http://vitals.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/05/9975679-another-reason-dogs-rule-they-know-what-youre-thinking

My small dog seems always to be staring at me, studying every movement.  Until she’s been fed, or put onto our bed for the night.

good read

though I assume every mammal/creature does this to some extent.  i definitely think dogs are at the higher end of the spectrum though. . cats i feel not so much compared to dogs

There seems a symbiotic relationship between humans and dogs, one going back further than any other species relationship we’ve had, as far as mutual dependence.  We’ve breed dogs to suite our needs, not the reverse, but many of us do seem to have a great need for a 4-legged creature that’ll respond so quickly to us, and which seems(?) to really “care” about us as individuals.  Yea, right, I feed, water, pet, sleep, warm, medically care for, etc etc while she does nothing but, well, what she does: look at us, attend to our every move; wiggle when she’s petted…she earns not a dime and costs us hundreds a year; but neither of us would elect to not have her.  Clever little symbiot, or parasite.

We think we’ve bred the domestic dog. I sometimes think they have bred us. They’ve exploited our genetic make-up so that we now find them indispesible as working dogs and irrististible as pets. In exploiting us they have ensured their own survival.

I’ve shared my home with nineteen dogs over the years.  At one point there were ten running around…from a 115 lb boxer to a 7 lb Maltese.
Without exception, if I point and say “Look”, they look at my hand.  I’ve never known one that wouldn’t. 
Along comes our newest addition, Daisy the Beagle.  If I point and say “Look” to Daisy, she looks in the direction I’m pointing and starts moving that way.
Smaht, that dog!

Nineteen! Goodness, that’s a lot dog, Andrew. Over the last 35 years I’ve only had six - three sets of two. I’ve been devastated when they’ve died (all of old age) but have found the best cure for greif is to get a new puppy. Unbeatable.

And, Andrew, in terms of their ability to understand pointing, dogs are smarter than chimps or any other animal. A great book I read recently on the subject is:

Brian Bradshaw, In Defence of Dogs, Penguin, 2011.

Die fröhliche Wissenschaft (Rob) - 06 January 2012 03:48 AM

Nineteen! Goodness, that’s a lot dog, Andrew. Over the last 35 years I’ve only had six - three sets of two. I’ve been devastated when they’ve died (all of old age) but have found the best cure for greif is to get a new puppy. Unbeatable.
And, Andrew, in terms of their ability to understand pointing, dogs are smarter than chimps or any other animal. A great book I read recently on the subject is:

Brian Bradshaw, In Defence of Dogs, Penguin, 2011.

(Andrew):  Thanks for the recommendation.  It’ll go on the list, for sure.  I can’t recall a time that we there weren’t at least three dogs running around the house.  We’ve always rescued.  I asked the shelter to take my name off the list after the last one (Daisy), though.  I’m not getting any younger and I worry about what would be become of them when I die.

Die fröhliche Wissenschaft (Rob) - 05 January 2012 10:51 PM

We think we’ve bred the domestic dog. I sometimes think they have bred us. They’ve exploited our genetic make-up so that we now find them indispesible as working dogs and irrististible as pets. In exploiting us they have ensured their own survival.

Clever little buggers.  We’re on our 18th dog now, across my lifetime.  Have almost always had at least one around, at one time we had 4.

Eighteen?! And I thought I was a dog person. You and Andrew are true canithropists. (If that could that be a real word. Doesn’t matter. You know what I mean.)