Replies

sweetliberty, I thought you might enjoy this story from an Affenpinscher website about animal communication :

Now those last pups did another new thing with the ramp from the top of the packing crate. Two pups were sitting at the top of the ramp looking down, suddenly, they turned and stared at each other in what I call a telepathic look. When the stare broke they dashed down the ramp together and busily dug up a rock as large as their heads.

Each picked up one side of the rock and carefully they carried it up to the top of the ramp in a perfect concert of effort. Turning at the top took a little figuring then they faced the top of the ramp with the stone in their mouths. A sideways look at each other and they dropped the rock. Looking as wise as owls they sat and watched it roll down the ramp. One more meaningful glance at each other and the pups reverted to being playful dogs again.

I had the spooky feeling that some Newtonian law had been independently rediscovered and dismissed as kid stuff! Why with all the balls and toys in the yard did the pups dig up a big rock? How did they decide to dig it up and move it together? Why did they dig up a rock when there were so many loose ones available? What on earth did they learn form their experiment in rock rolling?

I'm sure I'll never know and no animal behaviorist will ever believe the observations I've made. But then, they seem to study wolves or beagles or something while I am watching Affenpinschers!

Neat story. I don't doubt that there are levels of animal intelligence that we have only begun to guess at. I used to have a pet pig, and that was without a doubt the cleverest animal I have ever been around. He was a constant challenge. I've often said it was like having a perpetual 2 1/2 year old child around. And when he had a temper tantrum, it was personal. If he got mad at my daughter, he would go upstairs and trash a section of her room that she was particularly persnickety about. If he got mad at me, he'd go for the CD's....and not just any one...he'd pick a favorite. He had musical preferences too. He would go and sit in front of the stereo when he wanted me to play some music, but if he didn't like my selection, he would squeal until I changed it. He was partial to country.