Dogs are nothing if not literal. When a dog barks in a movie, that made-for-tv- dog is as good as in the room. When Peter calls on the phone from out of town, he is standing in the living room Star Trek style as far as Veegs is concerned. I, of course, feel sorry for all the stress this confusion of reality causes Viggo. (Except for when the fire alarm goes off when I cook and Viggo alerts us to the danger. That is just smart.)
I also feel sorry when I meet a person who is severely literal. They are always painful at conversation and usually inadequate at dressing themselves but I will stop here.
The point is, dogs aren't jaded. What they see is what they see and hearing the same way. They don't question every little thing, over-analyze, or even walk away from their emotions because they are scary and they would rather not confront this today.
Its no wonder you don't see dogs in self-help groups. They may create unnecessary angst for themselves but the fact is they know how to really cope.
