September 8, 2014 - 16:49
While I myself have two wonderful dogs as pets back at home, with whom I have shared countless moments of non verbal communication, I have found that this is not limited to animals (or humans) that you have had prior contact with.
When I was walking on the road back in Sri Lanka, I ran into a stray dog seated on the pavement near a shop. She was extremely thin and was missing large patches of fur, but despite her forlorn state, she found the energy to look up at me and wag her tail. Being the avid animal lover that I am, I could not help but stop, and upon noticing my interest in her, she immediately stood up and started to get really excited. Choosing to ignore my mother's countless warnings of "do not pet stray dogs on the road", I bent over and petted her head. I could sense her joy and it was quite obvious that this was probably the first time that anyone had paid any attention to her in qiute some time. She started walking away, and I assumed that she had got bored with me, so I straightened myself back up and started walking back. After a few seconds, I felt a slight tap on my leg. Looking down, I noticed that same dog rubbing her head against my leg to get my attention. I decided that she must be hungry, so I bought her some food and water from the shop nearby and petted her a bit more and decided to walk back home.
On my way home, I couldn't help but wonder about how this dog had sensed that I would be willing to help her, and how her body language and reactions had made me trust that she would not bite me. Our entire encounter was based on body language and signals, and it amazed me the how both the stray dog and I were able to understand each other so well, without the use of a single word.