On Fri, 02 Mar 2018 13:02:46 -0800, Joerg
wrote:

On 2018-03-01 22:38, John B. wrote:
On Thu, 01 Mar 2018 14:10:49 -0800, Joerg
wrote:

On 2018-03-01 13:45, John B. wrote:

[...]

... But a critter kept just so you could pet it or
it could lay it's head in your lap? I can't remember a single
instance.


Lots of older women back then had a cat in the kitchen that sat in their
lap a lot. Sometimes for more than an hour when they were knitting
something. The kitchen used to be the largest room in the house where
everyone generally hung out. The dog usually also had its pillow there.


When I think back I don't remember any farm wives, i.e., women that
actually had to do things every day, that had a cat in the kitchen. If
for not other reason then they "get under foot" when you are trying to
do something and a woman that cooks for, oh say, a family of 4 or 5,
does the washing, and has a few chickens out back, and maybe a small
garden for the herbs and spices, doesn't have much time for sitting
around knitting.


Maybe they should learn some time management. Where I grew up they were
able to eke out "off time". It wasn't really off time but the needlework
was to make clothing.


... And as for the dog having a bed in the kitchen, that
would have been a no-no. Dogs stink.


Not true. I regularly meet working dogs. They somehow sense that I like
dogs and come up close. None of the stank so far.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_odor
"All natural dog odors are most prominent near the ears, and from the
paw pads. Dogs naturally produce secretions, the function of which is
to produce scents allowing for species and individual animal
recognition by other dogs and for use in scent-marking of territory.
This is a feature they share with other canids"...

"Another source of odor that can be considered natural results from a
common dog behavior. Dogs like to roll in and mark themselves with the
feces of other animals in their environment."


Maybe not a modern town dog that goes to the dog beautician for a wash
and perm every month, but I can assure you that a "working" dog,
whether a young lad's companion or one that herds sheep stinks. After
all, the only bath they get is when they are caught out in the rain
:-)

Many farmers had a good personal relationship with some of their horses.
They spent time with them outside work. Even if it was just to smoke a
pipe and not be bothered by people. Horses tend not to nag and they are
pleasant to be around.

When I was a young fellow there were still a few farmers left that
were farming with a team and my father owned a couple of Quarter
Horses for some years and I'm not sure how "personal" a relationship
existed between horses and men. If for no other reason then a horse
can be almost unbelievably stupid.


So can people and that's not a reason not to like them. At least not for me.


... Or perhaps extremely self centered
:-) You haul a manger full of hay down for the critter, dish out some
oats, haul in a bucket of water and when you start you start to brush
the mud out of his tail, he kicks you.


They can be materialistic but the ones I frequently encounter aren't.
They like me even when I arrive sans carrots. Though the trunk on my MTB
often gets sniffed for potential goodies in there.

[...]

I'm not sure that the animal, other then some dogs, actually feels any
emotion for a human. Horses, for example, will react to most people
that pet them.

Dogs, perhaps because they have "pack instincts", do appear to develop
an emotional relationship to the "Alpha" animal". Google
"Saint Guinefort" or "Hachiko".
--
Cheers,

John B.