The day today has whiffled on, like an enquiring dog exploring new territory, sniffing in all the corners and savouring the scents there discovered. And, yet, does a dog on concluding such a search, emerge with any conclusions in his brain?
Not if he’s a dog worth his salt, that’s for sure. No dog I ever encountered wasted his time and energy searching for conclusions.
It’s the search that counts.
Advertisement
What a fine little post, seems like a gem to me!
Dogs certainly stay in the now.
I know dogs pretty well, and it’s true that they enjoy the moment. But there is more than that. They anticipate and they remember. My dogs know our daily routine of meals, walks, naps and bedtime, and they hold us to a schedule. My littlest dog had a little dog friend that got run over. For quite a while whenever we passed the dog friend’s house mine would whimper because he was absent. Now she has stopped whimpering. Has she “concluded” that he is gone? Or just forgotten him?
My dogs reach a conclusion occasionally. If – after they’re done with their meal – I sometimes forget to give them their little treat and I go and sit down in my big comfy chair and put my feet up, they’ll stand there looking from me to the cabinet and back again for a few minutes, then – Believe me – they conclude that they’re not getting it and lay down on their beds with big ‘ol sighs!
My son’s dog (whom I cared for while my son was in college) used to conclude, based on the way I dressed in the morning, whether I was going to work or going to take him out. When he knew a walk was on the menu, he would jump up and down on the bed and make little yipping noises. When he knew I was going to work, he lay there looking bored. I wonder whether cats have the same ability to weigh the evidence and make conclusions.