XPost: alt.animals.ethics.vegetarian, rec.aquaria.freshwater.goldfish,   
   rec.pets.dogs.behavior   
      
       From what little I've seen about it so far, it looks   
   to me like some people actually believe dogs are not   
   aware of themselves simply because they don't appear   
   to recognise their reflection in a mirror. To me that only   
   means they don't understand a mirror, and has absolutely   
   nothing to do with whether or not they have a mental   
   concept of themselves.   
      
       The facts that they have a mental concept of their   
   objects, their territory, their urine, their body, etc, are   
   all indications that they have a mental concept of   
   themselves, imo.   
      
       The fact that they are aware of different individual   
   beings is a very strong indication that they are aware   
   of themselves as an individual also imo, especially   
   when considered along with the fact that they have   
   a mental concept of the other things they encounter.   
      
       Question: Has anyone ever managed to get a dog   
   to understand that it can see its reflection in a mirror,   
   and if so, did it appear to experience a great revelation   
   about its own existence at the instant it learned to do so?   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)