There's a golden retriever in Texas that has saved its owner's life more than once, because it senses when the man is about to have a heart attack before he knows it himself, and warns him.
A friend of mine inherited her dog from a handicapped woman. The retriever, Odo, is a retired service dog who used to give demonstrations all over the country of things like helping a handicapped person take off her blouse, or fetching the TV changer. He also fiercely defended his wheel-chair bound first owner, Kelly, from an assault.
When Kelly died, Odo was miles away with his second owner, my dear friend Vivi Anne. She says that Odo stared at the kitchen clock at the exact time, and howled his heart out.
Vivi Anne is a clinical psychologist who worked for years with terminally ill people like Kelly, and she has her feet firmly on the ground.
These stories are not just sentimental folk anecdotes. Dogs are astonishing animals. I guess rabbits are too, though I never would have supposed it.
It's interesting you mention that, Pavel, because I watched a show before about this dog who knew exactly when his owner would have a seizure. It was pretty cool. They are amazing creatures.
God bless,
Jen
That's strange but dogs do know when something bad is happening. About two weeks ago I got slapped with the flu real fast. It came on real sudden and when I finally took my temperature it was 104. I downed two Advil and set my alarm for an hour later to see if the advil would bring the fever down any. When I woke up my Standard Poodle was laying with is front pays and head on me watching me. He never does that. He usually sleeps at the foot of the bed or on the floor. Somehow I found it comforting.
BritMedia amazing. Quick note that the family gave the name Dory to their bunny after the 'stupid fish' in Finding Nemo. Oh-
anybody hear anything about Tom Brokaw's comments about South Carolina black voters on The Today Show the other day? That because their manners and mores are closer to Jerry Falwell than Hillary Clinton, they could present very interesting dilemmas to the Dems in next Tuesday's primary. Translated- you backward (fill in racial slur) get back on the plantation. Similar kind of honesty as naming your rabbit after a "stupid fish" in a cartoon movie.
A Man's Best Friend is His Rabbit
...But not in Sweden, one can only hope.
When my wife had the flu a few years ago, our border terrier, who usually likes to putter around the house when she's not on the trail in the woods, spent 17 hours tucked against her side in bed, with short breaks to take care of personal needs.
They can be like that.
I have a prayer next to my desk: "Please, God, make me the sort of person my dog thinks I am."
And don't forget Greyfriars Bobby.
I love these comments and stories!! I need to put in a good word for cats (especially having just lost my two 18 year olds within 4 months of each other
--): both of my guys would curl up with me when I was sick and somehow knew not to bug me to go out or get them food.
Once, many years ago, something made me cry. They had never seen such a thing. My male cat flung himself at me and began licking my hands and chin. He was clearly distressed. How do they know???
Cann,
I can only suppose that empathy and perhaps even compassion are very basic parts of our nature.
Our dog had a habit of running to the upstairs bathroom and standing in the tub -- sure 'nuff, it'd soon be thunderstorming. Never failed. Of course, this was the same dog that got into fights with trees.
We always had a German Shepherd when I was little. On very hot summer afternoons my mother used to put the baby down for naps in the carriage under a huge pine tree in the front yard, and tie the dog to the tree. Nobody ever came near the baby, and the dog had sense enough not to bark (thus waking the baby and making the matter moot) when people walked by. She (my mother) also could leave a toddler in the yard with the dog, because he wouldn't let the child go in the street or leave the lawn. He was wonderful.
Yeeeeggghhh (shudders)! I'd rather stay in a coma than wake to find a big rat on my chest. Ugh. Ick. Eeeeew!
Mark,
Rabbit, not rat. But there are people who own rats who swear they make great pets.
'Course, we're not talking about the rats that live in sewers.
There are those who love snakes (they are beautiful), and others keep giant African beetles.
I draw the line at cockroaches, myself, but there are a few who entertain a certain fondness for them.
???
In the spring of '97, my mother-in-law spent four days lying on my sofa, whining and crying and trying to decide whether to divorce her (second) husband. (She should have -- but that's a long story.)
Anyway, our then ten-year-old Westie stayed with her, mostly nestled against her abdomen, the whole time. She was a mother herself, and seemed to understand my mother-in-law needed comfort.
How I miss that dog! She was the best dog we ever had. And speaking of standing in the tub, she and her littermate sister used to come running up the stairs and jump in the tub for their bath -- something Westies aren't supposed to like.
One and one-half stone??? Three Feet? Where did they get this monster rabbit? Can he come play (read: teach a lesson to) my beagles? They'd wet their tails when they followed that scent trail to its end.
Of course, this was the same dog that got into fights with trees.
My oldest beagle, Millie, has a tussle every now and again with the breakfront in the diningroom. I think its senility setting in.
Pavel,
All rodents are rats. A rabbit is a rodent. Therefore, all rabbits are rats. I know it's not logical. Call it an emotional syllogism.
I love rabbits, chipmunks and squirrels. Does that make the concept of rodent a social construct foisted on us by some squeamish rat bigot?
While I am currently ratless due to financial issues, they do make wonderful pets. And I might add that some years ago, a rat in England saved his family by alerting them to a fire that had broken out while they were sleeping. ( BTW, the family dog didn't even wake up until the mother shook him awake...)
There was a study once shown on t.v. where owners of particularly, uh, 'intelligent' dogs would leave their dog at home with a friend. The owner would drive around town for an undetermined amount of time in whatever direction. Whenever they decided to return home, they noted what the time was. The friend that was with their dog noted at what time the dog ran to the front door or window to greet their master's return. The point of the study was to see if it was the sound of the vehicle's engine or the car door slamming or something else that alerted the dog. Many of the dogs though ran to the front door the exact instant that their owner, miles away in town, decided to return home.
Jason,
You might be interested in the theories of Rupert Sheldrake, though to give fair warning they are not mainstream science.
Cann, I have to admit that my border terrier, like all terriers, is a mortal enemy of rodents, and would probably have throttled the good samaritan bunny in the story. She has taken a ten pound woodchuck and a good many squirrels.
A living stuffed toy with people, pitiless with small animals. They do what they're born to do.
My two cats aren't terribly bright. They have never saved me from anything, and the occasional hairball isn't the most pleasant event ever. But they're pretty cool anyhow. (And I suspect they'd be terrified of a 20lb rabbit.)
Rabbits are not rodents. Rabbits are lagomorphs. Rodents and lagomorphs are closely related, however. (Rodents have 2 upper incisors, lagomorphs have 4).
I wonder if that rabbit wants to be eaten? He's real big and would feed a few - he'd look good in the pot 
I also like dogs - have owned a few, and they give great companionship and loyalty that you seldom see in humans.
One thing about dogs, though, is their philosophy on life:
'If you can't eat it, or screw it, piss on it!
Thanks, Dennis. I was just thinking the other day about how rabbits are lagomorphs, and then forgot.
I mean that seriously.
Dennis,
Thanks for straightening that out for me. Gee, the little feller looks cute after all. Hey, Dennis. What's a guinea pig?
Okay, here's another dog story -- sad one, I'm afraid.
A friend of ours had a keeshond (sp?). It had been started out as his wife's dog, but she had died.The people who took care of the dog during the day said that, right around the time she was dying in a hospital across town, the dog got upset and began to pace up and down,howling like a wolf.
This same dog always got very nervous when our friend left the apartment, even for a short time. I wondered how he could have the ability to know that someone far away was dying, but not to figure out that his owner would probably come back.
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