Writer's Block: Regrets Only
I think animals most definitely have emotions. I think they can feel sorry they did something if that action brings consequences they can understand and, most importantly, if they can connect the cause and effect correctly. They must realize that what they did brought about the consequences and they have to be cognizant of the consequences of their actions to be able to wish they hadn't done it. For example, a dog can kill another creature and feel no remorse or regret whatsoever because death does not have the same meaning for them that it does for us. They don't understand death as anything bad or wrong. They will, however, mourn the loss of a person or another animal that has died, not because of the death itself but because that presence is now absent from their lives and they feel that loss. Likewise, a dog who has done something wrong and been disciplined for it may feel regret or remorse for that action and will be loathe to do it again. Many times, I've seen animals exemplify something like regret when they did something they didn't mean to do, or couldn't help doing, turning and biting an owner without meaning to, for example. Dogs do not truly bite by mistake, but just like humans who cannot react quickly enough to stop a physical action that is already in motion, a dog who is turning to bite something else and gets the person by mistake. He will know instantly as their teeth contact skin; their nerve endings extend to the very tips of their teeth; however his reflexes may not be fast enough to stop the bite from happening. Countless times I've seen a dog's teeth make contact with human skin and watched them recoil in horror at what they've done. In contrast, I've seen animals knock a human over by mistake and then look at them with an expression that plainly says, "Hey, what are you doing on the floor, you dummy?" In this case, the animal has no knowledge or understanding that their actions brought about the person's fall and cannot connect the cause and effect so it does not feel any remorse.