Pasan Nanayakkara
We often hear stories about how pets change our lives, but have you ever considered how a pet’s perception of us could affect our fate? One Redditor, scruffyfatguy, recently shared on the “TIFU” subreddit how his wife’s chihuahua played a crucial role in their relationship. The story raises questions about dogs’ perception of people and whether we should let them decide who we date.
The Story of Tinkerbell the Chihuahua
Scruffyfatguy’s post reveals that his wife used her chihuahua, Tinkerbell, to gauge people’s personalities. If Tinkerbell didn’t like someone, then his wife probably wouldn’t either. When they first met, his wife warned him about the dog, but to her surprise, Tinkerbell crawled up in his lap and demanded pets and nuzzles.
This encounter led to a relationship that lasted almost 17 years and three children. However, in a recent conversation, scruffyfatguy asked his wife what would have happened if Tinkerbell hadn’t liked him. His wife’s response shocked him: he wouldn’t have been allowed back.
Dogs’ Perception of People
Dogs have a strong sense of smell and can pick up on certain cues from people, such as fear or aggression. They can also sense body language and energy levels. Some people believe that dogs are good judges of character because they can sense when someone is trustworthy or not.
This ability may come from dogs’ evolutionary history. In the past, dogs used to live and hunt in packs, where they had to be able to read the social cues of other animals to survive. This means that they had to learn how to recognize and respond to different behaviors and emotions from other animals to navigate their social interactions.
Over time, this ability to read social cues has extended to humans as well. However, it’s important to note that dogs are animals, and their perception of people may not always align with human perception.
The Role of Training and Socialization
Dogs’ perception of people is not just innate. It can also be influenced by training and socialization. For example, if a dog is trained to be aggressive towards certain types of people, such as strangers, it may be more likely to perceive those people as a threat.
Similarly, if a dog is not socialized with a diverse range of people, it may be more likely to react negatively towards new people. Therefore, it’s important to expose dogs to a variety of people and situations to help them develop a well-rounded perception of people.
Should We Let Our Dogs Decide Who We Date?
The story of scruffyfatguy and his wife raises the question: should we let our dogs decide who we date? While it may be tempting to rely on our dogs’ judgment, it’s important to remember that they are not infallible.
Dogs have a remarkable ability to perceive people’s personalities and judge their character.
As mentioned earlier, dogs’ perception of people can be influenced by training and socialization, which means that they may not always make accurate judgments about people. Additionally, relying solely on a dog’s opinion may overlook important human factors, such as compatibility and shared values.
The acknowledgment pains him, but he appreciates being regarded as a decent individual by Tinkerbell. As anticipated, the TIFU community had varying responses to his post. See a selection of these responses below.
