Human interaction with dogs

Up on the sand dune hills along the ocean coast of San Francisco lies one of the Bay Area’s popular dog hangouts, Fort Funston. By the name, Fort Funston, it is clear that during the world wars this area was used as a military outpost to protect America from any attack. There are still batteries intact and standing today for everyone to explore and take in our country’s history. With the amazing view of the ocean from the top of the cliff, there are many eucalyptus trees scattered around and paths that people like to walk their dogs on.

As you enter the park from the main parking lot and walk towards the cliff, you reach the main open space. Posted at the main open space is a water fountain and below are the dog water bowls. To the left is where all the dog packs start to form and come into the park. There are various paths that one can take to explore this fort and enjoy the ambiance.

On an overcast Sunday in San Francisco, Fort Funston was packed with people and their dogs. There were dogs being walked on leashes, dogs walking without leashes, and dogs playing catch. Everywhere I looked there was a human interacting with a dog.

I thought it was interesting to see the different variations of how one would train their dog compared to another. Some would change the pitch of their voice, some would use treats, and some would use a special type of collar like a shock collar or a choke collar. In the “Touch the Magic” article, Davis writes, “The most extreme examples of decontextualization are also the most popular: the trained animal performances.” (209). When an animal is trained it seems to make it easier for the human or in this case owner to be able to control their animal. I think this is almost a sign of trust between the owner and the dog. When the owner calls for the dog to “come” the owner has this assumption that the dog will come towards him or her because he or she trained the dog to come on command.

 Personality of dogs and humans are quite similar to each other. Just like humans on how sensing vibes from other humans, dogs can also sense them as well. In “Why Look at Animals?” Berger writes, “The eyes of an animal when they consider a man are attentive and wary. The same animal may well look at other species in the same way.” (4). At Fort Funston, there are a lot of people who want to pet other people’s dogs. When approaching to pet a dog, a human has to be very cautious because the dog may or may not like them. If the dog does not like him or her then it can go all-wrong for the human. The dog will either bark or growl and worst-case scenario end up attacking the human.

People have several reasons on why they own a dog. One can own a dog for companionship, or if it is a couple they could own a dog as their own child, or even one can just be the biggest dog lover in area. Berge also mentions, “With their parallel lives, animals offer man a companionship which is different from any offered by human exchange. Different because it is a companionship offered to the loneliness of man as a species.” (6). With thus said, humans are able to find some sort of common relationship with their dog and accommodate to their personality. Walking around Fort Funston and seeing humans interact with their dogs is interesting to see because it varies from each human and each dog.  

The phrase, “dogs are just like their owner” is something I do believe in. When observing at Fort Funston and seeing all the dogs with their owner, it is kind of funny to see how a dog matches their owner so perfectly.