The DU Lounge

Last edited Sun Mar 2, 2025, 03:14 PM - Edit history (1)

One has a "prized" toy or ball that the others want. So one of the others finds another ball or toy and parades around with it like it's an even bigger prize. After not too long, the first dog will drop the coveted ball or toy in favor of the decoy. Then one of the other dogs scoops up the ball/toy that they really wanted.

Conversely, years ago while walking to work, I saw someone's dog chained up with a bowl of kibble next to him. A few crows were displaying exemplary teamwork and guile. One would hop around on the ground, close to the dog, but just out of reach of its chain. The dog would make a valiant effort to get the crow. Meanwhile, the other two crows would swoop in and grab some kibble out of the dish and fly off and eat it. Then a minute or two later, the scene would repeat itself.

I couldn't hang around long enough to watch it all play out, but I wondered if that dog tasted any of its kibble that day or if the crows got it all.