Dr Deirdre Barrett, a clinical and evolutionary psychologist at Harvard Medical School, recently arrived to the conclusion that dogs are able to, and in fact, do dream about their owners. She said that she discovered this after many studies regarding the human sleep behavior. She also said that cats often dream about mice, not their owners.
It all began when USA Network started asking the public who’s dreams would they explore if they had the chance. The most common answer was their pets. This study happened in celebration of the psychological thriller Falling Water, which deals with the fine line between reality and dreams.
Dr. Barrett decided to shed some light on this matter so she started studying the human sleep behavior. What she found out was that, even if at the moment is all speculation, animals can indeed dream. An example is that of the two gorillas, Koko and Michael, who were singing about some interesting ideas which they both may have dreamt about. But were different ideas. Michael would sing that “bad people kill gorillas”.
Similar sleep cycles
But science tells us that the cycle of sleep in animals resembles that of a human. First there is the deeper sleep, during which the brain is less active, then the rapid eye movement which happens when the individual dreams. So dr. Barrett used these facts to study if an animal can dream too. And there is no reason they would not. Remember those paw movements which your pet makes when it sleeps? That might be the moment in which they are dreaming. They can dream of running, hunting, eating, anything is possible.
Cats are more likely to dream about mice, for example. They are less attached to their owner so they dream about the next best thing. Also, according to dr. Berrett, another researcher previously destroyed an area in a cat’s brain which stops any movement during sleep. In conclusion, they were looking like they were running and hunting mice in their sleep. But what about dogs?
A dream about their owner
Dr. Berrett is saying that humans are usually dreaming about thing in which they are interested. Loved ones, holidays, a new car. So, by analogy, dogs do too. And who is the most loved person in their life? Their owner. They can be dreaming about your face, your smell, even about playing together in nature. Things they love.
All in all, it seems like your loved furry companion really loves you if he even dreams about you at night. Like us, they know how to love and discern what is good or bad. In conclusion, their brain chooses to imagine the best person in their lives. And that is their owner. The person who gives them food, affection, who plays with them and who shelters them. And if you think about it, it makes perfect sense. Humans do the exact same thing. Apart from the occasions when we have nightmares, our dreams are pleasant and show people who we love or care about, or things we like to do. So dogs resemble us more than we think.
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