Jane Goodall Reflects On How A Childhood Dog Changed The Way She Saw Animals

Iconic primatologist Jane Goodall changed how the world sees chimpanzees but one of her biggest influences was a dog.

The trailblazing scientists years of research, beginning in 1960 in Tanzania, won her international acclaim and played a pivotal role in the worlds understanding of animal intelligence .

But Goodall, now 89, told The New York Times in an interview published Wednesday that she remembered a point in her career when the prevailing scientific establishment told her she had done everything wrong.

She recalled being told, Chimps shouldnt be named, they should be numbered. You cant talk about their personalities. You cant talk about them having brains capable of solving problems. And you certainly cant talk about them having emotions.

It was the memory of her childhood dog, Rusty, that gave her the conviction her critics were wrong.

My dog Rusty, when I was a child, taught me that was absolute piffle, she said. Balderdash. Rubbish.

Rusty was a neighborhood dog who belonged to a nearby hotel, but he would come over to her familys home and spent most of his time with them.

It was like the canine had been sent to her by a higher power, she said, reminiscing, Rusty, Ive never known a dog like him.

However, she admitted, any dog likely would have made a similar impression.

We all know that [dogs] can be happy, sad, fearful and that theyre highly intelligent, she said.

Goodall has spoken about Rusty in the past, and her latest remarks echo similar comments shes made about what people can learn from their relationships with the animals in their lives.

You cannot share your life in a meaningful way with a dog, a cat, a rabbit, a rat, a bird, a horse, a pig, I dont care, and not know that they have emotions similar to ours and that they have minds that can sometimes solve problems, she told Vox in a 2021 interview .

And while shes best known for her work with chimpanzees, the primatologist hasnt been shy about revealing her true favorite animal.

My favorite animal, altogether, is a dog, she said in a 2015 video published by the Jane Goodall Institute. Because dogs have taught me so much, and are so faithful and give unconditional love, and I dont like to think of a world without dogs.