What ho! Maybe Norbert the 3-pound therapy dog can inject a little energy into this befuddled morning.
I’ve never seen a dog run sideways, but here’s Norbert doing it. My cats did it when they were kittens but have since grown out of it. Norbert runs sideways because he’s excited. I wonder what’d happen if I tried it.
The same thing would happen to you if you tried it as would happen to me if I tried it — a loud crash and tangled limbs on the floor. 🙂
Norbert is almost as cute as Byron.
Byron thinks Norbert would make a great associate professor of political science.
The tongue hanging from the side of the mouth does have a certain professorial charm.
I had a professor like that, but he wasn’t furry.
How can one small animal have such an amazing degree of personality? I wouldn’t claim to know, but he obviously does.
Dogs and cats are highly intelligent and adaptable, and people’s personalities rub off on them–not to mention the blossoming of their own personalities.
And maybe Norbert’s special.
I have seen animals that seemed to be just that, special in having developed personalities that seemed to express a strong sense of self.
Not that long ago, the conventional wisdom is that animals did not think, but studies indicated otherwise, once it was under that thought can exist without symbolic language and that visual thinking exists. Grudgingly, it has been admitted that chimpanzees possessed a sense of self, but over time, it has become obvious that many animals possess self awareness.
I know that my cat lives to jerk my chain, from time to time. A cat I used to have would single out my post prized possession when he wanted my attention. This was a war of minds and, while he was a mere feline, his mind was not insubstantial. He knew how to get my goat, and how to gain my attention.
Norbert is using his particular gifts to gain the attention and favor of the humans in his life. Fortunately for us, these humans see fit to share his antics with us.
If Jean-Pierre Hallet could tame a wild rhinoceros, we ought to be able to handle a fluffy little dog or cat.
But ask anyone who lives with a cat: they know each cat has its own personality.
I’ll have to consult with my cat, then I’ll get back with you and tell you what I think. 🙂