advocacy
Emotional Scars In the fourth of an occasional series of articles on animals and abuse, Beth Napolitano explores the effects of mistreatment on a dog’s behavior, as well as some possible signs of abuse Content Warning: This article contains subject matter that some readers may find upsetting
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hrough careful observation, behavior provides us with a “window” into what a dog, or any animal, might be feeling or thinking. Ac cording to Dr. Susan Friedman (2008), a dog’s behavior is affected by whether or not his health, nutrition, and physical needs are being met, while Bibancos et al. (2006) point out that negative early life events, such as social isolation and stressful environments, influence brain development and have long lasting consequences on behavior. Research with mice has shown that negative events affect emotionre lated behaviors, and increase aggressive and hyperactive behaviors be cause the brain is “vulnerable to the environment.” (Bibancos at al., 2006). So can we extend what we know about laboratory rodents to the behavior of dogs? According to Wernick (2015), the answer is yes. He cites Blaisdell, a professor of comparative psychology at the University of California: “They (rats) have a lot of the social mechanisms of behavior that are pres ent in, for example, primates, pack hunting dogs and wolves.”
Signs of Stress One indication of a dog’s level of stress is the appearance of stereotypi cal behaviors, defined as “repetitive, invariant behavior patterns with no obvious goal or function.”(Mench, 1998). These are abnormal behaviors that may be associated with multiple factors, including living in an envi ronment that is less than optimal, which may result in stressinduced re actions like changes in brain chemicals and hormone levels. The actual performance of such behaviors may be a dog’s attempt to reduce his internal state of stress – which would produce the added reinforcement to repeat the behaviors. Even when environmental condi tions improve, the stereotypical behaviors may continue and re searchers think this may represent the emotional “scars” of past abuse and trauma, i.e. the behavior is our clue that the scars exist. According to Pierce (2012), emotional scars are invisible but may take longer to heal and cause more suffering than a physical injury. Pierce (2012) also states that “little is known about the longterm psychological effects of abuse on animals” and that researchers are trying to improve their understanding of what constitutes emotional suffering. This may lead to improved animal cruelty laws that currently only reflect the physi cal harm and injuries of an abused dog. Current research indicates that emotional abuse may be more widespread than physical abuse. According to Todd (2014), there is “no single profile” that reflects behavior in all abused dogs. Rather, these dogs may display “various problem behaviours including aggression and fear to unfamiliar people
According to Pierce (2012), emotional scars are invisible but may take longer to heal and cause more suffering than a physical injury. Pierce (2012) also states that “little is known about the long-term psychological effects of abuse on animals.”
© Can Stock Photo / Svet_lana
Through careful observation, behavior provides us with a “window” into what a dog, or any animal, might be feeling or thinking
and dogs, attachment problems, attentionseeking, and repetitive be haviours.” Symptoms range from no behavioral changes at all, to severe, depending on the individual, temperament, nature of abuse and length of time the abuse occurred. For example, a dog who has been abused at close range may display more fearful behaviors around humans than a dog that was shot from a distance and did not associate the injury with a human. Based on research of abused children which shows that emotional abuse can result in more harmful effects than physical abuse, re searchers suspect the same is true for dogs. The Sunbear Squad (2005 2016), a volunteer and nonprofit humane awareness organization, lists the following among a number of risk factors associated with abuse: dogs that are kept in large numbers like hunting and sled dogs, dogs who have never been trained in basic obedience behaviors or house trained, dogs kept to guard drug houses, and dogs who live outside. The Sunbear Squad (20052016) also notes that “a family in financial crisis is more likely to abandon their pets and some have been found, left be hind, inside empty houses.”
Sunbear The Sunbear Squad is named after just such a dog, Sunbear, whose fam ily left him behind when they had to move out of their home. Sunbear, a chocolate Lab, was not discovered until six weeks after the family had abandoned him in their empty house without any food or water. Initially found alive, sadly, Sunbear passed away a few days later from the ef fects of malnutrition and dehydration. Thanks to the efforts of one of the Sunbear Squad members, an animal control officer, Sunbear’s
BARKS from the Guild/November 2020
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