Do Pets Remember/recognize Their Owners?

[timmystood]

Do YOU think that pet's can Recognize their owners?

 

[Lynz781]

Of course but it depends what animal it is I think. For example, dogs can. Can fish though?

 

[Bloo]

What type of pets are we talking about ? I voted yes if you meant cats and dogs - without a showdow of a doubt. Unless they go senile and lose their senses, they will remember life long.

 

[guppy_man]

well i think they can my dogs loves everyone lol
but about 6 years ago my little cousin was annoying my dog, doing what babys do lol, n he kicked my dog, not very hard but my dog has never forgotten that day, even when my cousin is now 4, she has not even gone to say hi to him when he comes over

 

[Jessica13]

Of course. even my new 13 week old puppy recognises me, she was sat on some's lap at training class last night and i went out with the other dog and when i came back into the room she tried to jump off the persons lap and was barking, wiggling and wagging

Fish dont recognise people i think.. they do recognise food though!!!

 

[donna123]

my parrot roamer,knows when i walk down the passage before i get to the door i can hear her shouting me!,also she knows our car engine noise if im in she hears dad come home a min before he pulls up.

 

[tekknocolor]

My Aunt and Uncle live about a 1/4 mile from my parents. They own a black labrador that likes to leave and go to my parents' house to visit their dog. The labrador will stay for days on end, but when my uncle (who leaves for months at a time and comes home for months at a time for work) comes home from work he's there waiting for him. He goes back to my parents' house when my uncle goes back to work. He's the first to know when my uncle comes home and the first to know when he's leaving - though there's not really a set day or date that he's coming or going.

I voted yes

 

[timmystood]

I think they just Recognize the person who gives them food!

 

[Saedcantas]

I voted a yes because I'm sure the question was mainly aimed at domestic types of pets, however, I own both a budgie and a corn snake rather than conventional pets and I am certain that both of them absolutely recognise me when I show up.

That isnt to say that they (or cats and dogs for that matter) have any emotional attachment to me, But I am certain that my budgie knows me by sight (he panics when strangers come in the room) and my snake knows exactly who I am by scent (He reacts very differently when handled by anyone but me)

 

[Nina]

I think they do recongise ther owners. My dog at my mum and dads definately does. He knows when I am walking up the drive just because he knows my footsteps. He goes mad when he hears them so my parents alway know I am coming.

I voted yes

 

[Synirr]

Interesting tidbit: It's unlikely that dogs or cats would be able to pick their owner out of a lineup based on looks. There have been studies done that suggest both cats and dogs use their sense of smell to recognise individuals and their ability to tell the difference between individuals based on small differences in appearance, which is how we do it, is minimal or nonexistent. Of course they would know mommy has long hair and daddy has short hair, for example, but given the same basic characteristics they wouldn't be able to tell one person from another on looks alone. On the other hand, this is an ability sheep seem to possess

I think the vast majority of animals recognise their owners. My bird does and will bite pretty much anyone else who so much as dares to stick their hand in his territory. My oscar can tell the difference between me, my mom, and my dad. He gets excited when I open the cabinet to get food out, but no other time. Whenever he sees dad he freaks out, because dad ALWAYS feeds him, and he doesn't respond to my mother at all.

Animals that form a pair bond for any length of time are more likely to be able to recognise individuals than other animals, as they have to be able to pick out their mate from others. Same goes for animals that care for their young, so they can tell their own offspring apart from others they don't want to raise.

 

[Judmacaroni]

I definately think animals recognise their owners.

Its not just about who feeds them as they will obviously remember thats like us learning that the fridge has food in! But especially animals that live in social groups in the wild or are decended from animals that live in social groups ie dogs and horses etc. Its a survival instinct cause the group means survival so it is really important for them to be able to recognise different members of their "pack or herd" meaning us! And its not just about food as social groups provide much more than that. They need the stimulation and security that living in a group gives. It might not be the exact same as living in a pack but to your dog everyone in the household or who visits regularily has a place in the heirarchy.

However how much your animal bonds with you and how much time and energy you put in to the relationship makes a big difference to how long they'll remember you for I think. I never got my own dog til I was 24 before that when I was growing up I would walk all my neighbours dogs and spent most of my tiem with 2 in particular. Becuase I put so much time into it and we went and had fun together I never fed them the pair of them would be waiting for me coming home from school at their garden gates and would ignore their owners for me. Unless it was dinner time!

I didnt band well with my last horse and I dont expect him to remember much of me except just another person who spent a bit of time with him but my first horse who I worked with and just spent a lot of time with would come galloping over a 50 acre field just to see me whether I had food buckets or a saddle in my hands and would follow me around all day like a dog and he still remembers me when I visit him about once a year at the police stables!

There not as daft as you think!!

 

[sheba]

Well I voted YES!
My dog definitely recognises me and I would say he could even pick me out from a line-up without scent, dobermanns study everything you know!
I'd also say my koi know me (I'm the one who feeds them) but they seem to follow me around the pond more than anyone else. My guinea pigs probably know me but they squeak at anyone just in case theres a cabbage leaf in it for them!

 

[lljdma06]

I think my pets recognize me, they have even missed me. I had to go away for a summer to Austria and I was gone for 5 weeks. I was really close to my Turkish Angora cat, Lily, and she was my constant companion. When I left, she lost 1 and a 1/2 pounds. She was eating a lot less and doctors couldn't find anything wrong with her, but she still had lost a lot of weight. When I came back, she gained it back in a short time and was fine. In addition, when I had to leave Cici with my family for that time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, she spent a lot of time waiting by the door. I got my fair share of slobbery doggie love kisses when I got home, and she didn't let me out of her site. Even my great goldfish, General Tsaio, moped according to my mother, when I was away and let me pet him.

Yeah, people may deny and sometimes science may even back them up, but would they ever convince a good pet owner that pets don't remember or recognize their owners? Probably not!

 

[prankster705]

It really depends on the animal, some animals can, some can't - example:
Someone's dog might recognise him, but my tarantula can't recognize me. - That's because of the brain functions.