Posted on 10/28/2006 2:29:38 PM PDT by shrinkermd
From the day they brought her home, the D'Avellas' black-and-white mutt loathed ringing phones. At the first trill, Jay Dee would bolt from the room and howl until someone picked up. But within a few weeks, the D'Avellas began missing calls: When the phone rang, their friends later told them, someone would pick up and then the line would go dead.
One evening, Aida D'Avella solved the mystery. Sitting in the family room of her Newark, N.J., home, Ms. D'Avella got up as the phone rang, but the dog beat her to it. Jay Dee ran straight to the ringing phone, lifted the receiver off the hook in her jaws, replaced it and returned contentedly to her spot on the rug
...Ethologists, the scientists who study animal behavior, have amassed thousands of studies showing that animals can count, understand cause and effect, form abstractions, solve problems, use tools and even deceive. But lately scientists have gone a step further: Researchers around the world are providing tantalizing evidence that animals not only learn and remember but that they may also have consciousness -- in other words, they may be capable of thinking about their thoughts and knowing that they know.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
But donkeys don't think do they?
The reactions of animals are fascinating.
Bacon, bacon, bacon......bacon, bacon, bacon......bacon, bacon....gotta pee gotta pee, gotta pee....what's that smell?, ooh, whats THAT smell? Gotta dump, Gotta dump, gotta dump...what's that noise? bark bark.....what's that smell?.....get the picture?
L
consciousness -- in other words, they may be capable of thinking about their thoughts and knowing that they know.
Something that can't be said for liberals, they only have feelings.
The guy who mows our lawn had to sell his farm and start a landscaping service. He says that when he had the farm he knew all his milk cows by name.
Once he visited the farm he sold them to. He spotted one of his cows, went up to her and called her by name.
He says they both stood their crying.
Mr. Baybuh barked at prime numbers and was bent on solving Pi.
"Thinking about their thoughts?" No, I don't think so.
"But donkeys don't think do they?"
Chesterton thought they did. Fr. Neuhaus just quoted one of his series of animal poems in First Things this past week.
It's a great poem:
THE DONKEY
by: G.K. Chesterton
WHEN fishes flew and forests walked
And figs grew upon thorn,
Some moment when the moon was blood
Then surely I was born;
With monstrous head and sickening cry
And ears like errant wings,
The devil's walking parody
On all four-footed things.
The tattered outlaw of the earth,
Of ancient crooked will;
Starve, scourge, deride me: I am dumb,
I keep my secret still.
Fools! For I also had my hour;
One far fierce hour and sweet:
There was a shout about my ears,
And palms before my feet.
Very useful dog. He also ate the kid's homework.
Thanks for the pug-ping
This kind of thinking is exactly why I have the "2 cat" rule when it comes to dating women. Any woman who has 2 or more cats is thinking way too much about what their cats are thinking.
Dogs are damn smart - some breeds more than others, but all can and do learn our "ways" and play them for all they are worth! lol
yes--and i really believe this about our two border collie mixes... gosh, those doggies are smart... and even manipulative... they amaze us all the time... they think they're people...
It's jackasses that don't think, but then they display contradictory traits. For instance, although they don't think, they are self aware, but ONLY self aware, they NEVER think of others. Yet, when it comes to work or taxes they ONLY think of others, after all they will be responsible for neither.
They've gotten more than just a few of Clan Lurkers hard earned cash.
L
Thats funny our dog answers the phone too..
We found out when several people told us they called and the dog answered
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