Originally posted by: zCypher
Dogs don't forget everything. I've seen a dog remain affected by a traumatic experience for many many years. The dog also saw a person only once or twice, didn't see them for several years, and still remembered them when they saw them again years later. Dogs memory may not work the same as a human's but they definitely do have memory and they definitely do remember things later.
And I enjoyed reading your rant, while it's sad for the doggy your rant made me laugh (the profanity). Good stuff. Bastard people that do this.
I'd venture a guess and say dogs remember people based on the emotions experienced when around certain people.
I might see my sister's dog once a year, or once every other year, and every time my sister and I both agree she remembers me greatly and is very responsive to my arrival and stay. Or she really sticks around me when they bring the dog to my parents' house.
Oddly enough, I did have one dog completely turn a 180 in attitude towards me. As a puppy and young dog (it's either an American Bulldog or a Staffordshire of some type, or a mix), it absolutely loved me.
When my buddy's brother moved to a new place, I had the chance to see the dog a few times when I went over there. It was no longer fond of me, and actually, seemed to be a little hostile. What didn't help is because it was rather strong, and had a certain approach to me, it made me a little nervous because I've never experienced that with a dog before - never had a dog act that way toward me. So being a little nervous around it definitely made it continue to act that way toward me.
But noteworthy - I had a dog at the time the other dog liked me. When we put our dog down (she was 17y/o at the time, body starting to fail around her, heart stayed strong though, got herself hurt sometimes doing things when her body couldn't keep up), I had gotten to be around the other dog a few times without having my own dog anymore.
I know it's the case that dogs will know when you have a dog of your own, but the complete turn of attitude this dog had with me was something I had not expected. Wonder if the dog just happened to change temperament as it aged. Their other dog, a three-legged lab, was still as fond of me as always.