A Labrador Retriever was hit in traffic in New York (thankfully she just had a broken leg), in the video you see a German Shepherd guarding her, lunging against the oncoming cars to protect her as she was lying injured on the pavement in the middle of rush hour traffic. When police arrived it took several officers to get the Lab onto a stretcher and into a police car because the German Shepherd was still guarding her. Once he saw she was out of his hands the Shepherd proceeded to lope home. When the story was all pieced together the German Shepherd was a mix and the Lab was his mother who is nine years old, they still live together in the same house.
These are my dogs, well two of them.
I don't know if my dogs, Bichon Frise and Golden Lab, have bonded like that but I do know the Bichon whines if the Lab wants in.
I know scientists and others have said things like dogs can't see colors (explain the newfoundland that only chased yellow vans and trucks then?) and dogs can't feel jealousy. Maybe it's not jealousy as we know it but they want the attention. The easiest way to get my bichon to come is to call the Lab or call kitty kitty and he will come running, his name works too but those are sure fire ways. I swear he will go sit on my husbands lap and get petted and stare @ me like he's saying "aren't you jealous? Don't you want a nice dog to pet, look @ me, I bet you can't stand it." The bichon hates to be brushed but if I brush the lab he will come to me. He also hates to have his hair cut but if I cut my husbands hair he wants his turn!
I also know of course the dogs can understand certain words but I think they can also understand sentences, we thought it was only the bichon but my husband was getting ready to go to his mom and dads in his semi, first he went down and got some tools in the pickup and then came back up to the house, the labrador was with him. The labrador had never been in the big truck, we didn't think he could get up there, the steps are fairly steep and far apart. My husband said to the Lab "OK, if you want to go with me you have to get up in the truck by yourself" as he was opening the door to the semi. He said the Lab bounced up there like he'd been doing it all his life!
Some say dogs have the intelligence of a human child between 2-6 years old. I believe it. Some are further down on the scale but as this video proves some like the Shepherd can reason and react appropriately. It's a lovely story, I hope the Shepherd got a steak or some nice roast for supper!!
