My Ingenious Dog

Sometimes I wonder if Ethel is actually a dog. Maybe she's human, or maybe she's something ever brighter? Well, this morning, she definitely made me ponder this thought all over again with her display of sheer intelligence!

The dogs' outdoor toy box does not, and has never, lived in the middle of the garden. It has always lived near the fence, at one side of the garden, under the currently-out-of-use table. It has always lived there, ever since Earl was a puppy. It is also wedged under a wooden step, to be moved by me when I play with them. You see, they have that many toys that if it wasn't wedged down, the garden would be littered with millions of toys, resulting in several human casualties from falls. The lid has also always been hard to open, even with human hands.

So, you can imagine my utter confusion this morning when I looked out of the kitchen window and saw the toy box in the middle of the garden, with Ethel 'casually investigating it'. It was then that my mind became boggled; what I saw was priceless. Ethel had placed one paw firmly on the lid, and was prising the lid carefully open with her mouth. I sometimes struggle to lift that lid, using my human hands. Once the lid came lose, Ethel then picked it up firmly in her mouth, carrying it to the side of the box, and dropped it there. She then went back over to the box and retrieved her favourite toy from it, parading it around the garden with glee.

When I went to investigate where the box should live, the wooden step was on it's side, gravel had been tossed everywhere, and the grass was lined with 'pull' marks. Obviously the work of one very clever pup...

A proud and casual ingenious Ethel.

Oh, and do you know why the box was in the middle of the garden? She'd pulled it there herself, single pawed! And, if you saw my large garden, you'd understand that she'd pulled it a long way. She has strength, willpower, and an incredibly bright mind.

What a show my ingenious dog put on for me this morning!

She'll be opening the fridge soon...!

Does your dog ever impress you with his/her ingenious canine skills?

We're joining our hosts Snoopy's Dogblog, Alfie's Blog and My Brown Newfies in the Monday Mischief Blog Hop. We send many thanks their way, and you can join in below.