Call me crazy but ...

[Frenchy]

Now I know sometimes we see things that are not actually "there". Our dogs will do something , we will interpret it our own way , sometimes we're right , sometimes we're wrong.

So this morning , I let my dogs out , as usual , they all come back in but Churchill. He likes to stay outside and I always feed him on the deck. Sometimes I have to coax him to come to eat (he's never in a rush )

He was laying near the shed , with his head on the ground , between his 2 paws. He looked kinda sad and wasn't coming for his breakfast. So I went to talk to him and pet him as I thought really , why the sadness ? Then I saw ... a dead baby bird beside him. I have nests inside the shed's roof , babies sometimes fall and die. So I took a shovel , picked up the little corpse and threw it in the back field. Then Churchill went to eat.

Maybe I've been reading too much on Pyrenees , the more I read , the more I'm amaze by their temperament , and it does explains lots of what Churchill does , I never had a dog like him . I know they will guard any of their flock , and stand by a corpse when a sheep dies (or other animals they're guarding) until their human discovers the body.

Was that what happened this morning ? I don't know , maybe he didn't even noticed the dead baby bird , maybe I'm just hoping he was guarding it because that makes it "cute"

I know what my goldens would have done ... they would have rolled on the dead body

[friend2animals]

Awww, that is so sweet

Isn't it great when our dogs continue to amaze us
There's nothing crazy about your interpretation...

[joeysmama]

The only people who would think you're crazy are people who've never had a dog. I'm sure your boy was sad. Doggies have so many emotions. I bet he's a real sweetheart isn't he?

[Melinda]

brina has displayed signs of sadness like that twice, once was when a chipmunk drowned in her pool, she lifted it out, genlty placed it on the ground and cried while pushing it with her nose, we went to see why the crying and watched her, hubs picked it up and buried it and she was better, second time was during a rain storm, she went out, jump down the two steps and laid down right away crying up a storm, we thought she hurt her leg and rushed out and there between her paws was a baby mouse barely moving, half drowned, I brought it in, placed in on a dry washcloth and forced warm rice water in its mouth with a dropper, every two hours *LOL* (I know I know, just a damn mouse) Brina stayed by the pail the whole time it recurperated, after 4 days when it would climb out to go nose to nose with her we realized it was time to release it and it went happily on its way.....so yes...dogs do show sadness.

[NoahGrey]

Frenchy I would like to recommend a great book to read. It is called When Elephants weep: The emotional lives of animals. Here is a defination of the book. I highly recommend it!!

When Elephants Weep: For over 100 years a chasm has separated animal lovers-who know that their dog, cat, horse, or parrot have complex emotional lives - and scientists, to whom attributing any emotions to animals has been equivalent to heresy. And while a groundswell among a new generation of scientists has begun chipping away at this traditional taboo, and animal lovers eagerly consume whatever they can find about the subject, no one book has yet gathered all the available information into an engaging and authoritative portrait of animals emotional lives. Not, that is, until now.

With chapters on love, joy, anger, fear, shame, compassion, and loneliness, all framed by a provocative reevaluation of how we treat animals, When Elephants Weep is the first book since Darwin's time to explore the full range of emotions throughout the animal kingdom, and it features a cast of hundreds. Meet Siri, the Indian elephant, whose impressive sketches have been praised by artists Willem and Elaine de Kooning. Meet Koko, a bashful gorilla proficient ins sign language who loves to play house with dolls-but only when no one is looking - and Michael, another signing gorilla, who cannot be disturbed whenever Pavarotti sings on television. Then there's Moja, the joyful mongoose who waltzes with squirrels; Toto, the steadfast chimpanzee who literally nursed his malaria-stricken human observer back to health; and Alex, an African gray parrot with an astonishing vocabulary, who, when left at the veterinarian's office, shrieked, "Come here! I love you. I'm sorry. I want to go back."

By contrast, you'll also meet scores of biologists, ethnologists, and animal behaviorists whose anecdote-rich field notes and studies paint compelling portraits of their subject's rich emotional lives, yet whose conclusions frequently appear as fancy footwork around the obvious. When Elephants Weep also draws upon the illuminating experiences of animal trainers - from Sea World and the Ringling Bros. circus to Guide Dogs for the Blind - and is sprinkled with insights from pet owners, literature, myth, and fable to create a riveting and revolutionary portrayal of animal's lives that will permanently change and enrich the way you look at animals.

What Others Have Said
"A masterpiece, the most comprehensive and compelling argument for animal sensibility that I've yet seen."

- Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, author of The Hidden Lives of Dogs


"This is not only an important book, it is marvelous! If animals could read they would be filled with joy and gratitude to the authors - as I am. It is scholarly, vivid, and compelling. Please read it."

- Dr. Jane Goodall

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by joeysmama

I bet he's a real sweetheart isn't he?

He is ! Not that I prefer him over my other dogs , it's just that , after doing much reading about the breed , going on pyrenee forums and read stories about them , I highly respect the breed. His loyalty , even if he hasn't been here for long , the fact that , we're pretty sure he did recognize me when I picked him up at the spca (I knew his past owner , more than 3 years ago , and I had met Churchill a few times back then) the fact that , yes he is stubborn as most pyrenees but still , will listen to me. How nice he is with my other dogs but won't be with new dogs because he already feels like protecting all of us. How even at 160 lbs , he will get on his back , all 4 legs up in the air and roll around like a puppy

I did get a bit scared when I read that , these dogs are capable of killing even pitbulls , without getting a scratch .... that evening , I was scared to let my own dogs approach him I believe he could , but only if a strange dog would come into our yard and would be looking to attack one of us. All of this , makes me respect Churchill even more

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by NoahGrey

Frenchy I would like to recommend a great book to read. It is called When Elephants weep: The emotional lives of animals. Here is a defination of the book. I highly recommend it!!

sounds like a great book , do they have one explaining the same things but only about dogs ?

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by Melinda

baby mouse barely moving, half drowned, I brought it in, placed in on a dry washcloth and forced warm rice water in its mouth with a dropper, every two hours *LOL* (I know I know, just a damn mouse)

Melinda , good thing the baby mouse was at your house and not mine if you remember these threads ....

http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=55250

http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=55258

[14+kitties]

Frenchy - You're crazy!!!
I have heard many stories like that. Look at the video someone posted a while back with the cat being hit by a car and the other trying to help it. (I couldn't watch that one btw ) Look at Ace and Ajax here. Ajax is never far away from Ace. I have a feeling he knows Ace needs him to be happy. There are so many stories after one pet in a household passes, the others mourn. I think it's a mavelous thing. Pets really do have huge huge hearts.
And Churchill is an for showing you the baby bird so you could dispose of it.

[Melinda]

*L* my house is old and we set live traps all fall and winter......then they all take a ride out to the bush across from us.....ok I'm nuts..I know....

[ancientgirl]

Frenchy, if you're crazy, then we are all crazy. I firmly believe animals are more aware and in-tune with this world more than we are.

[NoahGrey]

No frenchy I don't. sorry

[Love4himies]

Awwww, sweet, gentle Churchill . There is no way with the sense of scent that a dog has that he didn't know the bird was there. He was just being a wonderful dog

[chico2]

Frenchy,you are not crazy,I believe animals are very capable of feeling emotions,like sadness..
When my Peppi had to be put down,I brought him home and kept him in the carrier outside(covered up)until hubby could bury him.
Rocky and Chico laid down by the carrier for the longest time,as if saying goodbye to Peppi,who had been a wonderful big brother to them both.

[hazelrunpack]

Churchill is an exceptional boy, Frenchy! What a kind-hearted sweetheart he is...

[Tundra_Queen]

Frenchy I don't think your crazy.

Is Churchill ok now..he's not sad anymore? What a sweetie he is.

[Goldfields]

Frenchy, what a lovely dog. I'm sure you are right about the sadness. The strangest thing I have heard was about a couple in Sydney who owned a couple of male ACDs. The woman was terminally ill with cancer and the night she died, poor soul, his dogs started howling. They were outside, and they never howled. He got up to check on her and found her gone.
I could not believe how my Ben,a gentle sheltie, acted either. We got him at 20 months, a very sad dog, I'd say fretting badly for his previous owner. However, when he saw him later he acted like he didn't know him, or that he felt so betrayed that he couldn't forgive him? Fair enough, you could believe he'd forgotten him only that when he saw him for a second time he was beside himself with joy, though still quite happy to come home with me. Maybe we'd just restored his faith in people, I don't know.

[clm]

He's an amazing dog Frenchy, and from what I know about the breed, they are an incredible breed. Like you said, not for everyone. They're true guardians, and like you said, they are more than capable of killing if need be. Yet they care so much about the creatures they consider in their charge and I'm sure feel the loss of anything they consider to be in charge of. He was happy once you discovered the dead bird and felt his job had been done letting you know about it.
Complex breed, but must be incredibly interesting to watch.

clm

[Dee-O-Gee]

What a kind gentle soul Churchill is.

I agree with you Frenchy in that my Golden girl too would have rolled on a dead creature as well.

[TwinTails]

Just a quick poke in to say that the author of that book also wrote Dogs Never Lie About Love - beautiful book and very insightful

PS No you are not crazy

[Frenchy]

Thanks guys , I'll pass on the compliments to Churchill

Originally Posted by Tundra_Queen

Is Churchill ok now..he's not sad anymore? What a sweetie he is.

no , once the baby bird was ... disposed of , he went on with his day. Unfortunetly , I found another dead baby bird yesterday on my front door step.

Originally Posted by clm

Complex breed, but must be incredibly interesting to watch.

clm

Yes they are ! I'm very proud of him.

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by TwinTails

Just a quick poke in to say that the author of that book also wrote Dogs Never Lie About Love - beautiful book and very insightful

Thanks TT , I'll look it up

[Dog Dancer]

This doesn't surprise me at all. Our pups are soooo much more perceptive and emotional than we (yes even we) give them credit for.