Compared to the rest of the animal kingdom, the human capacity for cooperation is something quite special. Cooperating with one another requires a certain amount of pro-social behavior. This means helping others without any direct personal benefit. Now a new study has found pro-social behaviour in dogs toward humans.
Source: Dogs give friends food: Familiarity promotes prosocial behavior — ScienceDaily
It is remarkable isn’t it that as time passes we find animals who we can prove have attributes that only humans were thought to have? It is something that dog guardians have known for a long time. We knew that dogs were pro-social because we experienced that in our lives.
I had two golden retriever dogs that were the sweetest creatures I have ever known. After a long day, it was such a welcome experience to come home. I felt like the affection they gave me was far more than the small things that I did for them. They approached such normal things as going on a walk with great joy. They even found a mouse in the house they had apparently killed and brought it to my feet. Isn’t that sweet? I have had many breeds of dogs I have taken care of, but golden retrievers have something special that allows them to understand and express themselves in an intelligent way to humans. It is remarkable they can understand us so well.
So yes I experienced this pro-social behavior. I had other dogs who gave me food as well. I had one dog who brought me a rabbit. I guess it is instinctual for them to share food with those they perceive as their pack leader. I had seen other dogs eat insects like grasshoppers, and I have seen one photo of a dog that tried to eat a bee but was stung and had funny big cheeks. So don’t be surprised if your dog brings you animals. It just means you are the top dog!