Startled awake... just after 3 A.M...
Ooooowup,
Ooooooooowuup,
Ooooooooooowuuup!
If you've owned a dog, you've probably heard the sound represented by my poor interpretation of them trying to regurgitate something they should not have eaten.
The wretching starts quietly, then gets louder and more dramatic with each spasm until finally-
Bleaaaackkkk!
...and you see them standing sheepishly over the mucous filled, carpet staining amalgam of whatever it was they shouldn't have ingested a couple hours before.
But Lucy had awakened me with her distress in time for me to jump from bed while grabbing her as I stepped quickly to the Master Bath, and placed her so she could safely barf within the confines of the bathtub.
When she was done, in the center of the slimy mass... a pebble.
(Don't ask me.... ask her!)
The next night/morning... a re-run, only this time it was a little earlier... closer to 2 A.M.
The offending pseudo-food this time was one of the yellow foam earplugs I use for noise protection. (Chewy... the little thief stole it off my end table.)
Again, we successfully made it to the tub prior to the eruption.
The following night was a work night for me. When I got home after work, Sara Jean said,
"You'll never believe it! Lucy woke me up wretching again. When I sat up to grab her she wasn't on the bed, so I jumped up and started moving toward her sound effects. When I got to her, SHE WAS ALREADY IN THE TUB!"
(This is no easy task for Lucy. She's so small, jumping into the tub would be slightly dangerous for her.)
I'm amazed.
In two previous incidents she had learned where to throw up, and had decided to do it without human help.
So... how smart are dogs?
Some of them are smarter than some humans!
4 comments:
That is a great story- I identified with it instantly! I have had many similar experiences at late hours (though they haven't learned that trick yet).
I have one smart dog and one "challenged" dog. The smart one has a vocabulary of probably 50+ words (listening, not speaking). Certainly smarter than many humans I have met.
Both of them are more loyal and have bigger hearts than about 99% of humans I have met. I wouldn't trade them for anything.
Having a pet that literally talks to me and actually converses about these matters, I have come to appreciate what I think most animals must know without the use of 'words' to share. Kanoni, my African Grey Parrot, has changed my way of looking at them all!!
Smart doggie--thanks for sharing and confirming what I'm already beginning to understand in a more profound way!! I have a feeling it would be somewhat laughable to know what they were thinking about us?!?! In my defense...Kanoni has begun telling me she loves me...collective awww?!?!
I found myself raising my voice to her last week when she decided to take out her agitation at bedtime by biting at me. I soon realized I could teach her to become even more mean-spirited, or I could teach her she would be rewarded with kindness and understanding if she did NOT bite at me when it was time for bed. Like Lucy, it only took a couple of attempts at explaining to her that she could feel agitated but receive would positive attention by remaining her sweet self. She is so bright--she got it and now it's as if she waits to see if I notice that she is NOT biting. Awww...sweet dreams for both of us now!!!
Dogs are amazing creatures. I had an Old English Sheepdog that would sit on the couch like a human, feet on the floor, and watch TV.
I had a cat that would use the toliet, never used a kitty box. If you were using the john and he needed to, he would come in and stare you down until you left.
GB,
You know, it's got to be the poodle in Lucy that makes her so darn smart! (love those poodles)
That is amazing, though, that she got into the tub by herself after only doing this twice! You've got one very smart dog.
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