The Gazette

       The study we read this week indicated that the average person is biased against pit bulls. If a dog was identified as a pit bull, subjects rated it as less friendly, harder to train, and more aggressive when compared with lookalikes. However, when the dogs were unlabeled, pit bulls did as well as the control group.      Is this doggy discrimination based on facts or fear? Because the breed was developed for dog fighting, do they just make bad pets? Or is it the fault of poor training? According to this article from Time magazine, pit bulls are involved with 52% of dog-related deaths and 68% of dog attacks, despite making up only 6% of the dog population. So, these animals are more aggressive than other breeds, on average. But is this due to genetics? Or do humans pick pit bulls specifically because they want a tough pet and train them to be so asocial?     Question 1: What breeds are considered pit bulls?  A purebred AP...

After my first month of Dogs in Art, I have started to reevaluate my relationship with animals. I realized that I had put animals in the background of my mind, instead of giving them proper attention.  Fruit and Insects by Rachael Ruysch For instance, in this still life, the insects and fruit are treated with the same attention to detail. The butterfly is the same quality as the peaches; the snail has the same texture as the squash. By taking this class I've realized that animals aren't just decorations; they have their own rich inner life outside of human interaction.  As I continue to explore the relationship between humans and dogs, I hope to find out how to have better communication with the animals in my life.

     After reading about St. Guinefort, I began to think about other animals that were adopted into Christianity. The most obvious that came to mind was a lamb. Where did this motif originate? Because the ancient world was rooted in agriculture, I found that many traditions referenced sheep. These ideas were absorbed into Christian theology to produce one of the most popular depictions of Jesus Christ today: the Good Shepherd. Jesus as a shepherd. The Hebrew Bible referred to sheep and lambs often. For instance, Abraham sacrificed a lamb in place of his son Isaac, which Christians believe is an allegory for the sacrifice of Christ. This story is also important to Muslims and Jews. In all three traditions, the story teaches of obedience and altruistic sacrifice. Clearly, lambs were of great value to this early Middle Eastern society as they were seen as sacrifices of equal value to a child.  Timurid (Persian) art depicting Abraham sacrificing his son. This illustratio...

     Pop culture, especially when marketed to children, is saturated with talking animals. Let's take a look at a few examples of anthropomorphism and decide whether it would make a difference if these cuddly creatures were replaced with humans. Our criteria will be anatomical accuracy, behaviors, and relationship to the human world. Stuart Little A horrifying non-mouse   I hate Stuart Little so much. There's no reason for him to be a mouse except so that he can get into hilarious and wacky misadventures based on his small size. In fact, we aren't even sure that he's a mouse. His biological parents, as per the E.B. White novel, are humans who gave birth to some sort of mini eldritch horror. As far as acting like a mouse, he wears human clothes, speaks English, and drives a car? Nothing he does indicated that he is a rodent, which indeed he may not be. Robin Hood  "A kiss for the winner? Oo-de-lally!" This largely overlooked Disney gem is one of my absolute fav...

 In order to understand our obligations to our domestic animals, we have to consider the balance of power between humans and dogs. The natural assumption is that humans are superior creatures, capable of judgement, self-improvement, and creativity. However, in light of recent discoveries on the mental capabilities of animals such as pigs and dolphins, some animal rights activists believe that humans are fundamentally equal to dogs.  Elephants are often cited as Smart Animals.   Animal rights activist Charlotte Flores argues that we are "speciesist", prioritizing human rights over those of animals. However, this line of reasoning is flawed, no matter where we stand in regard to dogs. If humans are equal to dogs, humans don't owe dogs anything. Humans should look out for humans and dogs should look out for dogs. It would be patronizing of us to intervene on behalf of these noble canines. If, on the other hand, humans outrank dogs, are we responsible for them?  Wolf and...