A few years ago, we had a dog named Cali. I know that everyone thinks their dog is special, but Cali really was. You see, we found out that she had the ability to sniff out injuries. With my parents living in the mountains of Virginia, their cat often got into skirmishes with other cats. Undoubtedly, Cali was the first to let us know when Max, the cat, had been hurt. She would sniff the wound until we finally found it under all his fur.
In addition to sniffing out illness, Cali also used her powerful nose to find a lost dog. A friend of ours had an old, blind, deaf dog (not a good combination). This older dog escaped and wandered off. Frantic, the friend called and asked if we could bring Cali over to try and find the dog. We let Cali take in the scent of the other dog's blanket. After we were sure she had the scent, we let her out and simply kept asking her to find the dog. We blindly followed, hoping that Cali knew what she was doing. It turns out, she did! After a few twists and turns through the woods, Cali took us straight to where the dog was laying. When it was all over, the missing dog turned out to be half a mile from her home.
Cali's nurturing instinct was not limited to outstanding olfactory senses. While camping, my dog Scarlett stumbled into the river. The current was rather fast that day and Scarlett never was a proficient swimmer. When Scarlett started to panic, Cali jumped in the water to save her. Cali swam straight to Scarlett, nudged her, and stayed by her side until they made it to shore. I am always amazed at how strong certain instincts are in dogs. Cali was never trained to do the things she did, but that did not stop her. She followed her instincts and helped several of our dogs (and cat) throughout her lifetime.
In addition to sniffing out illness, Cali also used her powerful nose to find a lost dog. A friend of ours had an old, blind, deaf dog (not a good combination). This older dog escaped and wandered off. Frantic, the friend called and asked if we could bring Cali over to try and find the dog. We let Cali take in the scent of the other dog's blanket. After we were sure she had the scent, we let her out and simply kept asking her to find the dog. We blindly followed, hoping that Cali knew what she was doing. It turns out, she did! After a few twists and turns through the woods, Cali took us straight to where the dog was laying. When it was all over, the missing dog turned out to be half a mile from her home.
Cali's nurturing instinct was not limited to outstanding olfactory senses. While camping, my dog Scarlett stumbled into the river. The current was rather fast that day and Scarlett never was a proficient swimmer. When Scarlett started to panic, Cali jumped in the water to save her. Cali swam straight to Scarlett, nudged her, and stayed by her side until they made it to shore. I am always amazed at how strong certain instincts are in dogs. Cali was never trained to do the things she did, but that did not stop her. She followed her instincts and helped several of our dogs (and cat) throughout her lifetime.
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