Pet Prodigies: 10 Tales of Remarkably Smart Pets

By

Andreas Jones

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| Published on February 3, 2024

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In a world where the intelligence of our furry companions often surprises and delights us, some intelligent pet Prodigies go beyond the usual tricks. From guardian dogs to cunning cats and clever canines, these stories shared by members of an online forum showcase remarkable intellect and emotional depth. Here are Pet Prodigies: 10 Tales of Remarkably Smart Pets

1. The Free Babysitter

Baby boy with dog
Image Credit: Shutterstock.

A user shares that when they were young, their parents adopted an older German Shepherd who had been a rescue dog previously. The mother would put her baby on a blanket in the backyard and ask the dog, Fritz, to keep an eye on him.

Well, he sure did a fantastic job. Whenever the baby would crawl off the blanket, Fritz pulled him by his diaper and put him back in the middle. In another instance, when the baby’s hat had fallen off on a casual walk once, the dog was asked to find it. Two minutes is how long the dog took to find and bring it back.

2. Couch Couture

One shares that their dog had the mind of a lawyer. When they first got him, he sat on their two-seater sofa. “No, get down, boy!” he was told. He reluctantly got off. The next day, when the family returned home, they saw the dog had pulled off the two sofa cushions, put them on the floor in front of the couch, and was lying on it.

“He was wagging his tail at us and probably was thinking, ‘See, I’m not up on the couch.'”

3. Canine Shakespeare

One member’s dog is so intelligent they must speak an archaic form of English around him. The dog can easily pick up on words and phrases. “I’m taking the dogs to the park where the leash turns into something like ‘Off to the beloved grassy place I meander with the four legs, where be his bridle?'”

4. The Perfect Companion

A member shared that their cat, Jake, was the perfect companion. He would accompany his owner when they would walk their dog out late at night. Jake would run along the fences and gate posts of houses fronting onto the road.

When on the main road, he would wait for his owner. Upon the owner’s signal, he would cross to the other side of the road. Talk about discipline!

5. Clever Clucker Sunshine

Sunshine was a tiny, hand-raised, buff Orpington hen. Her owner had taught her to hop up the back steps of the deck and come to the glass door when she wanted a treat. Well, this trick eventually saved her life.

One night, Sunshine escaped her cage when it was snowing heavily and couldn’t get back in. “She hopped up the back steps and jumped up on a wooden bureau we happened to have on the deck, right below our bay window.” The owners had been sitting in the dining room, had heard a funny tapping sound, and eventually put her away.

6. The House Help

Milton, a sweet chocolate Labrador, was adopted by his owner at seven years old. His owner was a farmer, and every morning, she and her kids collected 200 eggs, sometimes missing a few. Milton used to observe their activity silently.

The user writes that she visited the owner’s home one day and found six eggs on the back deck floor. Upon inquiring, the owner told them that Milton would go into the chicken coops and check the boxes after she and the kids collected the eggs. If any eggs were left, he would carry them to the house.

7. Canine Prodigy

A member shared that their service dog, Canta, had reached developmental milestones earlier than usual. By two weeks, he “basically potty trained himself.” He could sit, stay, and lie down by ten weeks of age.

Any new command taught to him would only be learned in about five repetitions. Not only this, but the dog now has learned to alert to migraines, panic attacks, and low oxygen.

8. Sammy Girl’s Sixth Sense

Sammy Girl, an old rescue dog, was adopted by its new owner at the age of 12. The owner brought her to a night class at the college, where they taught piano classes. She lay beside an older student and refused to move away from him. Considering she was quite obedient otherwise, this behavior was highly odd.

A couple of weeks later, the owner was in the copy room with the same student. The student told him he would have to leave as the flickering lights would induce an epileptic seizure.

“I put 2 + 2 together and realized that Sammy Girl likely could sense this about him and was simply doing her job to guard him. She would always sit by him when I brought her to school.”

9. The Pop Heist

A user mentions being outsmarted by her border collie named Fox. Picture this: The owner, engrossed in gardening, blissfully sipping their can of Coke placed on the stairs leading down from the deck. Fox, with her head cocked, observed the owner’s every move. Suddenly, she hatched a plan.

She approached the owner with her ball. A seemingly innocent game of fetch followed, but her motives were far from ordinary. Each toss of the ball was a strategic move, with Fox deliberately increasing the distance between her and the owner. When the ball moved away, the owner went to retrieve it.

“Before I realized it, she gently knocked the pop can on its side so it remained on the step, creating a river of pop that she lapped up. She turned and looked at me. I swear that she was laughing. Crazy like a fox!”

10. The Beloved Riding Companion

A user shares that when they were 13, their father got them a horse. This horse, not only exceedingly kind and intelligent, became a beloved riding companion that responded to spoken instructions with surprising accuracy.

A decade later, a stranger stopped by the pasture. As the horse enthusiastically whinnied and approached this stranger, it became evident that this man held a special place in the horse’s past.

Turns out, it was the same man who had raised him and taught all the beautiful tricks. The horse’s ability to respond to subtle signals and perform tricks for his beloved owner demonstrates the enduring bond between animals and humans.

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