Dogs laugh

[SiouxJ]

Studies by various groups suggest monkeys, dogs and even rats love a good laugh. People, meanwhile, have been laughing since before they could talk.

"Indeed, neural circuits for laughter exist in very ancient regions of the brain, and ancestral forms of play and laughter existed in other animals eons before we humans came along with our 'ha-ha-has' and verbal repartee," says Jaak Panksepp, a neuroscientist at Bowling Green State University.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7348880/



Hmmm, what about cats?

[demnan]

1. Cats can have a very good sense of humor

Occasionally it's kind of sneaky and mean! They love to steal and hide things and watch you look for them and they like to sneak that little scratch on the arm when you aren't looking. They love to sneak up on you and jump up on your shoulders when you aren't looking.

You can see the laugh in their eyes when they do all these things.

[SiouxJ]

2. I've never had a cat

always dogs. But I'm betting most intelligent animals laugh in some way - or have a sense of humor.

My dog Natasha thinks it's really funny to nudge up under my hand when I'm trying to use the computer mouse. I think she likes the reaction it gets out of me - usually a loud (but affectionate), "Oh Tashaaaa, I'm trying to work!" Then we sorta fight - me trying to keep the mouse on the pad and her trying to push it up, thus not letting me work. It's a big game to her.

[radfringe]

3. our Grande Dame of the house

when one of us drops something on the floor -- she says "uh oh"

other words in her vocabulary include:

Nooo
Oooout
Hoooome
Noooow

and murpble-derp

[SiouxJ]

6. Murpble-derp?

I wonder what that means? That would make a good computer password ;-) .

[roguevalley]

4. my dogs do. my dog pippin hums to himself as he walks around.

doxies often do that.

[Maru Kitteh]

5. Pigs are on average even smarter than dogs

and are not only very affectionate (wnen not kept in inhumane factory farms) but they also have a tremendous sense of fun and joy. They love to play, smile and laugh.

[SiouxJ]

7. I gave up eating them about 12 years ago

along with cows, chickens etc. ;-) I have since encountered a few pot-bellied pigs and they were amazingly friendly. In fact, some heartless individual dumped one off in my neighborhood a few years ago and he sort of adopted someone's front yard as his own. They owned a restaurant and brought him table scraps and he got really fat. He would always keep his distance but he tried to get my attention and I swear he was smiling. I think he wanted me to come play with him. Finally the neighbors got together and decided he might not do well in the winter, and called our local rehabilitation zoo. He's now a permanent resident there so I can go visit him. :-)

[Maru Kitteh]

10. I'm glad he found himself in your neighborhood!

And I'm glad he's someplace good, too. :-)

[Lorien]

8. You can always see a dog smile!

Ferrets laugh like Huckleberry hound, too. My late kitty Peewee was a real prankster; he would sit next to Miro and stare at him until Miro's tail started twitching, the he'd hold his mouth open over the tip of Miro's tail until Miro got so nervous he started hissing! Then Peewee would look away with this "me? I wasn't doin' nothin'" look. I could swear he was snickering to himself, lol!

[SiouxJ]

9. Poor tormented Miro!

And now he has the two younguns to contend with. Never a moment of peace for the poor guy ;-) .