title: Do dogs (Canis familiaris) seek help in an emergency?
abstract: The question of whether dogs recognize an emergency and understand the need to seek help from a bystander was tested in two experiments. In the first experiment, dogs' owners feigned a heart attack in an open field, and in the second experiment, dogs' owners experienced an accident in which a bookcase fell on them and pinned them to the floor. In these experiments, one or two bystanders were available to which dogs could go for help. The dogs' behavior was taped for 6 min after the owner had fallen and was later scored for the frequency and time the dogs spent performing different behaviors. In no case did a dog solicit help from a bystander. It is concluded that dogs did not understand the nature of the emergency or the need to obtain help.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.
authors.forename: Krista
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Macpherson
authors.forename: William A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Roberts
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D003071:Cognition; D004285:Dogs; D004630:Emergencies; D005106:Exploratory Behavior; D006379:Helping Behavior