Over at the New York Times, John Tierney looks at new research that indicates animals might actually feel regret. Then, at his TierneyLab Blog he asks for help compiling the list of Top 10 Pet Regrets. Submit your stories of animal regret and you could win The Parrot’s Lament; And Other True Tales of Animal Intrigue, Intelligence, and Ingenuity, or the new book by Marc Bekoff and Jessica Pierce, Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals.
I love that the Times is getting all interactive.
BTW, as a Dachshund, Darby has no regrets. But I submitted this story about the day he made me regret my own behavior. It was stunning…
Several years ago, I threw a ladies-only wedding shower for my sister, Kathleen. Darby was very excited and greeted everyone with kisses – really turning on the charm. He didn’t know that I had arranged for Mark, my future brother-in-law, to take him out with him for the duration of the party. I felt it would be easier for me not having to worry about Darby licking food off people’s plates. When Mark picked up Darby and put him in the Sherpa carrier, Darby flashed me a look of horror and indignation.
Mark took him on various errands for several hours. When he came back to pick up Kathleen, most of the guests were still there. He said Darby had seemed happy and having a good time. When he let Darby out of the carrier, I called him to come over and say “hi” with a kiss as he ALWAYS does when we are reunited. But he wouldn’t even look at me. He bounded over to my sister and smothered her with kisses. I called him again. Nothing. My mother called him and he jumped up on her lap and kissed her with unbridled enthusiasm. I called him again and he refused to even acknowledge me.
Now, we could all see what he was up to. He was punishing me in a very public way. We all started laughing, and every single guest called out to him. He scampered from woman to woman kissing each one, and no matter how much I called to him, he pretended like I wasn’t even in the room. It was shocking and hilarious. As my mother said, “If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I never would have believed it.”
Eventually after all the guests had left and I settled down on the couch to watch TV, he came to sit with me, confident I had learned my lesson.
Click here to submit your pet regret stories to the Times. Let me know if you win. And remember, never EVER cross a Dachshund.
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