Please note the announcement at the end of the post – about a TV show on reincarnation today on Katie Couric.
+++
Should anyone ever tell you that dogs don’t understand human language, show them this picture. At the moment I snapped this photo in the dog park, Rob and I were standing nearby, shouting, “Squirrel, squirrel!”
We weren’t trying to drive them nuts; we just wanted to draw them away from another area of the park where there were some cranky dogs. There actually may have been a squirrel in the tree on the other side of this seven-foot tall fence because Noah really tried to jump over it. To our knowledge, neither of them has ever caught a squirrel. The closest they’ve gotten to catching anything was a cornered possum in our backyard who hissed so fiercely that Nika backed away and we grabbed her collar and pulled her onto the porch.
We aren’t sure what either of them would do if they actually caught a squirrel. Maybe they would try to make friends with it. Or maybe their natural instincts would kick in and that would be it for the squirrel. What is certainly true, though, is that for these two dogs – for many dogs we encounter at the park – squirrel is at the top of the list of human words that they understand. The second word in that lineup is treat. The third word in the lineup is park – as in dog park.
We aren’t sure of the rest of the words. Perhaps our next experiment with human language will involve the word, synchro!
We’ll report when we know!
+++
Today at 3 PM eastern time, Kate Couric’s show is on reincarnation. Authors and past life researchers Carol Bowman, Brian Weiss, and Robert Snow will be among the guests. Carol is the author of two classic books on reincarnation – Children’s Past Lives and Return from Heaven; Brian Weiss wrote Many Lives, Many Masters; and Robert Snow wrote Looking for Carroll Beckwith, one of the most compelling personal stories about reincarnation. Also present will be the Leniengers, whose son’s story may be the best evidence for reincarnation in the western world.
Re dogs and words – Years ago we use to have a bull terrier named Sissy (already named when we got her) and her two favorite words were “ball” and “cheese” . Her bed was a wicker chaise lounge. Often when she was sleeping soundly my daughter would go into the next room and say one of these words ever so quietly in a whisper. Without fail the dog would stir from sleep and jump up all excited but of course there was no ball or cheese. Sissy would get her back of course – every macaroni sculpture (and my macaroni jewelry) our daughter ever made ended up in the dogs stomach no matter how high up we would put it. The power of a word!
You’ve got a lot of animals stories, Sharon! Love them all.
Just the other day my sister’s ten-pound Papillon caught and killed a squirrel. He came strutting into the house with it, so I guess making friends was not on his agenda. 🙂
A little Papillon, wow! Noah at least got to chase a squirrel across the dog park parking lot.
The word ‘squirrel’ sends our two dachshunds out the door in a flash, blazing across the backyard, usually in the complete opposite direction of the actual squirrel, giving it ample time to escape to the nearest tree. They’ve never actually caught one, but there’s always hope! They also pursue birds with equal fervor, and are only marginally more successful at chasing the red laser penlight dot across the floor and up the wall, which is endlessly entertaining. LOL!
Lucy knows “go”, “snack”, and “it’s not time” – as in it’s not time for dinner yet. We actually have to use the letters SNA between us for snack and she is starting to now understand the three letters.
Can dogs spell? 🙂
Thanks for the heads up on the Katie Couric interview.
Carol said that contrary to what the producers told her, they took a negative approach. We’re still going to watch it.
Did you ever read dean koontz’s watchers? Its a response to your question: can dogs spell?
I know from experience that cats understand quite a lot……..they just use that knowledge when it’s convenient for them! I’ve also conducted some experiments on how telepathic my cats are. For example, my cat Lucy just loves dental floss – ever since she was a kitten it meant a string to chase. So every time I go to floss, she’s there, waiting for me to open the package. I’ve even tried quietly opening the door I keep the floss in when she’s in an entirely different part of the house………and every time, she comes rushing in, ready to play while I try to floss. Kind of rough on my dental hygiene……
How funny! Dental floss… It seems that telepathy is at the heart of it!
Cats also know words but they frequently pretend they don’t. Years ago I had a dog and a cat both the same age. One early morning I was standing at the kitchen window, sipping my coffee, and talking to myself, out loud. I said, “I wonder where Gemmi is?” meaning the cat. The dog, Joi, was sitting quietly next to me. As soon as I expressed myself out loud, the dog ran outside, through the cat door, rounded up the cat and brought her inside. I was amazed. She knew exactly what I meant.
My mother used to tells a story about her Persian cat, Angela. She and my father used to watch the program Cheers at 7:00 p.m. every evening and Angie would go into the television room and watch with them. They noticed that if they said, “Cheers is on.” before they went into the room, Angie would go in and sit next to the television. They assumed that she was tuned into the timing. So one day at 11 a.m, they did a test and said, “I think Cheers is on.” Angie got up and walked into the room with t he t.v. set and sat waiting for my parents to join her. Unbelievable. But true.
Wow, Adele. Great story! I’m going to start working with words with Noah and Nika, when she’s here, and with our two cats and see what happens!
Words that dogs know – now that would be an interesting list! I think though that it’s the also the way in which you say the word that’s important.
I think you’re right about the way the word is said. But it’s funny how you can say that word, squirrel, to nearly any dog in the park, and you get a reaction. Ears pop up, eyes glance around.