It’s almost time for my dog Archie’s breakfast. He is lying on the floor about 8 feet from me. “Breakfast?” I ask. He stares at me. “Did I hear you right?” he responds, although not in actual words. Yes, he understands, sort of… “You’re such a good boy,” I say as I do a hundred times a day. He stares, hoping for clarity about the meal. “But what about breakfast?” he asks. “I swear I heard you say something about that…” He waits. He’s not sure if he heard me right. He’s a dog.
“You’re so funny,” I say, staring at him as he continues to look straight into my eyes, trying his best to determine what exactly is happening. Sometimes I stare at him, marveling at what a wonderful, loving little fellow he is. I want so badly to say to him, “Would you please just learn to talk so we can go on tour and I will make millions of dollars.”
Alas, he and I both know (at least I do) that won’t happen. But, theoretically, it’s not impossible. Telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell taught a dog to speak a few words. But my late parakeet, Shakey, put Bell’s dog to shame.
I resume writing. Archie lays his head down on the carpet and closes his eyes. “False alarm,” he thinks.
Five minutes later I ask again, “Breakfast?” This time I rise from my chair and head to the cabinet that holds his bounty. He follows. “Finally,” he says, his tail in full swing.
##RVT1100
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Our sheltie Boaz who has been pictured here, understands lots of words and some hand signals as well as watching where we are looking. If I have a treat in hand and look around he will go find one of his toys and offer it in exchange for the treat!
When he hears me close my laptop or turn off the tv in the evening he heads to his crate its bedtime. If we say the word go in a conversation he heads to his crate anticipating that we are going out and he is staying home for a bit.
When we start packing things out to the trailer he gets all excited until it’s time to leave. When it’s time for a trip he knows to wait at the door for permission to get in the vehicle, similarly we trained him that he has to stay in the trailer until we exit then he can exit. I don’t want to be pulled down the steps. Oh, he loves the 3 cats that share the house with us too.
Me and my dog ‘talk” to each other every day. I Love her dearly.
Absolutely our Furbaby Pup Kitty understands and communicates to us! Just like all of you. She’s also an Alarm Clock. 0730 time to wake up, 0930-1000 time for Breakfast, 12noon-1400 time for Vitamins & snacks, 1500 time to get mail & ride in My General Side-by-side, 1800-1900 Dinner, 2200-2300 Bedtime now!
In between all those times let’s go for a walk, play outside please and mostly if I’m not right by your side, I am going to sleep and keep you awake all early morning hours!!!
We Love our Baby Girl, Kitty 5 years old, rescue American Staffordshire Terrier.
My Cassie died last December just before Christmas, she understood everything I said to her. And I understood every look, movement or noise she made. Heck, I still talk to her four months later…
So sorry, Matt. I’m still having trouble after losing my Buddy a year ago. But I just remembered the dog my grandparents had. My grandpa taught him to actually “say” 3 or 4 words, and you could tell what Rusty was saying, literally! It was pretty cool! Take care. 🙂 –Diane at RVtravel.com
We are sorry for you MattD and Diane including everyone else who had had a loss of their beloved Furbaby. Try to believe your baby is running at the sunshine, playing in the warm water and having a beautiful life with all the others Furbabies with them.
XOXOXOXO
Thank you, SherKen. Made me cry. This is nuts, but I still have some of Buddy’s “nose slime” on the inside back window of my car from when I had to take him to the vet for the last time. It’s like his message to me, and I just can’t bring myself to clean that part of the window. 🥹 –Diane
We have a 12 year old Maltese we talk to all the time. Sometimes he will look at us and his mouth will be moving like he is trying to talk. I’ve told him go ahead and put some sound with that and you’ll be talking, but he never does. Lol
I wholeheartedly agree, our beloved pets can talk to us. It might be as simple as a tail wag, or jumping around all excited, but yes we just need to look for the signs. We’ve had our last beloved Toy Poodle, Zach for the last 5 years of his 13 year life, and he taught us so much about his communication of unconditional love towards us humans. I was once told that looking at a dog’s eyes, was like looking to the soul of God’s love, unconditional and ever lasting. We miss him dearly.
Our Casper lost his left front leg to a German Shepard 4 years ago, but he still can run a cat out of our yard. When he needs to go out or wants something to eat he will stand a stare at us and when we ask several questions about what he wants, he will do a little dance with his hind legs, I tell DW he’s starting his Harley because his right rear leg will raise higher and come down harder than the left. Lol
I had many conversations with my dog before she passed and I know she listened. I also believed she talked back to me. Funny story, when I would make a sandwich she would sit at my feet drooling. Then she would sit and drool as I ate. I shared the last bite, a corner, with her one time and it became a routine. It was such a routine that when I was packing a lunch I would cut off the corner and give it to her before I wrapped up the sandwich. She passed away last September and it was a long time before I could eat a whole sandwich. I would save that corner. Anyway, dogs are great!!
What a bittersweet story, Tom. Thank you. Take care. 🙂 –Diane at RVtravel.com