Tales from the Bark Side

By Keith Ross | The Daily Journal

Published Saturday, July 19, 2008

Welcome back to the bark side of life here in Ottertail where Oak trees, poplars, and various hard woods sway gently in the morning breeze. A night of barking at nocturnal intruders has passed and the Rosswood Choir lounge comfortably in their kennels. They await a passing pedestrian or cyclist (bicycle) or even a solitary jogger so that they may engage in their favorite pursuit; barking the arrival of a visitor to their collective territory. That's only one facet of the bark side of life we so enjoy.

Do you believe that dogs (or cats) can tell time? Do they reason out a strategy that places them in the most auspicious position to get what they want? This week's tale addresses these questions. See if you agree with Doria Bakken, of Frazee. Here's her tale.

“I have been reading and enjoying your columns on “logic vs. instinct” and would like to tell you about the beagle we had many years ago. We lived in Detroit Lakes, but owned 40 acres on a lake bordered by other vacant, wooded land.

“We would go out to the lake on weekends. Our dog “JoJo” would, of course, come with us. She loved to go into the woods and chase rabbits, so was always the first one out to the car when she knew that was where we were going. How did she know where we were going? It must have been the preparations she saw us making.

“The one thing we can't figure out at all is how did she know when Friday came around? For a few years, we had four teenagers in our house. My husband, Irv, would come home shortly before or after 5 p.m. Because of our teenagers, I would not go out to the lake on Friday nights as that was very active for school activities so I wanted to be around for transportation and curfews.

The main point of the story is that on Friday afternoons, and only Friday afternoons, JoJo would leave her pillow in the corner of the kitchen, about 3 p.m., and lay with her head right next to the door to the garage so that when Irv was ready to go to the lake, she would not miss him or he would be unable to miss seeing her. I thought this might interest you.”

Thanks, Doria, for a charming tale. OK, folks, was it logic or was it a conditioned response? A dog will wait for the school bus to arrive every day at a certain time (even on weekends) so that they may meet the children. This has been chronicled many times.

Some may call it a Pavlovian response to repetitive events. Pavlov's dogs were fed when a bell was rung, and consequently they would salivate when that bell was rung at another time. Let me illustrate this point a bit further.

When I reach into my pocket in front of any of my lovable canines, they get excited because they think they are going to get a treat. This is because they have received a treat from their master in this fashion.

Some times it's just fishing out my car keys. None the less, they have another conditioned response: Dad's going in the truck. Let's go.

But? Once a week at a certain time? In a particular spot where there is no getting around her? I think maybe there is some logic involved.

There may be another explanation that we haven't explored in this column as of yet. Are cats and dogs psychic? Do they detect things on another level of consciousness of which we are not aware? Do you have a tale that might illustrate this phenomenon?

E-mail me at info@rosswoodkennels.com or write to me at Keith Alan Ross, Richville MN 56576. You can phone me, too, at 218-495-2195.

The “Logic vs. Instinct” contest will continue through the summer into the latter part of October.