Animal Morals?

today in class we had a long and very interesting talk about if animals have morals as we think of them. I'm inclined to think that they don't, at least not as we think of morals. i was pleased with the different levels of cognition that professor Johnson was explaining. i do think that animals have cognition in that they can feel and react and respond to things. however i don't really think they have much of the meta-cognition he spoke of or the moral reflection which falls along the same lines. i believe that for example when we are sick and our pets seem to get closer and be 'comforting' us is mainly the natural animal instinct to protect their own from what ever may be bugging them. when we have pets for example dogs, we become part of their 'pack' and the natural instinct of dogs as with their relatives the wolves is to protect and care for their pack members to the best of their abilities. if that means sharing warmth when we have the chills or in some cases hunting for food if we are incapacitated then that's what they do. i don't really think they spend a lot of time thinking about why they do things for us beyond perhaps 'this will get be a biscuit' or 'this will get me thrown out in the yard'.
over all i think there is potential especially in dolphins, elephants and the great apes say. there may come a time when we know more about how the brains of these animals work and if they really are capable of higher thoughts than we think they are. until then I will continue to appreciate the love and affection they give us and not question it.