(The long read. )
Dogs are amazing.

I know that's something most of us agree on.

Here is Joni, 12 years old, a Border Collie, and the least well behaved dog who's ever lived with us. She is beloved of Zaz who will be devastated when she goes.

One of her more annoying habits is to bark constantly while I'm making supper. Or vacuuming. Or snow is being cleared. Or any time, really.

The other day when she was doing just that. I said to her "stop barking and play the 'hide the blue ball' game." In that game one of us hides her blue ball in the kitchen and she tries (or if she's hidden it, I pretend to try) to find it.

She stopped barking, went straight for the blue ball and 'hid' it in the cupboard, standing in front of it as a clue for me to ask her where it was then to praise her lavishly when she 'found' it, which I did, of course.

I was pretty impressed. Steven was also as he was there. Fluke?

Last night the same barking for nothing was going on, but this time I said in a rather conversational tone (barely over the din) "why don't you stop barking and play hide the blue ball instead?" She stopped and picked up her blue ball and did exactly as I had suggested.

Not a fluke. They know so much more than they let on.

Have a Happy Friday, friends.

#EllieKPosts #JoniTheBorderCollie #BorderCollie #fidoFriday #DogsOfMastodon #dogs