Aaron McDonald

They record every rhythm and interval of their behavior, the order in which they move from room to room, how long it takes them to dry their hair in the morning and the sound and rhythm of their footsteps, they also record all of our facial affectations, our speech patterns, and memorize all of our cognitive blind spots -- when and where we don't pay attention.

I currently have a client who just yesterday reported such a behavior in her dog, Isis. Her toddler has a tendency to climb and tumble. As a response, the dog now stands behind her to brace her fall. The owner gave no such instruction. What emotion drives that innovation, if not feelings of empathy ? Empathy is found at the heart of social attachment.