Surely my previous post about my dog gave you a pretty good idea of Meeshka’s outstanding intelligence (by doggy standards of course.) Today I got another proof that not only is he smart, but can also appreciate art. Well, maybe.
About seven years ago, when I experimented with acrylic paints, I painted a portrait of the Buddha seated in a lotus position, meditating. The painting is nothing to brag about, but I keep it, hoping that some day I’ll be able to turn it into something more spectacular — that is, when I master traditional painting media.
Last week my husband dug out the Buddha painting, along with several of my landscapes and floral themes, and put it in the basement, positioning it so it can be easily viewed by anyone entering the room. My husband also told me that when Meeshka saw the painting the first time, he barked at it, likely alerting him that there was a stranger in the house. My husband thought I should take it as a compliment.
Today, when I was doing laundry, Meeshka followed me downstairs, as he usually does, to make sure all is well in that part of the house. While I was loading the washer, Meeshka kept barking in the room where the paintings are. At first I thought he was barking at the cat, but when I came out of the laundry room, I realized it was actually the Buddha’s portrait that stirred my doggy up. I asked him to shut up, which he did. Then he turned his gaze back to the Buddha painting and stared at it for a good couple of minutes, until he heard me get closer. Then he turned his head toward me with an embarrassed look, as if I caught him stealing socks or underwear from a laundry hamper. This curious occurrence made me wonder, what does my dog see in this painting? By the way, my other dog, Maya, has no interest whatsoever in any of my art pieces. 🙂
There is a lot to know about dogs and what they truly see beyond human eyes
Great work my friend 🙂
LOL, maybe Meeshka is suggesting that you hang your painting upstairs?
Dogs are so intelligent, Shelties are among the 10 most intelligent breeds. Specialist say dogs have the intelligence of a 2 year old child but I think we shouldn’t compare their intelligence with those of humans. I am amazed to see how intelligent my sheltie is, how many words he understands and so much more things he does, that it makes me wonder if these specialist have it all wrong. I’m sure you have heard of dogs who can detect epilectic crisis, cancer and other diseases. I saw a video of a cat who was living in an elderly home care and who could sense the day that someone was going to die. The cat would lie on the bed with the person the very day he or she would die. It’s amazing !
I read books on dog’s psychology and even though scientists debate whether dogs have feelings and whether they can think, I know – my dogs think and have feelings. And those scientist, who don’t recognize that, can say anything they want, like I am antropomorphizing (not sure what the correct term is). I certainly don’t imagine my dogs as humans dressed in furry clothes, but I know the extent of their intelligence firsthand. My dogs are not the smartest dogs in the world, but they are smart enough to make me think of them as intelligent beings. And shelties are among the smartest breeds. And cats… We had a cat who was so bright and lovely, she would go for walks with the dogs, without a leash. I am sure she would be able to perform circus tricks if we had the time to train her.
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Just be thankful he doesn’t eat it. S’been known to happen. And don’t get me going on the intelligence and feelings of dogs! Like you I have seen first hand the machinations of the canine brain and it’s definitely thinking. And just look at my puppy wrong and he slinks off, ears back, head down, tail between the legs. What could be more expressive?
Lol:-) Dogs are angels. Someone famous said it, but who, I can’t remember.