What's REALLY on Fido's Mind?

Ever wonder what your canine best friend is thinking?  Or how smart is he, really?

Me, too.  That's why I was intrigued by the headline I saw recently at NYTimes.com.  "Good Dog, Smart Dog," the headline reads.  The article opens with the story of Jet, a New Jersey Labradoodle, trained to detect and respond to his human's seizures, psychiatric disorders, and other medical conditions.

So impressive is Jet's ability to protect his owner that the US Army is even studying ways service dogs like Jet can help soldiers returning from the ugly military conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.  Of particular interest is a service dog's potential ability to respond to issues involving post-traumatic stress disorders.

Another study being conducted in Hungary is seeking the mechanism(s) by which a dog can tell when a person is on the verge of seizure.  Is it their keen sense of smell?  Facial expression?  Body language?  Other studies suggest dogs can sniff out lung cancer.

A University of British Columbia professor thinks we may have underestimated the mental abilities of dogs.  The professor, Dr. Stanley Coren, even says dogs can understand human vocabulary numbering into the hundreds of words.  University of Florida's Clive DL Wynne recalls a border collie with a vocabulary of 1,500 words.  German studies confirm the canine understanding of human words.  Most dog lovers can confirm it, too.

Everyone who knows their dog is an emotional and intelligent being will enjoy this article.  I highly recommend it.