Intelligent Animals: Dogs

I have decided to post about the amazing intelligence of animals, randomly throughout this blog's lifespan. Some people believe that animals have no souls. I for one think this is truly inconceivable.

I own a dog, a border collie, in fact. And I find her to be extremely intelligent, even more so than some of my regular human correspondents (not really, although it does get pretty close). I can attest that whenever I feel upset and express it by sighing excessively, stomping about, or yelling, my dog comes running up to me with a sad look on her face. (Yes, I see an expression in her face. One I would label as "sad".) Anyway, as she comes to me she slightly wags her tail, usually puts her front paws on my legs and the proceeds to sniff me, or even lick my face if I am sitting.

I conclude that this his her way of trying to comfort me. Just to test this, I groaned loudly several times, and she came running over to me. I did this again later, achieving the same result. This to me says several things: One, she was able to notice my feelings. Two, she was able to understand my feelings. And three, she acted on her perception of my feelings by trying to soothe me. (Well, I am a good owner, if I do say so myself.)

If that isn't proof enough for you, check this out: