Dogs Are Smarter Than They Look

By Jim Hall

Your dog. What a statement. If you are like me, when you first saw him, your dog picked you. Dogs are highly intelligent. They adapt to almost any environment that you can live in. They are very attuned to the conditions around them. Their hearing is better than ours and their noses are so sensitive, they can tell if you're wearing clean socks. Even with all their heightened senses, they still insist on living with us. To a dog, companionship is life. That means they want to be near us most of the time. Most dogs are loyal unto death. In my view, we should work very hard, indeed, to earn this love and respect from such a noble animal.

There are many stories of dogs who have saved their masters from some fate, or rescued their masters or their family members. Way too many stories to mention here. Suffice to say that if you need someone to count on, your dog is there. Dogs are being used in hospitals to help people recover from illness or even depression! Doctors still don't know what it is about them that helps people to reach out to them when they won't reach out to a human. Dogs seem to have an inner sense that tells them when we need to be cheered up. When you come home, you will find your dog right there at your door, waiting for you. What love and devotion. We should work hard to deserve it.

Anyone with a dog can tell you they can figure out a way to get out of their yard if there is a good enough reason. Most of the time, they stay there because they know that is where you want them to be. Dogs were free creatures, once. Somewhere down the line, they chose to give up that freedom to be with us. There is an age-old contract between man and dog. You supply the food and a place to sleep. The dog will stand guard against any and all who would try to invade your space. That has changed little in the last few thousand years.

All in all, dogs are noble animals who deserve our love and respect. They are excellent judges of character. If they don't like you or if they think you are up to no good, they will tell you up front, in a direct way you will understand. If they like you, they will tell you that, too. How much more honesty could you ask from an animal? I love mine, and I hope I have convinced many people to love one of their own.

Jim Hall is a Caveman from another millenium. He is an aspiring author and novelist wanna be. Writing for him is a change of charachter as well as occupation. Bear with him and he will grow and develop into a writing butterfly after his metamorphosis. He once was a carpenter caterpiller until he entered the chrysalis stage. Breaking out of the cocoon of a previous career is hard work but rewarding work. Like a butterfly, look for great things to come. You never know!