Research also suggests that we only domesticated ourselves 40-50k years ago. Language and culture are fairly recent additions in our evolution and so when people start comparing how we understand the world, to that of other mammals, I struggle to find it fair.

I do try hard not to anthropomorphize my dog, but the little dude is very clever, and I just can't help but consider him conscious on some level. Him and I definitely have a way of communicating with each other without using sentences, so I know he's self-aware far more than I would have given dogs credit before he came into my life.