‘Nuff said: this is Bizkit, the sleep-running dog. Obviously dreaming of running after something (o.k., or something running after him):
Proof that dogs dream
March 27, 2009 • 7:19 am
Why Evolution is True is a blog written by Jerry Coyne, centered on evolution and biology but also dealing with diverse topics like politics, culture, and cats.
If you’ve ever seen an epileptic dog, this is what some types of seizures can look like.
I’ve done that myself 🙂
I don’t think it’s so obvious that Bizkit, in his dream, is running after something. Looks more like he is running from something.
Anyone who has had a dog knows they dream quite vividly. Cats are different in my experience – and I love the little critters. But I’ve watched my cats lie in one place for hours without doing more than an occasional stretch (apparently awake). I wonder why the noticeable difference between the two species?
Cats most definitely dream. They show Rapid Eye Movements, just like us. When they’re doing this, you can pull their eyelids back and they don’t react at all – you can see their eyes flicking back and forth. Some cats will also swallow ferociously as they dream. I had a cat called Harry and we would get a teaspoon of tea and drip it into the side of his mouth. He would lap it up enthusiastically, then suddenly wake up and, like Bizkit, look rather confused about what was real and what wasn’t…
Per #4, this is not news to dog people.
“Dog people” (and “cat people,” for that matter) routinely anthropomorphize everything their carnivoran companions do. Unconscious locomotor movements like these are in no way evidence for the cognitive state of “dreaming.” I have slept with a (smallish) number of humans, all of whom report dreaming, and none of whom has ever performed unconscious locomotor movements. Why make the leap in the other direction? Also, routine locomotor movements are largely organized in the spinal cord and not the brain (where I am pretty sure dreaming occurs).
I don’t know if Dummkatz dream, but I have noticed that when he sleeps snuggled up to me, he does occassionally have fits of twitching. I take that to be for the same reason as the dogs running in their sleep. Whatever that is.
I too am guilty of anthropomorphisation, but I’m working on it. Thus even though I’m comforted by having the cat sleep next to me, I doubt that he jumps into bed with me because he wants to comfort me.
I would keep a close eye on the dog, as this looks like something closer to a seizure than just normal dreaming. It may not be, but be careful
Awe, the poor thing. Must of been one heck of a dream.