A place with minimal rules for stuff that makes you go awww! Feel free to post pics, gifs, or videos of cats, dogs, babies, or anything cute and remember to be kind to others.
AI posts must be labeled [AI] in the title and are limited to one per week.
While posting and commenting in this community, you must abide by instance-wide rules: https://mastodon.world/about
Take a moment and think about the fact that, in the wild, another animal handling your babies is a great way to lose them, so the vast majority of animals have evolved to be protective of their young.
Now think about how much it means that dogs let humans handle their babies.
I've forgotten the name of the paper but I read a fairly in-depth report on human/dog co-evolution and how it has ingrained an instinctual understanding into each other even as little more than babies for both species.
We also tend to share our babies with dogs. My sister has recently had skin dogs and my fur babies are very interested in standing by the bassinet and watching over them. They're also extremely patient with their flailing hands and curious fingers.
While the reasons why aren't all peachy, and much of the framework it happens in is incredibly abusive and horrible, what humans and dogs share is very beautiful.
My dog recently broke her leg, she was screaming in terrible pain, but she went dead silent when we arrived and started investigating. That level of trust is incredible. I don't know exactly what's going on in her head, but I know that when something is wrong and I show up to help her breathing calms and she relaxes. Just as when I think I hear something in the night or whatever I look to her for guidance on whether it's a threat.
skin dogs
I understand how you meant this, but my brain definitely came up with a terrifying mental image.
Meh, dogs have been selectively bred for millennia to bring things to people. They're also completely dependent on humans not only for nutrition, but also probably in this case behavioural guidance.
It's not so much "here human I trust you so much I'll let you hold my baby" as it is "here human this smells important".
😭
Lovely pups, how sheeny are those coats... 😍
When I was finished making "squee!" noises, I took my phone around to show each member of my household so they could also make "squee!" noises.
}set squee -on
That dog looks like a puppy itself.
This is the greatest thing I’ve ever seen
Beautiful doxies. I have 3, they're such amazing creatures.
I have one myself! She is probably half doxie, but definitely has the personality.
And a heart on her butt.
10 pounds of crazy in a 1 pound bag.
It’s usually the good kind of crazy when they’re not picking fights with a bear and leaving you to deal with it.
I miss mom’s runt; she was always up for a camping trip- and a snuggle.
Of course!