Photo ©2008 and Commentary ©2026 by Robert Howson
Tuesday and Wednesday, January 27 and 28, 2026
How confident are you that you can tell, with reasonable certainty, when an animal is truly aggressive and when they are just excited? Are you sure the basso profundo of that German Shepherd across the way indicates it is angry, while the soprano tweetings of the Yorkie on the other side suggest it is only trying to figure out what is going on? We have a dog in our neighborhood that always sounds like a trombone with a plunger mute stuck in the bell. I can never tell from its bark what kind of day it’s having. It’s always the same. In ages past I had a dog that felt it was his solemn responsibility to protect the home front. When walking home I would try to change my gait so as to fool him, then, rush at him when I got closer. I suspect he knew what was going on long before the final sprint, but think he enjoyed the game too.
What about these two juvenile Bald Eagles in the first photo? Are they fighting or playing? And is this adult (just above) angry about something, or does that supraorbital ridge over its eye foreordain it will always have a stern appearance? To bring it closer to home, are you any better evaluating those of your own kind by their demeanor than you are at assessing that of birds and dogs? I know, John 7:24 is talking about a different kind of judgment when it says: “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” (ESV) Still, the same kind of caution is appropriate since the way we treat people seems to often be determined by our estimate of their attitude.