Intelligent pets

I had many dogs over the years, but still miss a rescue dog. He was a Parsons Jack Russel and spent early years with young people who taught him to beg for his food. I soon stopped him doing that. He was a naughty escapologist. Several times he escaped. He was microchipped so always came back. I taught him to wink at me, but it backfired when I had a couple visit me, and I was accused of winking at the husband because my dog was sat on his lap. She did not believe a dog could wink. Never saw them again

My friend's dog would race her to 'answer' the phone - when we all had landlines and an instrument with a receiver - and would knock the receiver off and 'talk'. My parent's cat would open doors - they had large circular china doorknobs and he would jump up and put his paws round the doorknob, wriggle until the door opened and then swing into the room and drop gracefully. Our notoriously greedy Labrador could open the fridge with one flick of the paw, and select a snack. That little game was stopped as soon as we caught her doing it.

What a great thread! I have laughed out and been touched by the compassion these dogs and cats show. My last dog died 11 years ago and I occasionally dog sit for friends when they travel, so I get my 'fix' of doggy love.

At one point we had two greyhounds and one collie, who had abeen left tied to a lamppost outside Tesco for 24hrs before we took him. He knew the difference between the suitcases we took on holiday in this country, where the dogs would come, and our ‘abroad’ cases where they would go into kennels. The greyhound ps didn’t, and would get excited regardless.When it was obvious to him they were going into kennels he would look st the others with an expression that clearly said” you haven’t got a clue have you...” ?

I used to have a lovely Burmese cat who would wee in the toilet and then paw the toilet roll until it all ended up on the floor. He never missed the toilet pan (had a better aim than my husband). There were occasions when one of us was using the loo and had to hurry up because the cat needed a wee!!

My grandfather's dog Paddy used to go to the local corner shop with a shopping bag around his neck and money and note. It was about 100 yds up the hill he lived on. Always came straight back with the shopping.
He would collect the eggs from his chickens too and put them carefully on the carpet. He was a patterdale cross

We used to have a cat who would wee in the shower if it was raining outside. We did not know this until I caught her at it. To be fair her aim was very good & no mess but we kept the door shut after that!
When I was a child my Grandfather- who lived in the next road- had a cat who was his pride & joy & the cat adored him too. My GF had a false leg from a war injury & the cat would sit on his lap along the warm leg only. He used to go out every evening to meet my GF on his way home from work & follow him the last 100 yards. My GF died at home. He had been in bed for his last 5 days & the cat never went upstairs. We took him up as GF was missing him but he would not stay. One evening he went up of his own accord & snuggled down with GF. GF died that night with cat on his lap.
Never underestimate an animal!

I miss my dog, the smartest Jack Russell in the world. I had him for fourteen years, but he's been gone five years now. I've been on a lot of lists for a rescue dog for eighteen months now, not a single nibble. Is it a waste of time? do you think? I was determined not to get a puppy as there are so many dogs needing a home but here am I with a dog ready home and garden and DH and me retired and dog ready too! Any advice?

Our dog, Boo, barks when either DH, or DDs are even at the end of the road. She was barking before the postman came into our drive.
She took DH on a walk from where we live now to where we used to live (never done it before and it's about 2 miles away). She was quite disappointed when DH didn't go and open the door and let her go and play in the garden!!

Had a ceros bred Australian cattle dog in Papua New Guinea where I taught for 2.5 years on VSO. She learned to sit on the back on the motorbike

I'm always fascinated by how dogs associate noises to things happening - I think it's called Pavlov's dog association. Ours likes to be out in the garden and I let him out first thing while I'm making a cup of tea. When I'm dressed I get a plastic bag out of a drawer and go out to pick up after him. It doesn't matter where in the house he is, he appears right behind me when he hears the plastic rustling. Same with emptying the washing machine. As soon as the washer door opens he sits at the back door waiting for me to hang washing out and looks quite disappointed if I don't go outside.

Nanna58 Your post is so true. Both the dogs we've had have known what was happening when suitcases were brought downstairs. Our first dog would dig her paws in and have to be almost dragged out to the car to go to the kennels. The present one 'cries' when he's in the car as he thinks he's going there!

My border collie can tell the time! He is fed daily at 4.45 and is guaranteed to come and tap and nudge me within 5 minutes of that time. I’ll be interested to see what happens today having put the clocks back!

Lulubelle500, I hope you get your wee dog soon. Maybe the pandemic is holding things up. Loving this thread.

This is a link to next door's cat knocking to be allowed in. It was taken a year ago but he is still knocking1 My neighbour has said she always has to answer in case it's a genuine caller.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJaEy03MEK0

My border collie recognised my phones ringtone when it was played on the radio. When my phone rings (Its Jean Genie by David Bowie) if often means that a family member is on their way home. So my dog runs to the front door to wait for their arrival after a phone call. Jean Genie was played on the radio the other day and sure enough, off he went to sit at the front door! Sadly nobody came home!

Patsy429 Do you live in Downing Street?

I had a cat who met me at the bus stop coming home from primary school. It was a 15 minute walk across many roads from my house. I don't know how she knew what time the bus arrived.

Elegran - Ha ha! Not quite as salubrious.

We had a burmese cat called Bentwhisker (as a kitten she investigated candle flames rather too closely). she wouldn't be shut out of a room. There were high knobs on the doors and we never actually saw her jump to open them, but we did hear her her sometimes. We had a rule no cats in hte bedroom, but that went by the board,
If we went out without her she'd turn on every light in the house, including the bathroom light, which was a pull string. We never saw her doing it.

She used to follow me to the shops, there was a busy road so I used to give up and pick her up. She used to go round the supermarket sitting on my shoulder like a parrot! The only problem was the cheese counter, they used to put out little cubes for people to try. The cat would try to snag a piece of cheese so I'd be saying, Half a pound of cheddar while trying to fend off the cat! She didn't ever get any I'm glad to say.

When we lived in a London flat we used to go to our caravan at weekends. Every Friday evening the cat would go downstairs and wait for my husband to fetch the car. He enjoyed his time in the country.
One time we were going on holiday to Devon and decided to stop in Petersfield for the night and as usual let Timmy out.
Next morning he didn’t come back. Waited and called him most of the morning. My husband decided to give some of the resident caravanners so money to feed him and we would come back two weeks later. But on returning after two weeks they said they had not seen him. However during the night he jumped in through the window with a mouse in his mouth.
When we got back to our site he wouldn’t go far from the van but kept bringing in mice and lizards . Trying to tell us how he had lived for two weeks?
After we moved years later we had a cat door for another cat.
One night there was a knock at the door it was the cat. Let him went back to bed. Knocking again. He had the dog with him. The dog had squeezed out through the cat door and couldn’t get back.
Another occasion this cat knocked at the door in the middle of the night and he led me into the kitchen where there was a smell of burning. We had overhead electric wires and where the wire entered the bungalow was over heating. Electric company came straight out. Said any longer place would been on fire.

Bijou . And what a blessing they are.

Our cockapoo Nancy loves to play fetch with a tennis ball, When we get fed up throwing it she throws it for herself down the hall and runs to fetch it, very sweet!

When I was young we also had a cat that knocked on the door - she appeared in the snow on the day that Princess Anne got married and we played with her - the following morning when we opened the front door, she was on the doorstep, took one look at the dog and said 'if it's good enough for him it's good enough for me' walked in and stayed for 16 years!

I got my current Golden Retriever 2 years ago as a pup, and was hoping that I would be able to get him trained up as a service dog for me - however, he is scared of his own farts, so that went by the wayside! However I have now had 2 falls, and it has been him that has alerted my daughter (the Careline ringing the house phone over and over didn't wake her,) but he did as he knew that something was wrong!

My other dog is a very good bird murderer (rescue from Romania so I think that is how she survived?) so isn't let off nowadays unless I can get her to the middle of nowhere - but a few years ago I let her off in the woods where my Mum lives (bottom of Doncaster Racecourse). She disappeared off hunting so spent the rest of the time calling her - got to near the end of the circuit and someone asked if I had lost a dog? Turned out she was waiting under the car for me! Wherever we go she has ALWAYS found her way back to me despite not knowing where she is! But she isn't really safe, so unless escapes she is now on lead sadly for her!

When my cat decided it was our bedtime she would sit in front of the television that sat on a sideboard. When you gave up and turned the t.v off she would race to get on to the bed before me so she 2/3s of it.