Year-old Van Leifer-Nau cuddles with Neiko, a yellow lab-Saluki mix in San Diego. Tamara Leifer-Nau says of her dog and son Van, “Neiko loves this baby, it’s like Van is his baby. They love each other and Neiko goes in for as many kisses as he can get. They are inseparable. They are communicating at a completely different level,” Dr. Gary Weitzman, president of the San Diego Humane Society, has worked with tens of thousands of stray dogs over the last quarter century and says there is no question that pets and people communicate, but some are getting more out of it than others.LOS ANGELES – Wags and barks speak volumes when it comes to understanding what a dog is saying, but there are also clues in a dog’s eyes, ears, nose or the tilt of its head. Are humans getting the right messages?
Dr. Gary Weitzman, president of the San Diego Humane Society and former CEO of the Washington Animal Rescue League, has worked with tens of thousands of stray dogs over the last quarter century and says there is no question that pets and people communicate, but some are getting more out of it than others.
“Dogs want to be with us and they want to do the right thing. Nothing is ever done by a dog for spite or revenge. That’s a human quality. Dogs just want to please us,” Weitzman said. “So don’t misunderstand what dogs are saying.”
Jerry Ericksen of Los Angeles has two dogs and they have different needs that require different languages. Forest, a pit bull that was abused and starved before Ericksen got him, is still super timid and spends his time at the dog park hiding under Ericksen’s chair.
“I talk to him in a smooth, gentle voice. He’s very cooperative. He’s very content,” Ericksen said.