Anyone with a pet can attest to the fact that their furry (or scaly) friend does have a personality of their own, even if it takes some time for it to become visible. Dogs that refuse to walk in the rain, cats that insist on only drinking flowing water, and our pets often have quirks, but sometimes it’s clear that their reasoning for it is actually quite solid.
Someone asked “Pet owners, what was that moment that made you think “wow, I have severely underestimated the intelligence of my pets”?” and people shared their cutest stories. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorite examples and if you have any of your own, be sure to leave a comment below.
#1
My husband had a dog… she was our first baby. (She was supposed to be mine, but my husband became her person.) She was a border collie/husky cross we think, and was beautiful, smart, well-trained, and fabulous with our kids.
But she impressed me most with her malicious compliance. She’d started eating what the kids (still tiny back then) would leave on the table. I got mad and told her to stop eating off the table… so she picked up the bowl with left over mac n cheese in it, put it on the floor, and then ate the food.
I couldn’t even be mad; she did exactly what she was told.
She’s been gone for 10 years now. We still miss that girl. Best dog ever, and a great nanny dog with the kids. .
Image source: Icky-Tree-Branch, EyeEm / freepik
#2
I taught our Labrador to shut the back door when she came in from the yard. We’d leave the door just barely unlatched so the AC wasn’t escaping and she could nose it open and come in whenever she wanted. Once she was in, she’d push the door fully shut and go find a human who would have heard the door bang shut so that she could get a treat. (We had convenient little treats in candy jars in most of the places people spent time).
Then she started shutting the pantry or bathroom door then going to claim a treat from someone in another room.
I also taught my dog to find my keys for me. (Actually she would go fetch or point to anything I asked for if she knew the word for it or could figure out what we were lazily pointing to, which is why we had convenient treat stashes in case we wanted her to hand us the remote or whatever). For about a week it was great! If I didn’t know where I’d put my keys, I’d just ask her “Where are the keys? Get the keys!” Fell down in the couch? no problem, she’d sniff them out.
Then she realized there were always keys on the pegboard where I was *supposed* to be putting my keys, so instead of finding MY keys, she’d just go get *any* keys.
Image source: Zealousideal-Rent-77, pvproductions / freepik
#3
I had made a sandwich and set it down on the coffee table, my dog was watching me and then start barking and ran to the front door. I assume there must be someone there so I go down the hallway and my dog runs back towards the living room, I open the door and no one is there.
Went back to the living room to find my lunch gone and dog pretending to be asleep in his bed, he was squinting and would shut his eyes when I looked straight at him. I got tricked and robbed by a dog who then had the brains to pretend to be asleep.
Genius, a thieving scoundrel but a genius one at that.
Image source: AdventurousTeaCup, EyeEm / freepik
#4
My mom passed from cancer about 15 years ago. Our cat MAMA (MAMA cat needs to be in all caps because she was BIG MAMA, a 21 pound tabby) would sit on laps in the living room and only ventured to the kitchen to eat from her bowl or to the bathroom. She never went upstairs, mostly because she was a portly little soul and because she was 12. She was antisocial with most people and trotted away from everyone but me and my mom most of the time, even hissed and swatted at most.
Anyway, my mom moved out to my grandma’s house to do hospice as things finally got to the end. MAMA walked around meowing at home whenever I saw her there (I moved into Grandma’s to help take care of Mom but would go home to get clothes and this and that and feed MAMA and do the kitty litter) shuffling around at a much faster speed than normal like she was worried.
When my mom finally let go we didn’t go home at all that week. My godmother did the cat chores for me as I was saying goodbye. Then we had the funeral and it was all a blur. I went home that night after days of tears and just pure exhaustion from grief. Despite the fatigue I couldn’t sleep. My tear ducts and throat were worn out and had nothing left. Just that wrenching ache of sadness in my gut churning like a washing machine that they don’t make any medicine for. It was probably about 1am when I heard MAMA meowing at the door to my Mom’s room. Then saw her little bowling ball silhouette at the entrance to mine. She had loafed her way up the stairs for probably the first time in 7 years and half her weight ago. She locked eyes with me and stopped meowing, just struggled up to my bed and curled around my arm on my pillow after giving me a little nose boop.
Mom hadn’t been home in about a month, I hadn’t been home in over a week, and it’s like she knew my mom was gone. There’s a a cruel isolation to grief at the loss of a parent. If it’s anything like my loss you see a ton of people all day but there’s a figurative distance between you and your friends and family and you feel like you’re on an island thanking people on a passing ship for being there.
When MAMA made her way up the stairs to comfort me it was the first time I didn’t feel alone all day on a day I was surrounded by hundreds of people. I bellowed dry sorrow into her fur. The tearless echoey sounds you make when you scream at a concert all day. Normally she would have bolted away at the littlest thing, but she stayed right there until the first lights of morning.
I decided I’d take MAMA home with me to my apartment after that. She lived another 11 years! I said goodbye to her a few years ago now. She never climbed another set of stairs in her wonderful kitty life. She continued to be mean to mostly everyone but me and never sat in anyone else’s lap. She was truly my cat. RIP MAMA! You were the best furry friend in history.
Image source: PM_ME_UR_HIP_DIMPLES, twenty20sparkasse / freepik
#5
I had two dogs, about 6 years difference in age. The older one would take all the toys/etc from the younger one, then go on her own way to play with it. The younger one eventually learned that if he wanted to play with something, he should first go grab a toy that he didn’t want, she’d come take it from him, then he would grab his favorite. They’d both have what they wanted.
Image source: 732, EyeEm / freepik
#6
My cat gets zoomies at night and likes to pounce around on the bed, even when I’m under the covers. So sometimes she’ll hop all over me but not really acknowledge my presence.
Well, one week I was in bed recovering from hip surgery. My cat was doing her usual thing, but this time as she was zooming past, one of her paws grazed my hip. She then stopped, turned back around and started making biscuits where my surgery incision was. After 5 minutes of that she went about her day.
That’s not the end though.
The NEXT day she hopped on the bed, sat on top of me and proceeded to knead my hip again, exactly where the doctor had made the incision.
I can’t tell if it was sympathy or if she was sending healing vibes. But now I know shes willing to help if she thinks something’s wrong. Cats definitely don’t get enough credit.
Image source: Cerulean_Zen, freepik
#7
My cat coughs and makes herself hyperventilate when she feels she is not getting enough attention. Her cough is so human like it is freaky.
She had a cold once which included coughing and hyperventilating and got extra special treatment from everyone including extra snacks for being a good girl at the vet and when taking her meds.
We spent over $1000 on vet visits which included X-rays and other tests and were considering getting a second opinion when all the results came in. Everything came back clear and the vet declared she’s just an attention seeking fatty who likes extra snacks and pets.
We also had a cat who played fetch and one who learned to open doors and turn on faucets.
Image source: roonilwonwonweasly, EyeEm / freepik
#8
I heard a loud noise from the back of my house and went to check, thinking about raccoon got in the laundry room again. My cat started aggressively herding me the other way, turns out my son had fallen out of bed and hurt himself, and was crying pretty much silently. Kitty got lots of treats that night.
Image source: Emotional-Cat-5396, freepik
#9
A couple years ago I got talked into adopting an elderly, arthritic amazon parrot with chronic sinusitis. It’s very much like having a special-needs toddler. He was cagebound for a long time, and not well socialized. He only ever said 3-4 words (hello, wow/woo, uh-oh, and bird) but mimics a variety of other bird sounds. He picked me as his personal assistant but also got along well with my husband, although they rarely interact closely. Last summer, my husband went on a short trip and the parrot barely seemed to notice. After my husband got back, we settled in for some food and to chat about the trip. The bird was perched inconspicuously next to us. During a lull in the conversation, he made a low throat-clearing sound and then said with perfect clarity “Where’d you go?” We both almost fell out of our chairs but I’m so glad I had a witness or I’d spend the rest of my life second guessing what I’d heard. The bird has never said this, or any other full sentence, since then.
Image source: nrz242, EyeEm / freepik
#10
My dog loves car rides and loves driving around our suburb with his head out the window. He realised that if he bolted out the door, I would always come fetch him in the car. The little rascal found out the number of blocks he had to run down to guarantee a car ride. Now, every time I fetch him, he waits 4 blocks down the street and will just sit there with a smug look on his face.
Image source: EeefDoesArt, freepik
#11
My husky mix watches the roads intently, whenever we drive somewhere out of town.
If I take a different road to get back home, and pass by the turn-off to go on the usual road … his head WHIPS around at me, from staring at the window, and stares, as if to say, “HEY YOU MISSED THE TURN BACK THERE !”
cracks me up every time.
I believe if I drove him 10 miles out of town, and dropped him off (I NEVER WOULD), but if I did – he would have no problem following all of the roads straight back to our house, from memory. He’s got a road map in his head, back to our house.
Image source: tauntonlake, westsib / freepik
#12
Our dog has learned my husband’s forgetfulness. He has a tendency to say “wanna go out?” And then when he gets up to grab the harness get sidetracked with something else. The dog apparently got sick of this and wont move from her spot until she hears him grab the harness and then she trots over.
Image source: ohKilo13, ArthurHidden / freepik
#13
There was a mule at a barn I worked at that figured out how to open gates and latches, and would break into the feed storage at night. He didn’t like getting in trouble for it, so he started letting OTHER horses out. SOB would then eat his fill, then relock himself back in his own paddock by morning, leaving the other horses to take the fall. Also he stole and chugged long neck beers if you left them unattended around him.
Pour one out for Moose.
Image source: rhinestonecowf-ckboi, freepik
#14
Our cats are incredibly emotionally smart and aware. They always seem to know when someone’s in distress, and they’re always really sweet about it.
Also, I swear two of them understand English. If you try and pick up our Balinese out of nowhere, she’ll dig her claws into whatever she’s standing on. You have to ask her if she wants uppies or a ride before she’ll let you pick her up. She absolutely loves being held, she just needs communication ;_;
Also-also, our little old lady who loves loafing on people has figured out she can’t lie on my tummy, I have a big cyst so the whole area is pretty sensitive. She makes sure to loaf on my hip instead.
Image source: starmadeshadows, freepik
#15
My partner built a really robust dog fence around the yard so our lab mix could let himself out the dog door to sun himself while we were at work. One afternoon, we caught the dog nonchalantly sneaking through a hole in the fence. “Uh, buddy, what are you doing?” He froze with the most horrified expression on his goofy dog face and slowly turned to see if we were, indeed, aware that he was sneaking out. Busted.
Turns out, he had been letting himself out for walks around the neighborhood for MONTHS and always making sure to get home before we did. He knew he wasn’t supposed to do it, so he tried to keep it secret from us. The only reason he got caught was that he was so comfortable with it that he forgot it was our day off. The neighbors later confirmed that he was extremely well behaved and they assumed we were just allowing it. Truly, he was the best boy.
Image source: filthyantagonist, 24K Production / freepik
#16
I think everybody who has pets and loves them typically sees how intelligent they can be. But it’s wild how emotionally in tune they can be. When we got our two kittens We had a former working support dog. He was so sweet and so smart. We used to just let him outside with no leash. He was a grown man and earned every bit of his freedom. He would rarely leave the property, and if he was ever approached by another dog, he would just act as if he was a person handle it calmly and kindly never bark or growl. He was more of a housemate than a pet. He essentially trained my kittens and I can see his essence in them Every day. When our pup passed away, our boy cat just couldn’t handle it. He would cry all day long. Pee on himself poop wherever he was standing. We had to get him medicine for him to take for a few weeks until his grieving process was over. It was heartbreaking. Seeing him lose his best friend.
Few months later I took a job 2 1/2 hours away from my two cats and my girlfriend and I was going to be living there for a few years and I remember sobbing next to my girlfriend. My boy cat desperately tried to console me. He’s always been affectionate, but it was obvious he could tell I was in distress.
Year ago when I bought my house, my brother, nephew, and his dog moved in to my house and it was just so cool seeing the dog who never interacted with cats try to chase my cat around, and watching my cat stand his ground, only to rub his head against the dog. They became best friends very quickly, sleeping together and playing together. I was worried when the pup moved out. Our boy would be in distress, but he wasn’t. I think he understood the dog didn’t pass away. He just moved away. It’s funny. I’m telling the story now because the dogs back at my house while my brother is on vacation and the two were so happy to be reunited.
This was all a while ago now the cats have been around a lot of death and sadness and I can tell it’s aged them. They’re literally attached to my hip all day long. We let them outside like I used to let the dog outside. They’re grown adults and they’ve been through plenty.
Oh also my boy cat can open doors….
Image source: UnfriendlyToast, EyeEm / freepik
#17
I’ve always thought our chicken, Black Hole, was a cute little thing, but I never thought she knew how to work her brain.
The other day, tho, I was talking to someone, mentioned her by name, and she stopped and stared at me in horror.
I didn’t know she knew her name.
Image source: brydeswhale, EyeEm / freepik
#18
Was in my baby’s bedroom with baby and dog. Realised it had been a while since I’d let the dog out. So I (securely) left the baby playing for a sec to nip downstairs with the dog, who usually trots after me. I reach the back door and realise the dog isn’t following.
She’d stopped at the top of the stairs. Would. Not. Budge. Just sat there glaring at me like, “ummmm… you forgot the baby 🧐”.
Image source: did_you_aye, EyeEm / freepik
#19
When the cat is doing something wrong and I raise my voice to get her to stop, she will run to the window and pretend she sees a bird outside.
Image source: Routine_Mine_3019, EyeEm / freepik
#20
My little Havanese, he came out of the vet after a teeth cleaning. The vet said no water for a while. He was groggy and we asked if he wanted a walk or to go home. He turned down the hill towards riverside park. So we were like ok, let’s go for a walk. He was intent. Almost pulling us down the hill over the pedestrian bridge over the Train tracks and took a left towards the basketball courts and restroom. He pulled us to a waterfountain with one of those dog bowl attachments and sat down. Looked at us and looked back at it. He defied the vets orders and gave him a little water. He’d only been to that water fountain once, years before and never from the vet. Hes got incredible spacial memory we’ve found, he knows the highway exits near his favorite places, he remembers which apartment buildings his favorites of our friends live in, and he’s VERY vocal and communicative of his needs and wants with everything from squeaks, buffs, barks, growls, and chirps. Hes 12 now, and still going strong. He’ll do 5 mile hikes with us.
Image source: Troooper0987, EyeEm / freepik
#21
Our cat alerts us to high blood pressure. She’ll try and get my daughter to sit down/slow down and every time I notice it I ask my daughter if she’s feeling dizzy. Also can’t raise my voice to talk in the other room or get stressed out around the cat cause She’ll start acting panicked and get me to calm down. Daughter has dysautonomia and the cat noticed something was up even before the diagnosis.
Image source: Star_Shine32, camomileleyla / freepik
#22
I have dogs. Whenever a stranger comes by they make a weird howling sound so everyone can know there is a person in the garden gate. So one of them found out that she can use that particular sound just for alarming others and having their toys to herself even though there are noone around. Other dogs buy it. Every single time…
Image source: Cautious_Function345, EyeEm / freepik
#23
So we’ve got an elevator inside our home since it’s rather hard for my grandparents to use the stairs, but I just found out that my dog knows how to use it too after watching us a few times 😂
He’s figured out which buttons take him to which floors too haha.
Image source: AdmirablePen437, EyeEm / freepik
#24
I had a solid plastic pet cage that opened with a sliding horizontal metal grid on top. Over the years this cage had held various animals for various periods of time, including mice and guinea pigs, with no problems. When one of my new rats turned out to have been sold to me pregnant, it became a nursery cage.
At about 5 weeks old, I separated the babies by gender, and put mum and the baby girls in the main cage with the other girls while the six baby boys stayed in the nursery cage until they went to their new homes.
These tiny, fluffy baby rats, that had only had their eyes open for about three weeks, worked out that if all of them hung from the grid by their front paws, and swung back and forth in synchrony, they could eventually use their combined weight to nudge the sliding grid along, just far enough to stick a nose through at one end, and escape as a group.
Best thing is, they were smart enough to escape, but also smart enough to know where their food and drink came from. So, rather than finding an empty cage and having to search for half a dozen tiny escaped rats, I instead discovered several baby rats just chilling out on top of the cage, greeting me and asking for treats. (They could easily get down from there whenever they wanted, either back into the cage or down into the rest of the room).
Later on, they demonstrated for me exactly how the escape had been achieved, otherwise I don’t think I’d have ever worked it out myself. I am less intelligent than half a dozen baby rodents.
Another time, some of my rats staged a breakout, booted up my desktop PC, got into the BIOS, and messed about with a load of the settings. I still don’t know if I ever got them all back how they should be.
Image source: ratfancier, akiromaru / freepik
#25
I watched a cat slide under a windowsill, and stretch to push the window open a little more with his back. The same cat had a special meow to call the other cat, like a name.
My friend had a baby. The baby started to fuss and the dog (a collie) went to the diaper bag, grabbed a bottle and dropped it at my friend’s feet. She had not been trained to do that.
Image source: Fun_in_Space, EyeEm / freepik
#26
When my kids were little they went over to a friend’s house a few blocks over. The dog wanted to go too and looked forlornly out of the window as they left. A few minutes later he asked to go outside for the bathroom. When he never came back to the door we went to investigate and found a suspicious new hole under the fence.
After a brief search we found the dog patiently sitting in their friend’s driveway. He’d followed their scent all the way to a house he’d never been anywhere near before.
Image source: zerbey, Wavebreak Media / freepik
#27
I have 6 ducks and 3 chickens. One windy day the chicken’s coop door blew closed leaving one of the girls in. Our lead female duck started alerting there was trouble. I went outside to see if there was a hawk or if neighbors dog was bugging them. But no she was just letting me know.
Image source: Inkqueen12, user32552756 / freepik
#28
My childhood cat was an outdoor cat, and one day she was sunning herself on the porch while my dad was doing chores. My dad said “why don’t you make yourself useful and go catch a mouse or something?” as he passed by her.
A few minutes later he circled back around the house and found her in the yard, with a mouse pinned under her paws.
Image source: Visions_of_Gideon
#29
My childhood cat, Softie. We did the usual ‘cat gets the squirt bottle if she does something naughty’ training with her, and she was generally really well behaved.
Then we had a really hot patch one summer, multiple days in the low to mid 40s Celsius (110ish F), so all of us were sweltering. She started deliberately being naughty so that we’d spray her with the squirt bottle and cool her off 😂.
Image source: kittenwolfmage, bobbobjoi / reddit
#30
My cat hangs out with me in my room most of the day if I’m home, but will keep me awake if she’s in my room at night, so I shut her out.
She’s figured out that I’ll kick her out one way or another when I’m going to bed, so as soon as she sees me brushing my teeth and arranging my blankets etc, she hides under the rocking chair in my room so I can’t physically get to her. The only way she’ll come out is if I shake her treat container and call “treaties!” And she’ll only come out when I actually put treats on the floor for her, she won’t come out just for the container being shaken.
Even if I’ve just fed her dinner, if she sees me getting ready for bed, she’ll hide under the chair until I give her treats to bribe her out of my room.
Image source: LilyCatNich, Giuseppe Macri / freepik
#31
My Petunia passed away last week, and this is a story that I have shared a lot this week.
She was an 11 year old English Bulldog. She was the most stubborn thing. Such an attitude.
As most bullies, she had some horrendous gas near the end. One morning, it was obvious that my husband forgot to give her some pumpkin the night before. The house was quite sulfery. I said, “Good morning, Stinky.” She got up (unusual, as her favorite hobby was snoring) and did a lap of the living room, stopped to look me in the face, and turned to crop dust me. Then she went back to her bed to finish her morning nap.
I never called her stinky again, and she never crop dusted me again.
Image source: EasilyLuredWithCandy, EyeEm / freepik
#32
My dog has a knack for finding the “weakest link” when we have people over for dinner. He’ll plant himself right next to them and just stare. At this point he knows when my dad visits he’ll will cave and give him something, but even when it’s new people, he can figure out who is most likely to “drop” something.
Image source: lissalissa3
#33
Our ancient old tiger was 18, deaf and pretty blind. We’d bring him outside to sit with us in the yard, along with our two much younger cat girls. One of the girls always hunted along our pond shoreline and would bring the old guy treats that she caught; dropping them down as he sat on the lawn. I was moved to tears when I first saw that! It confirmed decision making, compassion and blew my mind.
Image source: Bennington_Booyah
#34
Our iguana is fully potty-trained. We have a tiny “iguana door” built into our screen door to the outside. She steps outside, does her business, and then walks back in and goes back into her cage.
Image source: orchidlighthouse
#35
I had a Budgie (parakeet) that loved The Phantom of the Opera. I had the full recording, which is quite long.
Whenever I put it on, I would have to play the entire thing, in order, no skipping. I tried turning it off before the end, but he’d start flapping his wings violently and screaming at me. I tried skipping a song here and there, starting in the middle, playing only one song – no go. He would completely crash out if he didn’t get to hear the whole thing from beginning to end.
If any of the music came on during a television show or a commercial, he would demand I put on the full recording and give me no peace until I did. He also loved E. Power Biggs (specifically) playing the Bach fugues on the organ. His other favorite was the 5th Suite for solo cello. He loved to sing, but he did not mimic – he did his own thing along with the recordings. It was wild.
Image source: becausefrog
#36
I have a labradork named Aurora. She is my dog and I am her person. If my husband gives a command, she looks at him like “you are not the boss of me”. She won’t do it until I tell her to.
I just had hip surgery, I’m supposed to stay off my feet as much as possible and have to use a walker to get around, and can’t really take care of her. When I got home, she asked me to go outside. Without really thinking about it, I said “go ask daddy”
She went and asked daddy. I was dumbfounded.
A few years ago, I had a Golden retriever who was always last in line for the brain cell. He actually peed in his own water dish. We called him Walter the Wonder Dog.
I was having one of those days where every single thing that could go wrong, went wrong. I sat down and just started to cry. Walter the Wonder Dog kept trying to put his ball in my mouth. Because ball is life, right?
Image source: residentprincess58
#37
When Opal (cat) wants a door to open she’ll streeeeetch toward the doorknob. She’s too small to reach the doorknob but she knows that’s how doors open.
Image source: ElectricLeafeon
#38
Watched my pissed off cat chase his brother down the stairs. The downstairs layout is an open square around a central bathroom. The chased went one way. The chaser stopped, thought a second, then went the other way to cut him off. He knew the layout and thought critically in that second to make a sound decision.
So don’t tell me that animals don’t have the capacity to think or think critically and solve problems. .
Image source: md22mdrx
#39
Once when my dog was a puppy he threw up a rock and then barked at it.
Image source: Unfortunate_soul_
#40
We have two spaniels.
Last year my parents gave them some chew toys that have some kind of flavored stuff on one side. Our pup Annie absolutely loves them, and tries to hoard them.
If our other pup Lucky has one, she’ll try to take it. If he won’t give it away, she’ll grab one of his tennis balls (his favorite thing in the world) and strut around the room with it until he chases her. Then she’ll drop the ball and grab the chew toy.
She has absolutely no interest in tennis balls at any other time.
Image source: Wilbie9000
#41
The other day, my German Shepherd reminded me to give him his monthly flea/tick treatment chew when I was a few days late for the first time ever. It’s a pill he only gets once a month. He gets up, leads me to the shelf where I keep it, and nudges his head toward the box. Then he sits there smiling and drooling, patiently waiting for me to figure it out.
I knew dogs had an internal clock, but I didn’t know it went *that* hard.
Another example was a couple years ago, when we’d only recently adopted him and he got giardia. I’d been taking him out to the yard regularly to go to the bathroom so he didn’t have an accident (he’d already had one on the carpet and I had to replace it). One time, he just wanted to go out and play but I wasn’t in the mood. So he goes to the same rug I’d just replaced, and he started squatting like he was gonna go to the bathroom. I said “Noooo!” and then I ran with him to the backyard. He then proceeded to *not* go to the bathroom and just run and play outside for 30 mins. .
Image source: Miss-Tiq
#42
Had Peter (10 months old at the time) for about 20 hours at this point. I looked at my husband and said he hasn’t eaten anything today and Peter got up and went over to eat some food.
Image source: lovememaddly
#43
One time my parents’ puppy slipped through the gate at a relative’s house – towards the motorway. My dad ran after her but my dog was there quicker – ran straight after her and barked furiously the whole time as she rounded her up.
Impressive to me as she wasn’t a herding dog, just a slightly belligerent Schnauzer.
When I went to university she used to get bored, and she’d break out and walk through the whole village to visit the dogless friend who liked to hike. He’d worry about her and try to make sure she was worn out before he’d drop her back. Not the easiest place to find, either – no doubt she was going to visit him specifically.
Image source: Pippin4242
#44
We taught our hound dog how to use buttons for treats or outside…
She now understands there are other buttons, and can roll the windows down in the car.
She also knows how to recline the couch just so.
I have so many stories; smartest, most infuriating, most interesting dog we’ve ever had.
Image source: sykoasylum
#45
Not my dog – a lost dog I found in the middle of the road in the forest. The dog was standing on the road, which was dangerous. He seemed well kept.
I opened the car door and asked “hey boy, what are you doing here?” He perked up, came and jumped right in my car. He was very friendly and I was wondering what to do with him.
I decided to start driving to the direction he was looking at when we found him. Hoping to run into his owner. I was worried he was dumped, but it was worth a shot.
We came to crossroads and the dog became very excited, looking at the road on our right. We turned there. A few more times we came to a fork in the road and asked him “where is home, boy”. He’d pick a direction and stare, we’d drive in that direction.
Eventually we came to a clearing with a small farmhouse, I went to talk to the man there if he is missing a small ginger dog. And he was! I opened the car door and the dog jumped out and went straight to the house.
Image source: Exciting_Gear_7035
#46
I’ve watched my false water cobra hide the rat I’d just offered her in her cold hide before turning back round to me and waiting until she realised she wasn’t getting seconds. During her last shed I caught her tail in mouth, gently pulling the end of her shed off. Compared to my other snakes (hognoses and ball python) you can almost see the cogs turning. She’ll also jiggle the lock on her viv with her nose to make noise and get our attention if she wants out or to show us a great big p*o she’s just done and wants cleaned up. The first few months with her were a steep learning curve where most days I found her doing something I never expected a snake to be capable of doing!
Image source: Complex-Jellyfish547
#47
One of our cats can let himself out of the microchip cat flap when it’s in lockdown mode. He pushes down the inner-side electronic catch with one front paw, then, with his other front paw, gets a claw into the gap between the flap and its surround, and lifts the flap up towards him. Then sticks his head through to complete the maneuver.
All entirely self-taught, he just figured it out one day.
Image source: marmarama
#48
I gave my cat treats after she used the cardboard scratcher to encourage her to keep her claws off the furniture. Eventually, she would just sit on the scratcher and I would tell her “no treats for just sitting on it.” She would look me right in the eye, walk over to the couch, and sharpen her claws on it. And that’s how my cat trained me to give her treats for sitting on (but not using) her cardboard scratcher.
Image source: tangerinemargarine
#49
My small cat would sit on one of our cabinets and violently smack the corner of the wall as high as she could every day, random hours.
My mom got fed up with it and moved the cabinet to discover water damage. This cat heard the very small roof leak we had and was trying to alert us.
She’s always been very smart but that discovery was something else. Now any time we see her doing something out of the ordinary we pay close attention.
Image source: Gothmoo
#50
We had rabbits that lived in a big outdoor enclosure that double as a cat run. When we were home, we’d open the cat door leading out to it – cats would go out, rabbits would come in.
We also had a fat little staffie dog whom we named Sandy, because she was a sandwich short of a picnic (ie, not very smart).
After we built the cat/rabbit run, we fell into a nightly routine – we’d have dinner, watch the 6pm news, put the rabbits outside (the cats were always in by then), and take Sandy for a walk.
Not even a week later – Sandy started rounding up the rabbits as soon as she heard the weather throw music in the final segment, and herding them out the cat door.
A week after that she’d figured out how to shut the cat door so they couldn’t get back in again.
Image source: FormalMango
#51
With our first cat, she loved roast beef lunch meat, never gave it to her willing but she sometimes got my husband’s dropped pieces. One day I opened the fridge to put something away and she came flying in, nudged a container on the bottom shelf aside and grabbed the roast beef before running toward the bathroom. She was crouched behind the toilet, knowing I couldn’t get to her easily, trying to open the container.
Image source: GothPenguin
#52
When my parrot repeated my breakup rant word for word… to my new boyfriend.
Image source: Historical_Damag
#53
I have an older horse, a gelding, who is incredibly intelligent but very cheeky. I had brought home my mare for the holidays, and had her housed in the same pen as him. At the time, my mare was younger and I lunged her often (it involves holding a whip and asking them to go around you in a circle on a long lead). The older gelding would watch us. One day, my Mom watched the older gelding pick up a stick and stand perpendicular to my mare. He waved the stick around by bobbing his head up and down. She did not react, so he tapped her on the b**t with it. She put her ears back but began to go around him in a circle. He turned on his haunches to stay facing her. He effectively “lunged” her for several small circles before she seemed to realize that she wasn’t tied to anything, then kicked him in the chest and ran away. He dropped the stick and went back to something else. 🤣.
Image source: friesian_tales
#54
On my way to the kitchen to do dishes, I walked past my lab, asleep on the couch. I was just finishing up in the kitchen when there was a knock on my front door.
It was the neighbor, out of breath “Your dog just stole one of my chickens! I chased her here.” I pushed the door open so that he could see her, still asleep on the couch. (Mistaken identity? She’s been right here?)
Then we heard it. Clucking. In my house. There was a chicken in my living room and a giant lab sized hole in my back screen door. But she was innocently “sleeping”.
Image source: Suspicious-Price5810
#55
My friend came over with her dog. Our dogs were best friends. We left the house to go grab some food, and not long later, we got a phone call from a neighbor saying the dogs were out.
My friends dog hadn’t been left at my house before without her person, so my dog opened a door for her. This was a three step process…. he pulled a wooden rod out of the door track, unlocked the slider, and slid the slider open. He had done this before at our old house when we had a yard. He could also unlock the dead bolt if you convinced him (if he knew you)
My dog was seemingly part feral when we got him ( didnt understand a water bowl or doors) and we taught him none of this. He was a good boy.
Image source: SaltyIrishDog
#56
My dog was laying on the couch, chewing on one of his toys. My roommate’s dog wanted the toy (even though it wasn’t hers) but knew better than to try and take it from him. He tolerated her existence and would even let her play with his toys if he wasn’t actively using them but he had more than once snapped in her face when she tried to take something he was playing with. So she took off barking at the front door. He dropped the toy and followed, also barking. She ran back in and grabbed the toy and ran into the laundry room with it.
Image source: alphaturducken
#57
My rescue lab taught himself to find and retrieve his naughty brother who is boxer/plott hound after the brother went missing for three hours in January whilst following his nose.
Just this week, one of my cats went missing. With zero training, I let my lab smell her towel (the one she sleeps on), told him to “go find kitty”, and he did!
He knew exactly what to do and what we were asking him! He’s so smart!
Image source: Jedi_Belle01
#58
My dog has a set of identical balls. They’re all different colours, and he switches between them, picking a favourite. He also had a really bad habit of tossing the balls under the furniture so he can fish them out.
One day, he did this but couldn’t get it out. So he comes to stand in front of me, staring at me. When he knows I’m paying attention, he looks at another ball on the floor and then looks over at the couch his current favourite is under. Then, he looks back at me… he literally had a silent conversation with me.
Image source: indigocraze
#59
My dog told me “no”. He gets told “no” a lot as he’s quite naughty so I’m sure he’s picked it up. One day at the park he started barking at another dog, I said: “Yoshi, come on, stop barking!” he legit goes “noooooo”.
Image source: magical_bunny
#60
I have orange cats. This situation has never happened.
Image source: Resident_Bitch
#61
There was one dog who ruled the neighborhood. His name was Bungee because he would jump straight up like he was on a string when he was young. He was allowed off leash and he would wander around the houses at the bottom of the street, never going too far from home.
A few days after my mother died, I decided to go for a walk. Bungee came up to me. He started to cry. He circled me crying and then he stopped and went back home.
Image source: Less_Wealth5525
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