BY JAMIE FOSTER
A paper, published in the Journal of Research in Personality, says a dog’s personality reflects the personality of its owner. It also explains that dogs experience personality changes similar to how humans do over the course of their lives.
Research conducted in 2020 surveyed the owners of 1,600 dogs, covering 50 different breeds. The canines were split closely between males and females, and their ages spanned from puppies to adult dogs. The owners answered questions about themselves, as well as questions about their pets’ personalities and behavioural history.
The survey revealed that just like human’s dog personalities aren’t set in stone. Rather, dog personalities change as they grow older and are influenced by their lifestyles and experiences. So, remember, the dog you take home from the shelter or the puppy you have fallen in love with isn’t the same dog you’ll have 10 years from now.
People often chose a dog that resembles themselves, consciously or unconsciously.
Even scientific experiments have proved this.
For example, you rarely find a Hell’s Angel with a bichon frisé, or a sweet little old lady with a bulldog. A gentle quiet academic wouldn’t normally chose a boisterous border collie, nor would an energetic teenager chose a basset hound.
Our beloved dogs are rather like our choice of car or the clothes we wear. The science writer David Robson says, ‘The canine mini-me reveals a narcissistic tendency in us all.’
Now Quiller Publishing have published a go to book on this subject. Dogs like Us by artist John Holder is an entertaining read and contains numerous illustrations by him.
In these humorous, colourful illustrations of doppelgänger dogs, Holder has depicted a superb, visually entertaining collection of dogs and their owners in all their lookalike glory. A treat for dog owners everywhere.
If you look at each character closely enough, you will see that they resemble someone you know. Don’t take my word for it. Buy the book.
Dogs Like Us is available to purchase online here.
John Holder was born in Suffolk and now lives in Cambridge where he enjoys walking Murphy, a well-behaved Schnauzer farm dog, every day. Having studied at the Cambridge School of Art, he has had a career spanning over fifty years working as a graphic designer and art director as well as being a visiting lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University where he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Arts award. John’s illustrations appear regularly in books, newspapers and magazines worldwide.