Jane Goodall said dogs were her favorite animal, rather than the chimpanzees she studied.
The answer surprises many readers because Goodall devoted her career to chimpanzees and transformed how people understand their intelligence, emotions and social relationships. Yet her affection for dogs began in childhood and remained a recurring part of her comments about animals.
Goodall often credited her childhood dog, Rusty, as an important teacher. Living with a dog helped her recognize that animals have distinct personalities, minds and feelings—an insight that later shaped the empathetic observation style she brought to Gombe.
This does not mean she lacked affection for chimpanzees. She named individual animals, followed their family histories and argued that they possess complex emotional and social lives. The distinction is that her favorite animal, by her own stated preference, was a dog. Cats, gorillas and elephants were not the answer she gave.