Dog Barks Reveal Universal Language

By Jennifer Viegas

What do dog barks have in common with bird tweets and human baby cries? All appear to communicate basic emotions, such as fear, aggression and submission, in somewhat the same acoustic way, according to a new Applied Animal Behavior Science study that suggests a primitive communication system may unite virtually all mammals.

The theory could help explain why previous research has found that many mammals, including humans, understand the vocalizations of different species.

For example, a Language Communication study determined young children can identify simple emotions conveyed in macaque calls. Other studies indicate that interacting individuals among African grey parrots and bonobos can agree on the object that’s likely referred to by a vocalization.

For the recent research, Péter Pongrácz and colleagues studied how well people with varying dog experience could describe several artificially assembled bark sequences. The barks, which were based on sounds made by a Mudi (a Hungarian herding dog), covered five emotional states: aggressiveness, fear, despair, playfulness and happiness.

Pongrácz, a professor of ethology at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary, and his team then compared the listeners’ answers to the acoustical features of the barks.

The scientists discovered that changes in three basic sound qualities — tone, pitch, and the time between barks — determined how listeners perceived the barks. In general, high-pitched barks with longer intervals between each bark were rated as less aggressive than lower-pitched barks heard in frequent succession.

Human babies vary similar sound quality characteristics when they cry, except frequency range appears to be more important than pitch when they express their needs.

This link between pitch or frequency and perceived emotion appears to carry across many different species, according to Pongrácz, who cited an earlier theory proposed by avian expert Eugene Morton.

“His basic argument was that, according to the general physical laws, larger bodies emit sounds characterized by lower frequencies — and these are also noisier/atonal, thus receivers can predict the size of the sender,” Pongrácz and his team wrote.

“This relationship could have formed the basis of an evolutionary ritualization process whereby low pitched vocalizations tended to signal aggression because larger animals are more likely to win contests…and high pitched vocalizations became predictors of submission or friendly intent.”

Since the dog study test subjects also linked barks to despair, happiness and playfulness, the researchers suspect dogs and humans share a unique ability to communicate with one another that goes beyond the proposed universal mammal “language.”

The scientists believe years of domestication have improved the way that dogs, versus their wolf ancestors, can communicate with us. They point out that such communication isn’t limited to vocalizations. It also includes visual signals, such as changes in looks.

Common house cats also appear to have evolved improved means of communicating with humans, according to a study conducted by Cornell University researcher Nicholas Nicastro. Cats, however, seem more intent on manipulating us.

“Though they lack language, cats have become very skilled at managing humans to get what they want — basically food, shelter and a little human affection,” said Nicastro.

Alan Beck, professor and director of the Center for Human-Animal Bond at Purdue University, told Discovery News that we have to be careful not to interpret behavior according to “our projection of intent.” But he admitted dogs might be able to communicate with us through their barks.

Beck said, “As dogs and humans share some basic non-verbal communications, it is very possible that verbal ones also exist.”

Day Care for the Whole Family

There are so many types of day care in the world today, day care facilities have you covered. Doggie Day Care, Child Day Care, Adult Day Care – day care facilities have something for everyone. So, here are the options available for you.

Adult Day Care

Adult day care is designed for those elderly adults that may need assistance and supervision during the day. They are designed to provide companionship for seniors while allowing their loved ones a little more freedom during the day. Having the peace of mind that your family members are being taken care of is very important as well. It can be a great option to prolonging the decision for a nursing home and assisted living facility.

Dog Day Care

Dog day care is designed for several reasons. One of the most important is socialization. This type of atmosphere can be perfect for getting your dog the interaction it needs with other dogs. Dog day cares are designed to provide exercise and care for your dogs during the day.

Child Day Care

Many of us might have grown up in day care or at least knew someone who went to day care as a child. There are many types of day care available – from those with a home care provider to a more corporate, organized center. They may provide preschool or other learning options, social activities, play time and other activities.

There are any types of day care available for pretty much everyone in the family. Often times it is the cost that might prevent us from taking advantage of such services. Families who utilize day care for their children know exactly that the monthly cost of such a service is quite costly, and continuing to rise each year. Those who use dog day care may do so only a few days a week just to take advantage of the socializing aspect. Adult day care is relatively affordable.

People are busy. Day care provides options for children, dogs and adults that allow people more options. You can do the research and decide on a program that might be right for you and your family. Make sure that you are choosing reputable facilities; you want to make sure those you love are well-loved and taken care of.

Executive Summary by Rebecca Beckett

Reiki For Family, Friends and Pets

Reiki is a spiritual healing art with its roots in Japanese origin. The word Reiki comes from the Japanese word (Rei) which means “Universal Life” and (Ki) which means “Energy.” Reiki is not affiliated with any particular religion or religious practice. It is not massage nor is it a system of religious beliefs or suggestion. It is a subtle and effective form of energy healing using spiritually guided life force energy, the energy which fills our whole universe and all living things. This energy is channeled through the hands of the practitioner into the body and aura of the receiver. It is an ancient healing system that has been used for thousands of years and was developed by Dr Mikao Usui.

Reiki is the least complicated, truest and most effective technique for wellness, as it is an excellent compliment to Western medicine. It is holistic in nature and will not adversely interfere with any drug, diagnosis, or belief system. Reiki can also be sent to someone who is not physically present, this is called distance healing. It can also be used on animals and plants. During a Reiki session, the person receiving Reiki can lies or sits, fully clothed, while the practitioner places his hands lightly on or a few inches over the person’s head and body. Reiki opens the mind and spirit to the causes of disease and pain and the necessity for taking responsibility for one’s life. Reiki heals on all levels: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual to help return the body to its natural perfect state.

The point that the Reiki principles make is the life force relies on the views and judgments that we practice and make known, in other words, if we think in a positive manner and try to feel only good feelings, the life energy is profuse. If we only have negative thoughts about ourselves and about people around us, the life energy weakens. The outcome is poor health of the mind, body and spirit.

Reiki is used hand-in hand with orthodox medicine more and more all over the world. It has been useful with therapies such radiotherapy chemotherapy, physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, vitamin and nutritional therapy, and general medical drug therapy.

Reiki helps friends, family, including our pets (animal loves Reiki) to relax their stress levels, detoxify their systems and heal their injuries or illnesses more rapidly. The health benefits mean you can cope better with all worries to do with, work, relationships and money. Reiki experience varies from person to person, but it never ceases to amaze.

The side-effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy can be greatly eased, including nausea, anxiety, exhaustion and the tension in scar tissue Recovery from surgery can be quite surprising, for us and for our pets especially when the treatments begin some weeks previous to the surgery. Carry on the Reiki after medical treatment and it all comes together to help and improve after-effects and recovery time. You can also arrange some distance healing, which will also add to the recovery time.

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