Animal/Human connections- To what extent is this science “fiction”?

[Laura Mich]

Agreed. I personally had a deep connection with my dogs. Especially when it comes to our emotions. A person could be feeling sad and their pet picks up on their mood and tries to offer comfort. It is a beautiful connection to have. It definitely exists in real life.

Human and pet (especially dogs and cats) connection is always revolutionary. Dogs may not communicate with their owner through word of mouth but they often feel a multitude of emotions towards their owners.

[Laura Mich]

I feel the author overdid it a bit there. It was easier for me to believe it in the beginnings, but later it all just like flat out fantasy. I don't think humans can have full on conversations with animals in real life though. There can be a strong connection, for sure, but full on conversations are another thing altogether.

This is a fair point. I believe the author overdid the connection between Grant and Shadow to a make-believe level.

[Laura Mich]

I believe such efficient communication can exist, obviously not based on speech but based on body language.

This is realistic. I totally agree that humans and animals can communicate based on body language. In this volume however, the communication between Grant and the wolves is way beyond limit. The author exaggerated it to a point of fantasy.

[Zinda Lukman]

It sounds like a strong connection between a human and an animal. But in my opinion I think it is totally possible to happen. Although to a small extent the author did too much with it.

[shravsi]

I believe communication is possible but not to an extent where we can chit chat with the animal. But I think anything is possible when it comes to fantasy.

[Peggy911]

I believe conversation between humans and animals can be greatly achieved especially with sign language. There is a deep connection between human and animals, this started from creation.

[fancyjg]

There will always be a connection between human and animals in the way they respond to human behavior such as excitement or fear so I truly believe the connection Grant had with Shadow.

[Alice Ngugi]

Human to animal connections are not entirely fictional. I have seen animals that have deep connections to their owners or some people it brought them to tears when the person dies.. Or meets them after a long time apart. Pet animals also do seem to note when one is sad and tries to comfort them

[Zubayydah]

It definitely goes to show that deep connections can be made across species. Be it human to pet, or between two pets. Cats and dogs, aside from fighting a lot, can be very protective of each other when they live together.

[Nqobile771]

It is possible for humans to have connections with animals, especially domesticated animals. However Grant and Shadow's communication was a little too over the top.

[Bigwig1973]

I think the way the writer describes the animal communication makes it seem rather far-fetched. It almost has a sort of Aslan from Narnia sort of feel to it. People who are around animals often forget how well your pets know you. People talk of having friends that they can answer questions for or, when two friends say the same thing at the same time. Think about how much time people spend around their pets and consider how acute a dog or cats senses are. My sister and I brought my young daughters to see the Lipizzaner stallions. Part of the wonder of these horses is the bond they seem to have with their riders as it's really hard to determine how a rider signals the horse to perform the next "trick". Apparently, the horse really pays attention to the rider. As the moves of the horse were originally used in war, it was probably pretty essential to the life of the soldier that he had a good bond with his horse.

[Jasy95]

I've read about various types of research where it's been determined that dogs have evolved to become better at reading facial expressions in order to better understand and communicate with humans. Things like that make me believe that being able to communicate with animals that we have relationships with is definitely possible. However, that's not to say we can have full on conversations with animals. I think it's more of an understanding of each other's emotions and intentions