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Hello, this is Six Minute English from BBC Learning English.
I'm Sam.
And I'm Neil.
Sam, do you remember an old children's television show called Lassie?
Yes, I grew up watching the adventures of schoolboy Timmy and his pet dog,
a colleague named Lassie.
Whenever Timmy got lost or into trouble,
Lassie sent Stanger and came to the rescue.
If you believe shows like Lassie, pets know when their human owners feel afraid or in danger.
But in real life, do animals know or care about human feelings?
Now, Neil, obviously, we're not talking about wild animals, right?
We're talking about domesticated animals.
Types of animals which are under human control and have been living closely with people for centuries.
They include pets like cats and dogs,
working animals and farm animals like cows and sheep.
So, what about dogs like our friend Lassie?
Do you think they can sense human feelings?
It's hard to know what's really going on behind a dog's big brown eyes.