What do dogs think about?

We've been pondering that question lately. Of course, the obvious answer is that they think about food, play, and their responsibility to sniff everything in sight. But lately we've been noticing a certain fascination, might we call it - obsession - that our dog Leaf has with ducks.

When we go on our daily early-morning walk around the lake near our home in Minneapolis, Leaf shows great interest in the spring ducks. Being a cocker spaniel, he has a strong chase instinct. Oddly enough, he doesn't always strain at the leash and try to run after the ducks. Instead, he sits by the side of the lake and stares at
them with wonderment.

The other day he registered shock on his face when the ducks he was observing "ducked" down under the water and became invisible for an entire minute. He kept looking over his shoulder at us as if to ask, "Where did they go?"

We get the impression that he has many questions, like the two-year-old boy that he is, about these amazing creatures. "How can they do it all?" he seems to be asking. "They walk, swim, fly, and even disappear."

Don't bother to tell us, because we know it's silly, but Leaf's new interest in ducks has inspired us to educate him. Linda has taken to finding interesting tidbits about ducks that she can share with him. After Leaf watched the ducks digging in the moist ground following an April rainstorm the night before, she told him, "Ducks eat bugs and worms."

With an astonished look Leaf sent Linda a distinct inner communication: "No way!" (This is an expression that he must have picked up from listening to conversations on television. If he gets in trouble for sticking his nose on the living room coffee table, he also likes to say, "Busted!")

Okay, so we're nuts. We tell our dog little known facts to make his and our walks more enjoyable. No harm in it. And we are learning more about ducks than we ever wanted to know.

What fascinates your pets?

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ANGEL ANIMALS STORY OF THE WEEK

This week's Angel Animals Story of the Week is about finding comfort with a cat who showed up at exactly the right time and place.

AN ANGEL CAT AT THE GRAVESITE
By Shawna Marzett

In 1999 I was pregnant with my son, and he was due in April 2000. A couple of weeks before I was going to have him, he passed away. This was very tragic for my family and me.

I was not doing well after my loss. We decided to have a funeral and to have my son Dorian buried at a cemetery in Santa Rosa, California. That way, I could go and visit him every day.

Then one day while I was crying on the hill at the cemetery, I looked over my shoulder and saw a gray tabby looking at me from the bushes. For three weeks the gray cat returned to watch me everyday.

One day, I drove up the hill at the cemetery and found the cat sitting by my son's grave, waiting for me. I walked over and sat down next to him. This is how our relationship started.

Each time I went to the gravesite, the gray cat would be waiting there. So I started feeding him twice a day. I made him a shelter in the trees by my son's grave, and we would meet there, rain or shine. I named him Sir Boy. He is my dear angel. He saved me from so much sadness.

Last year Sir Boy got sick. I paid a thousands dollars for his surgery and finally decided it was time to bring him home. I think he might be eleven years old. He has adjusted well to the home life.

I still visit my son. Because I have Sir Boy with me in my bed every night, safe and healthy, I only go once a week now.

BIO:
Shawna Marzett lives in Santa Rosa, California.  She is 36-years-old and works as a nursing assistant at a local convalescent hospital.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT:
Have you ever met a stray animal who found a way into your heart?