Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Talking to Dogs

Noah look-alike

I cannot hold it against the dog for being so high up in our social evolutionary scale. His Canadian master has deemed him supreme. Still, Canadian dogs are friendly and playful, and wag their tails (if they have them) at the drop of a hat, until they almost drop off. They have been taught to be polite.

I've already befriended six in my neighborhood: a golden-colored, pretty bull terrier called Paris who responds with high velocity wagging when I says "Hi Paris!"; Paris's friend, an elderly beagle called Maggie; a Newfie giant who gallops to me for a greeting; Noah (some name to live up to!), a rambunctious tan Irish terrier who finds a bare spot on my hand to lick (how does he find it, in these days when all skin is bundled up for the cold fall?), then stands quietly beside me for a pat; Bodhi the bull dog with no tail, who gyrates his derriere to say "HELLO!"; and a black Irish terrier (called Shadow) who, like his tan cousin, affectionately stands close by to get patted on his sturdy back, then walks behind me as though he understand what his name requires him to do.

The owners are all a little alarmed at this, and some actually pull their dogs subtly away. "Who is this person who magically attracts our beloved pet?" I think dogs respond to a friendly voice. And their limited vocabulary includes "Hello" and "Hi" to which, especially these being polite (and Canadian), they respond.

Squirrels also stop short, and stare, for a few brief seconds at the human who interrupts their busy nut-collecting activity with some human talk.