Isn’t it funny how animals don’t look each other in the eye, really? Maybe only humans do, maybe only humans really recognize each other. It’s like this photo, where the kittehs are "yaahm"ing away on their lollipop, not looking at each other. Same is happening here—the horse and puppeh are all "snort!" and "ew!!!" respectively, and not looking each other in the eye.
That puppeh is totally freaking out man! Thanks to Lori S. 
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OK, OK, what if Peeps really do meet for a big CO convention, yeah so cool, but I mean like, the one Peep who shows up before anybody else, has to shout out, “First!”, OK? Like, OK? I mean like, what’s the *worst* Theo could do? Ya know? OK?
What? Look up? OH MY Whinniefred!
Sorry. I’m all hoarse now.
A gentle equine snorgle.
You know I said earlier I needed a car? I’ve changed my mind. I need one of *those*.
(Or a lovely warm and tender moose would do, obviously.)
That puppeh is giving me a “Whatcho talkin’ ’bout Willis” vibe.
OK, OK, what if Peeps really do meet for a big CO convention, yeah so cool, but I mean like, the one Peep who shows up before anybody else, has to shout out, “WELL WHOOP DEE DOO I’M NORMALLY PRETTY SMART AND CLEVER AND ENTERTAINING AND ALL BUT FOR SOME PERVERSE REASON I HAVE TO KEEP BEATING THIS #@&%ING DEAD HORSE!”, OK? Like, OK? I mean like, what’s the *worst* Theo could do? Ya know? OK?
What? Look up? OH MY Whinniefred!
Anyway, *those* pups are ALWAYS freaked out.
Horsies and doggies (especially small, yappy doggies like chihuahuas )don’t really get along. Horsies like kitties and kitties like horsies.
Puppeh: Errr… my…my..my what a big nose you hav…have there.
Horsey: Shush… hold still lil puppeh, while I prepare to snooorrrggglllleee!
Theo – Well put me out to pasture.
Animals certainly do recognize each other. They do not look each other in the eye because it is perceived as a threat.
Yeah, it’s not about sight. It’s all about SMELL, man! “Ooooo, this little tidbit smells most interesting . . . ” thinks Mr. Ed, here. “Ehn!” thinks Senor Cheewawa.
its cuz the horsey’s like “zomg u smell like fricking dog food and that’s made from my uncle fred” and dogs like “mmm u smell like food but then you also smell like a giant walking turd, so yea”
The pup is sayin’ – “Hayyyy!”
The pup is thinking, “Holy crap, that is one frickin’ huge puppeh!”
And secretly hopes he grows that big, too.
I like that word, “equine.” Also “porcine.”
Ha, lil pup is thinking “Get this monter away from me!”
This is a testament to how brave Chi-chies are. My little Italian Greyhound wouldn’t even approach a horse. Not even with beef jerky treats and momma’s arms. But this dude has total faith he’s not going to be fed to the big dog monster.
this is totally like the scene in jurassic park when the t-rex is sniffing dr. grant and the little girl, and dr. grant says, “don’t move. he can’t see us if we don’t move.” that’s what i’m imagining the little doggie is saying.
I think puppy is freaking out, because horsie’s head is about twenty times his size.
And to RJ, some horses and doggies do get along fairly well…a lot of dogs make great trail ride companions.
I once was walking a sweet pit bull puppy, on behalf of an animal shelter, and a cop on a horse was walking down the street. The puppy was scared and hid behind me! I don’t know what she thought the horse was, a giant dog, maybe?
For a lot of animals, eye contact is a sign of confrontation. Also, they have non-visual ways of communicating, so eye contact probably isn’t as necessary.
“AYE CARAMBA!!! Geet da sheeeeet ovaaay frim me, BEACH!”
paranoid pups
My bunnies sniff people to check them out instead of sizing them up with their eyes, I think this is pretty common. Although since bunny eyes are all iris and almost no whites it’s hard to tell exactly where they’re looking.
And sometimes when I’m reading my two buns stretch out on the floor and stare at me for a disconcertingly long period of time.
OMG! look at that look! at that expression….that’s…AMAZING! *falls from chair*
I dunno Krista, that may be a brave pupster, but its look just doesn’t say “total faith” to me.
I’m with the pup! Anything that big with steel feet and giant teeth gets respect from me.
Okay, what’s with the entering the stuff in the box thing; I go away from CO for a few days (ok a week) and come back and find this? I know the purpose of those boxes in general, but why suddenly on CO? It is really, really hard for me to make these particular ones out.
My aunt & uncle have a donkey, and my dog loooooves that donkey. He sniffs him through the fence and barks (you know, the happy bark, not the menacing bark), and Donkey shows off with a big jump and hee-haw. Then they sniff each other thru the fence some more and everybody smiles. They are fast friends.
But then, that’s a donkey, not a horse.
The funniest thing on this picture is that if the little dog actually really wanted to yap at him two second the horse would totally step back…we al know how nervous those creatures are! They freak out on any loud sond! Sing him a song doggy!
Yep — I’m agreeing with the animal/animal eye connection being confrontational most of the time…Anyone who has ever witnessed the BUTT WHUPPIN’ KITTY BRAWL that follows the eye-to-eye contact, ears flattened, sloooooooowly circling thingy will agree with me, I think.
BUT — have you noticed how animals DO look directly into PEEP’s eyes? Like they UNDERSTAND that that’s how WE interract/communicate/connect, whatever — It amazes me that they’re so intelligent that they DO know to make the eye connection with people, but not each other — plus where my cats didn’t actually verbally communicate with each other, they will make the effort to verbally communicate with ME because they understand that that’s how PEOPLE communicate…
Know what I mean?
(kittehs are THE BEST! &:o)
Julia2 – I know what you’re saying and I totally agree with you! I really NEED glasses and I REALLY have trouble seeing some of those d*mned letters/numbers!!!
Aw! My horse recognizes me even when I am in the car driving up. If she doesn’t see me drive up, she whinnies when she does finally see me…like, “I didn’t even know you were HERE!”
Awwwwww, what a pretty horsie! And I agree with Theo on the freaked out puppeh.
And hey Pyrit – I agree wit h you shouting “First” on a CO peeps CONVENTION. When it comes to PLACES, punctuality is one of my vices.
And yes, if the Peeps really do meet for a big CO convention, yeah so cool, but I mean like, the one Peep who shows up before anybody else, has to shout out, “WELL WHOOP DEE DOO I’M NORMALLY PRETTY SMART AND CLEVER AND ENTERTAINING AND ALL BUT FOR SOME PERVERSE REASON I HAVE TO KEEP BEATING THIS #@&%ING DEAD HORSE!”, OK? Like, OK? I mean like, what’s the *worst* Theo could do? Ya know? OK?
What? Look up? OH MY Whinniefred!
Y’know there’s a awfully weird echo in here.
D’aww… I’ve got too many funny horse/small animal stories.
As for equine recognization, I used to board two of my horses at an inner-city barn. They learned what my car sounded like when I drove up, and so whenever I’d get out of the car, I’d be greeted by a chorus of “Wheeeeeeeeeen” s.
As for small animals, my Walking horse loves them and has infinite patience with them. As opposed to my old Morgan, who believes that anything shorter than his knee deserves to be stomped, and that cats are meant for picking up and throwing. … eeee.
One of my friends at the barn where I board the Walker has this old Sheltie dog who walks reeeeely slooooow. We were coming in the barn one day and the Sheltie was trundling sloooowly up the aisle, and the Walker goes up behind him and gently puuuushes him down the aisle with his nose as he walked reeeely slowly behind him. It was really funny, like “Here old feller, lemme help ya.”
One upward BOOMP! with horsie’s nose and puppy’s launched across the paddock–horsie’s not refusing to make eye contact, he’s measuring trajectory.
I don’t think puppy believes the horse is a vegetarian.
Who do you think the girl will catch back and keep in her cosy arms before getting on horsie back for a cute family walk on the beach?
That doggie IS freaked out.
Also, I think that I’ve heard that for animals (not primates of any kind…including humans however) looking another in the eye is a sign of aggression.
Altho, I could be wrong on this…I know that it is true for cats.
That dog’s expression is hilarious.
Sorry Theo, didn’t mean to quote you, got posted by accident.
Another thing is that horses can’t see dead ahead of them, so it’s physically impossible for that horse to look directly at that chi-chi.
I used to ride as a teen, and we’d take our Bostons to the stable. They loooooovvvved the horses, whom they seemed to regard as just Big Dogs.
“the one Peep who shows up before anybody else, has to shout out, “First!…”
If a Peep shouts “First!” and nobody’s there to hear it…
Why even bother? Just grab a diet Coke — the rest of us’ll be right along.
oh geeshe what just flashed in my head was DIET COKE PUDDING.
gahhhhhh
Theo! Eeeeeew!
“LAST!!!” wOOt! wOOt! ~Does a Snoopy dance~
Is it me or does that lil chi-chi look kinda maybe sorta a little like Steve Buscemi? Just a thought…
Ha! All chihuahuas look a little like Steve Buscemi.
If a Peep shouts “First!!!11!!” in the forrest and nobody else is there, does Theo still verbally discipline their commenting butt???
&:o?
ygrs – Yes. Teho knows all.
BTW, Teho, ever hear of deep fried Coke?
http://www.slashfood.com/2006/09/07/deep-fried-is-the-new-coke/
Yes, Theo-rhetoric-ly speaking!
)
That dog looks scared to death!
I made the mistake of maintaining eye contact with a friend’s cat, and he beat the crap outta me. I was so used to eye contact with my own kitties, I’d forgotten that strange kits view it as aggression on my part.
Puppy thinks: What a big dog – wooow
: )
Carlisa — I don’t mind anybody doing the “LAST!” comment dance… but just so y’know, it NEVER sticks. Like, ever. Just FYI.
Horsie says, “Thank you for the offering, but I don’t eat dog. Who *have* you been talking to?”
Laurie C — um, guess I’ve heard of it *now*… if you can put it on a STICK, it’ll be at the MN State Fair this summer. Better throw in some walleye too, just to be sure.
“u guys r silly,” I know what you mean about the Butt Whuppin Brawl that cats do. That usually starts out as a mutual grooming session between my two brother kitties. Having watched sumo matches on TV (when I went to Hawaii, two of the TV channels in our hotel room were Japanese, and a sumo tournament was going on at the time), I’m convinced that there’s some connection. Like kitties, the sumo wrestlers circle each other slowly, waiting for each other to make the first move. Now I picture my cats wearing little sumo thongs.
Hubby’s quote: What they don’t tell you is, there *used* to be TWO dogs in that picture…and that’s why the remaining one has that look on his face!
(DH is soooooo tweested…*grin*)
–TwoDragons
I think our dogs are related!!!! Seriously, if I didn’t know better I would have thought that was my dog.
Let me know if you want me to send pics of him
I guarantee you that horse is looking for a carrot or an apple and ain’t a bit worried about the cuteness that is that chihuahua! =)
NebraskaErin – that happened to me, too! I read somewhere that once a cat knows you, you can maintain eye contact. If the cat slowly blinks at you, or looks at you with half closed lids, he’s telling you he likes you. But looking too long at a stranger cat…look out. My Sam cat also likes biting my toes. I haven’t read anything to tell me what that means…
Julia et al –
It’s because the replicants have gone to the next level. They now share our need for teh cute.
Or maybe it’s the cyclons.
Certainly not daleks, anyway. They’ve only just figured out the “stairs” thing.
My Shih Tzu, Rosie, adores horses. If she sees horses she **has** to get out to be with them. Once she followed a horse and rider for about half a mile before I caught up with her and brought her back. And another time… get ready… if you want to see Cute with a capital Q you should see a fluffy white Shih Tzu standing in front of a horse while the horse bends down so they can touch noses. Yes!!!! It really happened!!!! (of course I didn’t have the camera, natch!)
We think she was a horse in a past life. After all, she’s a Shih Tzu – Tibetan, monks, buddha, and all that… it could happen!
D2D, love your husband’s take on things.
Well….I tried.
(
Noelegy : heh-heh…it IS similar to Sumo wrestling ! . . . &:o)
Persephone : …huh?????
&:o?
The look on that puppy’s face is peiceless…..And the way he is pulling back
LOVE IT!!!!!
Lovely horse is nosing the wah-wah as if its Mr. Ed-ible.
I think this also qualifies for cute or sad. that dog is so scared its cute… definitely thinking “if I don’t move it cant see me and it moves I will definitely pee on myself” PLEASE DONT MOVE.
pyrit–you be on fire today!
Theo–you ask for it–lol! Never let your pet peeves be known!!
Such a pretty pretty pinkish roanish buckskin horsie!! Love the popped eyeballs on the pup.
oh god grannymoon, plz tell me you didn’t name it *that*…. i guess ppl just like my name too much…
Wah-Wah: “Halt-er!”
Horsie: “I cant-er!”
No, Rosie – it wasn’t us!!!! She came to us at the age of 3 already with that name. If I’d named her, she would have been Empress Smarty-pants (more accurately reflecting her personality!). But poor you – when you walk in the park you must spend all your time turning around to see who’s calling you
.
Lil’ pup is all: “That other dog is really really REALLY big.” I always wonder what animals make of each other…
Poor pup. He is obviously scared stiff. Quite literally.
That is one grayed neigh ultra pastureized horse.
The pup’s thinking, “Whoah is me.”
Great comments, stories, puns, jokes!
In fact, this entire thread is snaffle-ble. It’s the mane thing I’ve noticed, anyway.
All opposed, say “neigh”… all in favor say “ay chihuahua”!
Eye contact is also aggression for dogs (a product of the wolf’s “long stare”?). Most dogs have been socialized by humans to not view eye contact from humans as threatening, although it is still a good idea not to stare down a new dog when you are first meeting.
This pup is giving me a scared outta his wits vibe. I’d probably react similarly if I were being sniffed up close by something that could easily fit my head in its mouth.
Bwa ha ha, when my Pom saw a horse for the first time she also looked freaked out. But it was more shy on her part. We told her that’s what happens when you give little dogs steriods
Sadly today marks the anniversary of her untimely death.
RIP
The real reason animals don’t look eachother in the eye is because it is a sign of aggression. Like two dogs staring eachother down. Once, I was at the zoo and I stared a snow leopard in the eyes and… it raised its fur and ran fullspeed towards the fence, and it pounced (on the fence, thankfully, but if it wasn’t there I wouldn’t be here). It was an interesting experience. It’s also true for other animals (not that I’ve tried that).
Hey, if I got sniffed by something that much bigger than I am, I’d freak out, too!
The animals, they see more than we know.
*nods knowingly*
Doggy says: DO NOT WANT
The Cheewawa sez,”plez kil me now!”
R. Moore – Sorry, mate.
Poms are wonderful. The first anniversary of a loss is tough. Best wishes.
I know I’m late and likely nobody will see this, but have any of you ever seen the show-jumping event (such as the one at the Royal Winter Fair or whatever it’s called, in Toronto) where horses do a round of jumps and then their “team-mate” dog does a round of doggie jumps and tunnels and bridges and things? Some of the horses and dogs seem to just love each other! (And it’s great fun to watch!)
Doggeh says “A little HELP, HERE, PLEASE.”
“LAST!!!” wOOt! wOOt! ~Does a Snoopy dance~
Oh, how we do dream…
Snerrrrrt.
T. has all da power.
Koji the Wonder Poodle got taken to the Kentucky Horse Park by his human parents once. I distinctly remember the bay Morgan mare who was very friendly and curious about Koji, but alas, he wanted nothing whatsoever to do with that big dog that smelled funny. More’s the pity.
“But this dude has total faith he’s not going to be fed to the big dog monster.”
The look on his face does not say “total faith” to me.
People, only one of you has succeeded in bringing up the fact that horses have eyes on the sides of their heads (port and starboard, if you will); ergo, they cannot make eye contact via two eyes with any animal, human or chihuahua. Aggression has nothing to do with the matter; this is pure physics, folks. Adorable it is, psychologically motivated it is not. Redonkulously cute, though, so who really cares? xo
I love this picture. My fav. animals are horses and dogs. Especially HORSES!!!!!!!!!!!
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