carefree and at ease, with its owner's attention. At that moment, I saw its eyes filled with longing; it also needed someone's care.
I crouched down and gently stroked its head. It was first frightened, then surprised. Perhaps it had never been treated like this before. It had always longed for someone to pet it.
@一晌贪欢: I think it's envy. I was walking my dog in my friend's neighborhood when we met a little stray dog. It really wanted to play with my dog, but my dog is very timid. When it saw the stray dog, it was too scared to walk and lay down on the ground. The little stray dog then lay down on my dog. My dog didn't dare to move and looked at my husband with pitiful eyes for help. Later, my husband picked the stray dog off my dog, and my dog begged my husband for a hug and some petting.
While I was chatting with my friend, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that the little dog was looking at my dog with envious eyes.
@Anonymous User: It's like when I'm single and I see a girl who's been pampered by her boyfriend for many years, I feel envious and lonely.
You also need to tell yourself that you can do it alone.
And what about the stray dogs that were adopted?
@贰百没有五: We picked up a stray dog and have been raising her for a year now. When we use chopsticks to feed her, she always carefully licks the food with her tongue, afraid of getting the chopsticks dirty. If you feed her with your hands, she is also afraid of getting her hands dirty or hurting you.
@Kageshima Umi:
First, it is extremely vigilant. It will not give complete trust to any human being. Although I am the human it trusts the most, its level of trust is probably only about 70% or 80% that of a pet dog.
Second, extreme adherence to rules is also an extension of high vigilance.
This dog is never picky about food and never barks. It only dares to roam in my yard. It doesn't dare to step out of the room where people live. Even if I'm alone at home and use a sausage to lure it in, it won't come into the living room.
Third, it's a case of "a dog relying on its owner's power": when it was a stray dog, it always survived with its tail between its legs. Now that I've adopted it, it will actively threaten other cats and dogs in front of me. And it won't actually fight, but will come back to me with its fur standing on end. To put it bluntly, this is a case of "a dog relying on its owner's power".
Fourth, pitiful: It's normal for pet dogs to be petted, but the first time I petted this stray dog, it was unusually excited, running around in circles frantically and kissing my hand like crazy. Perhaps before I adopted it, the humans it had encountered had all chased it away and scolded it.
It's probably because no human has ever touched it that it gets so excited.
An Indian charity filmed a day in the life of a stray dog from its perspective:
Exposed to wind and sun, braving dangers to navigate through traffic, drinking dirty water, eating garbage, and constantly at risk of being beaten or driven away...
It once trusted the humans who approached it, but was ultimately disappointed and continued to live in fear and dread.
Currently, stray dogs are mostly mixed-breed dogs and country dogs. Because they lack purebred pedigree, they are abandoned and disliked, ending up on the streets without a fixed home.
If you had a home, who would choose to wander? If you happen to encounter it, please be kind to it.
If you don't love someone, don't hurt them.
