It’s common for people to tell me what their dogs are thinking; I don’t have the gift to know that. We can read the emotions dogs show us on the surface; we rarely have any idea what they are feeling inside.

We forget they don’t have our language and can seldom be saying what we think they are saying.

Almost every time someone comes up to pet Zinnia, they tell me their dog will be jealous when they get home. I don’t have the heart to tell them dogs love to get the whiff of other dogs; they have no concept of jealousy in human terms.

Yet this is something people seem to need to believe – their dogs love them so much they will be jealous like human lovers. You can’t give a dog a better present than the smell of another dog; they eat it up, curious, and intrigued. It’s better than a treat.

Why, then, do we need to think they are jealous? Because it means they love us, something we need to feel.

Maria has a natural gift when it comes to talking with animals. Here, she is telling Zinnia how much she loves her, and how nice and sweet she is. What is Zinnia saying to her?

I don’t know. It could be “please scratch me ear more,” or “what are you exactly?” or “do you have a treat for me?” Is she telling Maria she loves her back? Possible, but perhaps the least likely.

There is undoubtedly something passing between these two, and it is a good thing. Perhaps we will know what it is one day?