Wonderful story about Lady Tom. Thanks for taking the time to tell it. When Jim, the OP told us how his dog Mandy remembered a dove that was shot and unable to be retrieved until they returned a week later, it would be easy to write that off as simply the dog smelling the very ripe dove. But having seen some of the things I have seen with dogs over the years, I have no doubt that they have memories and the ability to think and reason, and that Mandy had not forgotten that bird.
Like people, some are obviously better and smarter than others. Some are very clever but not as willing to perform or please as others. That can be especially frustrating when you know how smart they are, and they refuse to perform for a friend or visitor. Yet they do exactly what you asked them to do right after your visitor leaves. I think some of them eventually shut down after a while when we are not smart enough to understand what they are trying to tell us. The memories of dogs is the stuff of stories and legends. Argos, Ulysses' (or Odysseus') hunting dog was the only one who remembered him after he returned home in disguise after 20 years in battle. I guess ancient Greek dogs lived longer. I named one hunting dog Argos, but he got away from my wife while still a pup and was killed by a car, so I never got to see if he could live up to his name. He sure had the potential and took to training unbelievably quickly. When you get one like your Lady, it becomes impossible to ever think of them as dumb animals again.
Just think... after 70 years, Ed Good isn't even housebroken. Sorry, I couldn't resist.
