Husky Psychology Lesson 1

People have a habit of anthropomorphizing their pets, but I have proof they do indeed display human characteristics. I have read several books that say dogs feel the same emotions we do, however the emotions a much more intense. Jealousy is probably the best one to illustrate this point. When I pet ‘Strella Dog, Yukon immediately comes over and muscles her out of the way so he can be petted, and visa versa, I might add. Sense of humor is another trait we share with our furry friends.

I suspect many do not believe dogs have a sense of humor, that they are incapable of getting any kind of joke much less making one. I disagree and I have seen first hand how the dog sense of humor operates. I have two huskies and as everyone knows huskies are the clowns of the dog world. The humor is very basic, as you might expect – your dog isn’t going to come up and tell you the one about the priest, the rabbi, and the mullah. Their style of joke is more along the lines of The Three Stooges.

Take poop for instance. Whether you find it disgusting or not, poop is not only a natural function but a means of communication for dogs. One of ‘Strella Dog’s favorite jokes is to run out a ways in front of the mower while I am cutting the grass and dump a large load right in my intended path. She then runs over to the patio to sit and watch. You can tell she is laughing by her eyes and her posture, now dad (yes, I am one of those kind of people) has to stop mowing and clean up the crap. Or not, my mower has a bag. Apparently that is funny as hell.

Then there is the bait and switch. I have seen ‘Strella pull this on Yukon as well as on us. It is not only exceedingly funny, but a means to an end. Sometimes Yukon will lay on the futon that ‘Strella thinks is pretty much her futon. To get him off and have a laugh at his expense, she’ll dash into the room all excited and then run out again. Yukon, dog of little brain, gets up and runs after her to see what is going on. It is then that ‘Strella runs back in to the room and jumps on “her” futon. Once again, the look on her face and panting infer laughter. On a bigger scale, to get my pillow during the night, she will stand by the door and whine. I, apparently no smarter than Yukon, get up to let her out – mission accomplished. My pillow is now occupied by a mutinous black and white ball of laughing fur.

Wake up dad. One of Yukon’s favorites. It starts with dad napping. Yukon creeps slowly to the edge of the bed and then lets out with a short woo. A variation is the whisker tickle. Once again the husky creeps stealthily near and then the victim feels the sensation of something crawling on his or her arm. Upon awaking you are greeted by a large laughing ball of fur.

I think if you look at some of the inexplicable things your dogs have pulled you will find that you have been the butt of a dog joke. This may work with cats and other prey animals, but if you raise fish or birds and you believe they are thinking anything then you are just projecting.