What is it about Jack Russell terriers that make them so teachable? I wrote earlier about Uggie, the terrier that stole the show in the film The Artist. Now I learn about another terrier Jesse who seems to be a big help around the house.
I showed these videos to Baxter the Wonder Dog in the hope that he would learn by watching and at least put away his toys. No luck so far. Instead, he did his best trick which is to go off and try to take a nap.
Impressive! 🙂
This reminded me of another Jack Russell Terrier: Wishbone! http://www.wwwishbone.com/html/show/show.asp
This video is adorable. I’ve been showing it to everyone.
Dogs make me think. Why do we love them so much? My favorite parts of these videos are when the dog looks up at its master expectantly after it completes every task; I get a warm mushy feeling because I know the dog loves its master and receives great happiness from pleasing the master--so every task it performs, it looks up and says, “How did I do??”
This is no doubt how slave-masters convinced themselves they were being good people. Their slaves over time had probably mentally broken down to the point where acceptance of their position was the norm, and situations like this occurred as well. If anybody has read The Wheel of Time series, the damane from the Seanchan empire are precisely this--people captured on magical leashes. We see a few instances of very strong-willed people who, after months, are completely broken down, adore and view their master with reverence, and live to please them.
I realize that dogs are genetically designed for this issue, and so there’s no really a moral dilemma--we are not coercing anyone, or doing anything against their will; everyone is a willing subject. Also, pets are not human, so our same moral rules don’t apply. But it makes me wonder--does owning a pet allow humans to morally satisfy some strange psychological craving of dominance? I love pets and I know I tell myself that I love them because they’re cuddly and cute, but I wonder if I and many pet owners are fooling ourselves a bit.
I tend to go with the fact that we love them so much because of the unconditional love they give us. Who else is so delighted when we come home each and every day?