Smart/Stupid/Silly Animal Stories, just for fun

[Hopalong]

I am just loving these.
 

Hops  PS--our old corgi used to herd Mom up to her bedroom every day at 3:00 for her nap...

[Hopalong]

Well, these aren't pets....but I'm sooo happy about tomorrow.
Very near here in the mtns., well at the bottom of one in a gorgeous field, are some professional sheepdog trials. I blundered into them a couple years ago when I was driving back from visiting a friend in a little country town.

Anyway, this is not the condensed, small-scale demonstrations you ususally see at fairs or festivals...this is the whole event, over a large field. You can stand right with the trainers and just soak it in...gorgeous fall foliage, the gates set in their places over the field just below, the mountain behind...

AND THE AMAZING, BRILLIANT BORDER COLLIES. It is really entrancing to watch them work for an hour or so. It's fairly calm, the sheep don't get worked up. The dogs are like wolves, only just...brilliant. With a few whistles and calls, they're zooming a dozen sheep back and forth and up and down across the field. When they come back up the hill, the dogs are panting SO hard but they look so intensely happy. Totally focused and fulfilled. It's a joy to watch.

It's going to be sunny and 60, and I will just enjoy the heck out of it. I'm taking a friend from church (interesting retired journalist...I swear he's looked at me with interest, but cripes, he's 82!  A nice pal though...we're in some activities together.

WOOF!

Anybody's pooch or kitty been up to anything ridiculous lately? I hope so!

Hops

[Bones]

I needed these!!!  I've been having a good laugh and trying to choose which funny dog story to relate to y'all as I have quite a few in my memory banks!

One dog that I encountered was a Golden Retriever that lived at the Catholic Deaf Center.  He got his name from the place...."CD".  One evening, after I had finished teaching Sign Language, I was in the kitchen with a group of kids who lived there and "CD" came into the kitchen, sat down and started begging for a treat.  As I watched, each child signed "Speak" to CD.  The dog silently moved his mouth as if he was barking and got his treat!  He repeated this to each child in turn and I was having a hard time trying not to crack up laughing!!  It was so FUNNY watching this dog con these kids out of treats!!!!!  Then it was my turn.  CD sat in front of me and I silently signed "Speak".  Dutifully, he moved his mouth, silently, as if he was barking.  I then voiced and signed "Faker!" and CD started dancing, wagging his tail and wiggling like he was laughing!!!!!  I couldn't help laughing hard at that and then he finally started barking while dancing!  Smart dog!!!

Bones

[Hopalong]

What an AMAZING story, Bones! That's incredible...
a dog so clever he "gets' that speech in that environment is silent.

I love it!

What dazzled me today was how amazingly this 1-year-old little collie moved 10 sheep around...and she came right up to me after, flopped at my feet...and it struck how incredibly deeply she was panting--that "whole ribcage heaving all the way in and out" kind of panting. And she looked so HAPPY. I think part of the appeal is how totally completely fulfilled these dogs are by what they do.

Inspiring to be around. Talk about being in the present! Whee.
(Came home and apologized to my old pooch about boring her to death most of her life. Dogs really do need jobs to do.)

Hops 
PS--Just re-read this post from LoH and realized, I bet this could apply to each one of us too:

he pulls off amazing feats 'cause his absolute burning need to do it is bigger than whatever obstacles are in the way

       
YAY, PETS!

[Bones]

What an AMAZING story, Bones! That's incredible...
a dog so clever he "gets' that speech in that environment is silent.

I love it!

What dazzled me today was how amazingly this 1-year-old little collie moved 10 sheep around...and she came right up to me after, flopped at my feet...and it struck how incredibly deeply she was panting--that "whole ribcage heaving all the way in and out" kind of panting. And she looked so HAPPY. I think part of the appeal is how totally completely fulfilled these dogs are by what they do.

Inspiring to be around. Talk about being in the present! Whee.
(Came home and apologized to my old pooch about boring her to death most of her life. Dogs really do need jobs to do.)

Hops 
PS--Just re-read this post from LoH and realized, I bet this could apply to each one of us too:

he pulls off amazing feats 'cause his absolute burning need to do it is bigger than whatever obstacles are in the way

       
YAY, PETS!

To me, there is no such thing as a "dumb" animal.  They are CLEVER!

Bones

[Bones]

I thought I would add another funny dog story.

Years ago, I had a dog named Nicky, who was part German Shepherd and part Blue Tick.  When I first brought him home, I had rescued him from being thrown out onto the highway by his former owners, who didn't want him anymore.  At first, my Nmother raised cain about my bringing him home while at the same time she also stated that she would never be cruel to an animal.  I had put Nicky in the basement while I discussed his issues with my Nmother.

During our conversation, we were standing in my Nmother's bedroom door with my back to the living room.  As we argued, my Nmother suddenly stopped talking and got real wide-eyed.  I asked:  "What?" and she silently pointed behind me.  I turned around and watched Nicky silently TIPTOEING his way around the living room so that his toe nails wouldn't click on the hardwood floor!!!!  Somehow, he had gotten out of his collar and TIPTOED up the basement steps and was silently checking out the house!  When he realized he had been spotted, he got this real sheepish look on his face and Nmom started laughing!  I couldn't keep a straight face either. 

When I took him back downstairs, Nmom commented that this was the FIRST time she had ever seen a dog TIPTOE!  He stayed and became Nmom's protector even though she was phobic about dogs.  I have a few more funny stories about him that I will post later.

Remembering that scene still makes me laugh!

Bones

[Hopalong]

I just love it when they show such intelligence...great story, Bones!
Like the silent-speaking--tiptoeing is such a subtle, subtle thing to get the hang of...

Dang, I've gotta watch The World's Greatest Movie again...(Babe).

Anybody else got a pet story?

(Pant, pant...)

Hops

[Stormchild]

Nope, the world's greatest movie is Chicken Run.

[Bones]

I just love it when they show such intelligence...great story, Bones!
Like the silent-speaking--tiptoeing is such a subtle, subtle thing to get the hang of...

Dang, I've gotta watch The World's Greatest Movie again...(Babe).

Anybody else got a pet story?

(Pant, pant...)

Hops

Thanks, Hops!

Another funny pet story about Nicky.  He was paper-trained while being in the basement when Nmom and I were at work.  When we got home, and after I had changed out of my work clothes, I went downstairs to take care of him and clean up after him.  I found his mess neatly wrapped in newspaper bundles ready to be picked up.  I though Nmom had done this.  Nmom saw this and she commented that she thought I had done it.  Neither one of us had wrapped up his mess and we couldn't figure out how it happened.  A few days later, on a Saturday, Nmom was in the basement doing some chores when she noticed Nicky taking care of business on the newspaper.  To her amazement, she watched as he used his paws and his mouth to tear the newspaper then used his front paws to wrap up his mess into the neat package that we had discovered earlier!!  I still could not figure out who taught him to do that!

Bones

[Bones]

An additional funny dog story.  (There's more involving Nicky!)

As Nicky continued to live with my Nmom, we soon discovered that he was also a practical joker!

Whenever I took him outside and chained him to the tree, we would often roughhouse for fun for a while.  However, with Nmom, he sensed her apprehension and was always gentle with her.  She often commented that he was the "perfect gentleman" in spite of the fact that she was phobic about dogs.

One day, she took him outside and chained him to the tree as usual, came back inside to get his water dish and his food bowl.  Unbeknowst to her, he had flattened himself against the side of the house.  As she leaned out of the basement door to set down his food dish and waterbowl, he leaned over and planted a nice, big, wet one on her cheek!!  S-L-U-R-P!!!!!!  She screeched!!!!  She described to me afterwards that when she landed back on her feet from jumping out of her skin, Nicky was wiggling, wagging his tail, his eyes were dancing and he was making a noise in his throat that sounded exactly like he was chuckling!!!  It was as if he was telling her...."GOTCHA!"

Bones

[Hopalong]

I can believe that one, Bones! 

Miss Dinobreath, here, is extremely happy that Mom's morning companion has arrived downstairs, because this sainted lady talks to her as though she is Dinobreath's long-lost grandma. I swear, she's a walking dogbiscuit.

Hops

[Bones]

Dogs are so funny as well as smart!!!

Another incident that surprised all of us occurred when a neighbor was visiting our house.  Nicky was in the basement because that was the biggest space in the house.  While me and Nmom was talking with the visiting neighbor, Nicky started whimpering louder and louder to get my attention.  The whimpering was almost like singing up and down the scales.  I finally called out to him:  "Nicky, are you lonely?" and the vocalization that he gave sounded just like he answered:  "I'm lonely!"  The neighbor's eyes bugged out of her head and she asked, "Did I hear what I thought I heard?!?!?"  I repeated the question to Nicky:  "Are you lonely?" and he repeated the vocalization:  "I'm lonely!"  At that point, I went downstairs and gave him a LOT of LOVE!!!!

Bones

[Hopalong]

Aa-WOOOOO!

[Bones]

Nicky also figured out where Nmom kept her candy.  Nmom's favorite was York's Peppermint Patties and, it turned out, that was Nicky's favorite too!  When Nmom got a piece of candy, she turned around and there was Nicky sitting and politely begging!  I happened to be there, watching all of this.  She unwrapped the peppermint pattie and set it down in front of him because she was still afraid to touch him.  Somehow, he was able to break the piece precisely in half, took one of the halves and broke that exactly in half!  He then began to eat each quarter piece in a precise order!  Nmom stood there and watched him in amazement.  He was so methodical!!!!

Bones

[Stormchild]

oooh, be careful. The theobromine in chocolate is toxic to dogs - and cats - and it's one of the main sources of pet poisonings, after houseplants - do be careful - sorry to be a wet blanket here but just in case someone thinks it'd be sweet to feed chocolates to their pooch - be careful - be careful.