Why We Create Mythologies Around Our Pets
My dog’s an alien-spy-dinosaur. How about yours?
My dog is not an ordinary dog. For one, Luna is the OG (Original Goon). Since her adoption, we’ve become an inseparable Goon Squad. She has a big dino head, and thus is clearly from a prehistoric race of Goonisaurs. When she stares blankly at me, I narrate her internal monologue in a clownish voice, even if the monologue is just “Snooze snooze snooze snooze.” There’s a complete mythology built around this doggle, one that probably sounds familiar to any pet owner.
Researchers say it’s normal and healthy for me to talk to my dog, but they have less to say about the numerous stories I’ve invented about her. Luna the Goon went to the moon but thought it was boring. Luna is a spy but hides her trench coat in the yard. She might even be an alien, sending transmissions from her open mouth as she winds up for a yawn. (Seriously, it takes this dog five or six attempts before she can stretch her mouth wide enough for a full yawn. Isn’t that suspicious?)
The phenomenon isn’t limited to our pets at home. Celebrity pets are famous for the personalities we believe they possess. Tardar Sauce became a top influencer based on the mythology built around her online persona, Grumpy Cat. When she passed on in 2019, the Internet mourned a legend.
