What's Up With Lola?

For some reason, our dog Lola has decided that the thing to do, when someone throws a blanket over her head, is to stay stock still until that someone removes it. We don’t know why.

How well humans and dogs get along and understand each other is, when you think about it, kind of miraculous. According to the scientists who study such things, dogs are the only other animals who understand what we mean when we point. Also, unlike other animals, dogs watch our faces for clues about what we are saying and doing. And dogs can understand a surprising number of our words.

But do we understand as much about them?

For instance, Lola is generally very intent on following me everywhere … until she isn’t. At some point during the day, she evidently thinks, “Enough of this crap” and stays asleep where she is.

Lola doesn't bark when someone comes

to our door. She just looks at them

through the sidelight.

And why does she always want to go on all car trips? Most such trips, such as when I go back and forth with to my kids’ schools, must be pretty boring for her, not to mention that sometimes she ends up at the groomer. Still, she always wants to go.

Lola is particularly stupid about cars. She is smart enough to know that there are people in cars. She can even tell when a car is a Prius, which is the kind of car my husband drives, getting visibly excited when she sees one. Unfortunately, she will purposely step in front of a moving car – so that the people will get out and pay attention to her or invite her along for the ride, I think. Which is, of course, the worst thing she could do – and I have no idea how to communicate that to her.