RedFawnRising

I just recently read a story about a woman who has MS, and a pet female Doberman, who has never been trained to act as a Service animal.

Terra the Doberman was confined behind gates, while her owner showered. Her owner fell, and was unable to get up from the position in which she landed.

Terra, for the first time in her life, disrespected the gates, and came upstairs and proceeded to try to assist her owner in getting up from where she had fallen.

Both were exhausted with trying, and suddenly Terra left the room. Her owner was in despair, and all alone.

Seconds later, Terra was back, with the phone in her mouth, offering it to her owner, who was then able to call for help.

Think about that. That dog was not taught any of that. She had to make the connection that this little plastic object her owner sometimes spoke words at was the thing that was needed, right then--that the phone was the solution to her owner's distress and dangerous situation. And that it was up to her, to bring it to her owner.

Tell me that's not thinking.

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Horse sense is the thing a horse has, which keeps it from betting on people. ~W. C. Fields

The universe always finds a way to keep the wise humble. Usually through an instrument like a Pibble Hound.

~Michael327

caramella

It is absolute nonsense to think that dogs don't think. I know Bella thinks and so does my 14 year old Golden Retriever. I had kept something away from Bella that she shouldn't have and put it away. She later went to her crate and fell asleep. She had been sleeping for quite a long time, but upon awakening went straight to the place I had taken that object. So she didn't only think, she kept it on her mind the whole time and as soon she was given an opportunity to retrieve the object, she remembered where it was. Heck! Sometimes I can't do that and I'm suppose to be the one with the brains! I tell Bella "go to the Frisbee place" and she runs to the spot in the yard where I throw the frisbee...well she does things like that all day long as I'm sure all your Dobies do, so to think they don't think is just plain silly.

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paws

Woah. Wait a minute. Woah.

I love stories like this.

When you think about it, dogs can interpret us a lot better than the reverse, they can understand sometimes hundreds of human words (I have had more than one dog owner tell me their dog's vocab was in the hundreds, at least) and what do we understand of their language? Damn little in comparison, same goes for our other domesticated animal companions. They know so much about us, even what our specific words mean (when you think about it, that is really mind blowing), and yet they, their language, their thought processes, are still such a mystery to us... I love that there is more and more research on this. I never got to watch it but I saw something about a show due to come out on television about specialists in the field researching how to really understand/communicate with dogs, and I mean doo-little style, I mean heavily researching how to REALLY listen and talk with them, to solve murder cases where only the dog was present. I thought that would be quite fascinating. Here they have been understanding us since the beginning of our long partnership with them, and we are finally looking into REALLY understanding them.

paws

I have a cute thinking dog story that just occurred. Having the new dobie in the house has made me realize how really smart my Min Pin is, I mean she is a crafty one. So her main obsession re. the dobie is that all ingestables (bones, chewies, treats, food) go to her, and none to him. So Tre had just found a chewy that was lying in some corner of the room. The MIn Pin meanwhile finds a tennis ball. SHe could care less about the tennis ball. But meanwhile she gets up on the couch and flips on her back and holds that ball between her paws, and sort of juggles it around on her feet, altogether acting like she is having the most amazing time with this ball. I mean, give her the Oscar, she is the picture of giddy contentment with the ball. So Tre who is a little slow (he's ony 4 months) comes up like a big goof (doh dee doh dee doh...) to see what is going on, chewie dangling nonchalantly out the side of his mouth... Min draws him in with her juggling trick, she is mesmerizing... she is having such an insane amount much fun that he has to have that ball. He finally can't stand it, he drops the chewie for the ball, Min fast as lightening grabs the chewy and takes off at top speed to enjoy her victory prize. Tre looks on dumbfounded as the ball drops out of his mouth. She does stuff like this with him all. the. time. He doesn't stand a chance.

RedFawnRising

*snort*

Tre, meet Ezra. Ezra, meet Tre.

Kylie is Ezra's Min, Tre.

__________________

Horse sense is the thing a horse has, which keeps it from betting on people. ~W. C. Fields

The universe always finds a way to keep the wise humble. Usually through an instrument like a Pibble Hound.

~Michael327

paws

Ah. Yes.

Hi RF I just noticed that in your earlier post on this thread you said the same thing I just said on my first post on this thread (but you were more eloquent as per usual), so that was a little redundant of me. (Does this mean you are Kylie and I am Ez??)... I just read all the beginning posts. But it does blow my mind that they get our language, hey does it make y'all wonder if they understand eachother's languages too, like birds and dogs, or dogs and cats, or foxes and rabbits? Like some Kipling story??? Why are we humans so removed from our animal brethern that we lost that ability so long ago?? Is it not saddening?

RedFawnRising

Children know it. And speak a lot of their language.

It just gets trained out of us, and by the time we are adults, most of us have mostly forgotten.

__________________

Horse sense is the thing a horse has, which keeps it from betting on people. ~W. C. Fields

The universe always finds a way to keep the wise humble. Usually through an instrument like a Pibble Hound.

~Michael327

paws

That is my sweet bedtime story as I head off to counting sheep land. Yes I do believe it's true.

caramella

Me, too, Paws. Good night.

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paws

'night you! And everyone!!