Pet Comics #5: "The Mediator in Fights"

Lovers, spouses, siblings... People inevitably argue over trivial matters.
For instance, in families with children, some might indirectly convey what they want to say to their partner by telling their child instead.

Depending on the intensity of the argument, as long as it doesn't involve shouting, it's a common tactic to indirectly convey feelings you can't express directly to the person you're arguing with by telling someone else involved (laughs).

In situations like this, some members of the pet project mentioned that their pet took on that role in their home.
It's a bit of a pity for the pet, caught in the middle between the two... (laugh).
Perhaps precisely because pets can't speak human words, it makes it easier (or makes you want them to listen more).

But what's really interesting is that when caught up in this kind of situation, the dog starts acting like it's trying to mediate. It might snuggle up to each person separately or give a little bark.
I bet many of you have seen this kind of thing before.

Of course, it could be the dog's own personality, or perhaps they don't recognize it as a fight and just feel lonely, like they've been left out, so they seek attention by bothering their owner.
But when you see a dog acting like it's trying to stop us, it somehow calms your own mood. Before you know it, you forget you were even arguing... sometimes you even feel soothed.

Now, it's said that the background to this kind of behavior in dogs is influenced by their instincts from living in packs. A "fight" disrupts pack life. Stopping it seems to be an instinctive action.
In fact, it's not just situations where they get caught up in human fights; they're also said to mediate between other dogs and even other animals.

Having a pet in your life changes even the smallest daily actions.
This feeling of a mysterious connection, even though they can't speak, might be the true joy of living with animals.

What kind of behaviors do your pets exhibit?

 

(Column: Rei Nagi / Manga: Erika Sudo)