My first dog was a blonde Pomeranian who was named Scooby after the show I was horribly obsessed with as a child. I got him when I was very small and up until about five years ago I felt that I remembered the day I got him perfectly. I remember going to a friend of my mom’s house and seeing all these adorable pom puppies. They were all so cute but I saw one that I instantly felt madly in love with. I desperately wanted to take him home and I told my mom. Upon further conversation with the woman who had the puppies, we came to find out that he was deaf and unfortunately born without eardrums. This little munchkin had never been able to hear a thing. That was no problem for me however and we decided to take him home.
After telling this story to many people and explaining why he wouldn’t respond when someone called him, it was revealed to me that the story went a bit differently. As a puppy Scooby was in immaculate health. He had eardrums and they were perfectly intact. One day however, when I was very small, I was playing with him and either dropped him or threw him down a couple of stairs. I cannot remember this in the slightest and I feel that I must stress that I absolutely love animals and I would never harm an animal. I don’t even eat meat and haven’t for over six years now so this realization has burdened me with so much guilt. Apparently that drop caused serious injury to both ear drums and he was never able to hear again.
I am not sure whether I was told this by my family to take the guilt off or if I switched the truth in my own memory subconsciously. False memory is such a scary thing. We value our memories and hold on to them and usually see them to be the truth with zero uncertainty. I don’t remember that drop but I can almost vividly imagine my scenario as I have remembered it for years. It is sad to think not even our own memories are reliable and how easily they can be influenced. How much do you really know what you think you know?
I’ve had very similar experiences! Including when I got my Bailey! I thought I clearly remembered going to my dad’s friend’s house, Bailey being 6 months old, and the little girl crying that she couldn’t keep him. Apparently, I wasn’t even there to get him! It is crazy how vividly we remember something but in turn, we are so incorrect and miss the event entirely. I really enjoyed your post. Don’t worry, I’ve accidentally done somethings to my pups that still make me cry to this day (all of course on accident).
Hi Kassandra,
I really enjoyed your blog post. I have had similar experiences as you, where I realize later that what I swore was the truth was, in fact, entirely false. It sounds like you are describing a type of false memory, since the events leading up to receiving your dog were important to you; however, were not entirely correct in truth. Similar to you, there was a time I remembered something incorrectly. As a child, I had remembered a time where I thought I was so close to falling out of a raft while on a vacation (parent’s were screaming my name, trying to pull be back in, etc); however, they say that this actually never happened. Like you, I am a bit perplexed at how this story was created and so vivid in my mind. I find that with many false memories or flashbulb memories, they are usually backed by heavy emotions that pair them in a particularly special place in our minds.
As the book states, one common reason why someone may have initially misremembered an event could be because of familiarity among circumstances. Another factor could be if one was presented with any information right after the event (ex: photographs of your dog, reports of your dog’s health, etc). In your case, there were different pieces to the puzzle (purchasing the dog, dog’s health, how dog became deaf, etc); however, the order and reason for why each occurred were jumbled, and some information was missing. Another interesting term our book refers to is “repeated recall.” So aside from initially misremembering the event, you may have continued to solidify your incorrect memory as “correct” by recalling the story numerous occasions, creating slight changes along the way. All memories aside, I’m sure glad your dog is doing well!
References
Goldstein, E. (2011). Congitive Psychology (Third ed., pp. 209-226). N.p.: Linda Schreiber-Ganster.