Understanding Animal Nature

All animals have different natural inclinations. Dogs and horses are eager to learn — or can be forced to. Cats are different. They love people, but they rarely suppress their nature for them. Cats are deeply emotional and less likely to adapt unnaturally. Dogs, more rule-bound, often suppress their emotions to meet expectations. Horses often live in isolation, serving human purposes, and rarely experience natural movement or choice.

A natural, healthy relationship comes from development that respects emotional and physical needs — safety, nourishment, connection. Yet in modern society, animals are often abandoned, removed too early from mothers, or neglected — leading to insecurity and unstable behavior.

We, too, carry developmental disruptions. So sometimes, the bond between human and animal can be healing — or it can be a painful collision. But when we meet them in honesty and presence, healing happens on both sides.