Never underestimate the cleverness of the dog. The Meeker Classic may be over for the year, yet some of us might continue to watch daily demonstrations of intelligent canine behavior in our own homes. Oh, to be so lucky.
Working dogs on local farms and ranches, household pets of every breed as well as a few stray, canny canines can be found throughout the county. There are local folks who maintain that their family dog is just as smart as the winners of Meeker’s annual dog trials. Do not engage in conversation with these individuals, as it will prove fruitless to argue with them. Somehow, the slowest, heftiest dog will somehow sneak out of the yard and they will recount the escape story endlessly to support their story as evidence.
Previous experience enables me to verify this fact. Suffice it to say that that quite a few of us have watched some of the most improbable creatures make a quick escape and get nabbed by the local dog catcher and time and time again. One cannot identify a particular breed that has mastered the art of escaping from the yard more than others.
There are definitely some household pets that the experts among us identify as frequent fence-leapers, as well as wily-wigglers, or savvy squeezers. You may have heard one or two dog whisperers claim that only the elite representatives of certain breeds of dogs can perform these outstanding feats. Pay them no mind.
Huskies are said to be leapers and any tea-cup sized, dust mop of a dog will attempt to squeeze through the smallest fence opening. However some of the strangest mixes of the breeds can out-perform all of them. Occasionally a one dog family will blossom to two and even three before an owner realizes it and it becomes a serious problem. The increased number of escapees from one yard at the same time presents a problem. Families may discover that their previously friendly neighbors soon turn nasty.
Most every breed of canine seems to have a natural instinct for leaving the yard. They either shimmy through or they hop nimbly over the fence. No matter how they achieve it, the end result is the same. They are just gone…doggone it!
By DOLLY VISCARDI – Special to the Herald Times
