Mountain Views News, Pasadena Edition [Sierra Madre] Saturday, October 22, 2016

11

JUST FOR BEST FRIENDS


Mountain Views-News Saturday, October 22, 2016 


MAGGIE & 
CHAPLIN: 
These two are 
just charming! 
Age about 5 
months, they 
are super sweet, 
soft, cuddly, and 
fine with nice 
dogs and gentle 
children. Maggie 
is black & white, 
and Chaplin is 
gray & white. Chaplin was named for the vintage 
movie star, Charlie Chaplin, who sported a cute 
mustache. They are very bonded and will be 
adopted as a pair Two are the best company ever!

 Lifeline for Pets is a small no-kill rescue. We show 
some cats most Sunday afternoons at Petsmart, 
3347 E. Foothill Blvd. in Pasadena, 12:30-3:30. 

Adoption fee is $100, which includes spay/neuter, 
microchips, exams & kitten vaccines for both. 
Our cats are negative FELV/FIV unless otherwise 
indicated. 

See more pictures, adoption info & application on 
our website, www.lifelineforpets.org. Sorry, we are 
not accepting cats at this time.

 

GOOD NEWS: THUMBELINA has been adopted!

COGNITIVE CAPACITY 
OF THE CANINE

It is no secret that the average domestic dog 
is capable of learning and responding to a 
wide variety of verbal commands. Particularly 
common to most pets are the single-consonant 
terms typically used in basic obedience training, 
such as “fetch“, “sit” or “stay”. In fact, I have yet to 
meet a pet owner who has not taken the time to 
teach their dog at least one or two commands, to 
help keep some semblance of order and prevent 
chaos in the household.

 Historically, the general consensus regarding a 
canine’s aptitude for learning, responding to and 
obeying verbal commands has been based more 
on the dog’s parsimonious survival instincts than 
on intelligence or cognitive capacity. However, 
relatively recent scientific studies indicate that 
there may be a lot more to a dog’s ability to learn 
than what we might think.

Research findings show that most dogs apply 
previous learning to new situations, perform 
selective imitation, and understand human 
gestures and new words. Thought processes more 
often attributed to us humans. Further, the results 
of many recent studies indicate that the dog’s 
capacity for communicating with, learning from 
and relating to humans is more cognitive than 
survival-driven instinct.

While many mammalian species are apparently 
capable of learning and responding to the verbal 
commands and physical gestures of the human, 
the cooperative nature of the canine is what sets it 
apart from most other mammals. The difference 
lies in the fact that the domestic dog harbors a 
certain loyalty toward his human master, that 
most other mammals do not possess. This is 
likely related to the fact that the dog depends on 
the human for it’s day-to-day needs, nourishment 
and safety more than most other mammalian 
sub-species.

Another unique factor is that the dog tends to 
thrive on pleasing his human friend and genuinely 
enjoys the company. Take “Chaser”, 
for example. Chaser is a six-
year-old Border Collie, trained 
to understand and comprehend 
more than 1,000 English spoken 
words. He even comprehends the 
words when they are used in a 
combination of simple sentences.

Chaser responds correctly when 
told to either retrieve & deliver, 
nose, toe or hide a given object; and 
we are talking about a collection 
of 1,000 items, each of which he 
remembers the given name! Border Collies 
are more attentive and trainable than most dog 
breeds, that I admit, and they are considered to 
be more intelligent than most other breeds but 
still, it is amazing that any dog can perform a task 
involving such complex memory and problem-
solving combinations.

Another example of the remarkable cognitive 
capacity of the canine is shown in the results of 
a study at the University of Vienna in Austria 
where numerous dogs were prompted to select 
particular photos on a touch computer screen. 
The point of the study was to show that the canines 
could categorize the graphic matter in the photos 
per command, based on visual familiarity and 
memory. When shown different sets of dog and 
landscape photos, the subject canines consistently 
selected the appropriate photo per command, 
demonstrating that they could apply their own 
understanding and previous learning to a new 
situation un-related to previous experiences.

Researchers further tested their four-legged 
subjects by showing pictures of empty landscapes 
along with others of similar landscapes including 
a dog. Most subjects selected the pictures with the 
dog in the landscape. Pretty amazing stuff!

Although it doesn’t matter to me whether my dog 
could select the correct picture in an experiment 
or remember every command I hope to instill in 
her, just knowing that she’s capable of consistently 
understanding, comprehending and responding 
to my verbal and body language to the extent that 
she can is quite remarkable and it inspires me to 
learn more about the cognitive capacity of the 
canine.

Happy Tails

by Chris Leclerc


LOOKING FOR A BEST FRIEND?


CHUCK NORRIS is the new leading man 
in Mini Manor. He is a handsome 4-year-old 
Silver Patch Tabby whose striking blend of gray, 
silver and white fur makes him stand out in 
any cat crowd. Chuck is a very affectionate guy. 
He comes forward to greet all visitors nudging 
hands for pets and will persist again if the 
petting stops. His play style is that of a natural 
entertainer, as he chases, swats, bats, and grabs 
toys of all types - flying feathers, rolling balls, 
laser dots and anything else that moves. 

Chuck Norris gets along with his roommates 
and will do well in a multi-cat household, or 
be a charming companion as an only cat. His 
adoption fee is $99 which includes neuter 
surgery, vaccinations, microchip and a free 
wellness exam at a participating veterinarian. 
Feel free to call us at (626) 286-1159 for more 
information on Chuck Norris. He currently 
resides at the San Gabriel Valley Humane 
Society located at 851 E. Grand Avenue in San 
Gabriel which is located off San Gabriel Blvd, 
north of Mission and south of Las Tunas Drive. 
To arrange a ‘Meet and Greet’ with Chuck 
Norris, please stop by any time from 10:30am 
to 4:30pm Tuesday through Sunday.Website:www.sgvhumane.org.

Go to smile.amazon.com and find the San Gabriel Valley Humane Society and every time you buy 
something 0.5% will be donated to the shelter! It’s easy to do and helps the shelter with every purchase 
you make! Let your friends know about this simple way to make a difference!


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com