Shiba Inu's Bond & Virtual Dog in VIVERSE
Metaverse
1-minute read
As someone who has always had the companionship of dogs at home since I can remember (currently the proud parent of a French Bulldog), I often hesitate for a few seconds when asked about my dog's age, sometimes even shaving off a year or two in my response. It's because I feel that the lifespan of dogs, rarely exceeding 15 years, seems too brief compared to the depth and closeness of the bond they form with us humans. Take the recently passed meme sensation, the Shiba Inu Kabosu, who lived to 18, which is an impressive age for a dog.
I recently came across a study from Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary that suggests dogs can understand which objects human words are referring to. In the experiment, researchers placed an electroencephalogram (EEG) on the dogs' heads and found that when the owner said the word "ball," the dogs' brainwave patterns differed if shown a ball compared to a stick. This is similar to what we see in humans, indicating that dogs comprehend that certain words are associated with certain objects. It makes me wonder if dogs understand the concept of time.
This is why I was moved when I logged into the metaverse platform VIVERSE and visited "Tata's Want to Come Over to See the Puppy?". The space was filled with an abundance of dog photos, and upon clicking, you're greeted with adorable (and somewhat silly) descriptions. You are met with chubby, heartwarming photos of the puppy, clearly nurtured with a grandmother's indulgence. Besides the photos, there's also an animated Shiba Inu in the center of the scene, making faces and turning its head to look at me, bearing a slight resemblance to Kabosu!
Although Tata's puppy probably doesn't know that someone has created a World for him, and can't visit it in person, this World, like his owner, will always be remembered. This echoes what I was reminded of recently while browsing VIVERSE, a quote by Italo Calvino: "Our own information includes the memories of others." VIVERSE is exactly a place where we can store those memories. With this in mind, the next time I'm asked about my dog's age, I might answer with a bit more ease: "He is about 6 years old, in the prime of life."
