THINKER IN ACTION

THI NKER I N ACTI ON

By Gi ul i a Ber t ogl i o

I t ’ st he t ypi call ockdown bi r t hday ofa 3year ol d:on t he bl ue pl ast i ct abl e cover ,a pi l e ofcar ef ul l y wr apped t oys and a home baked cake spel l i ng out“ Happy Bi r t hday,Ceci l ! ” .

Once,Ceci lover hear d a mal i ci ousl ady sayi ng “ wi t h a name l i ke t hat ,he’ sgoi ng t o get bul l i ed” ,buthe neverwas,hi sf r i ends don’ tseem t o car e aboutsuch t hi ngs.A shame t hey cannotbe t her er unni ng ar ound wi t h hi m and wr ecki ng t he pl ace.ButCeci lseems t o be pr eoccupi ed wi t h mor e ur gentt hought s.Per ched up on hi s st ool ,l eani ng agai nst t he t abl e,hi s eyes dar t i ng i mpat i ent l y bet ween cake and camer a,he’ s awar e he has t o endur eaf ul lphot oshootwear i ng a si l l ypar t yhatand a convi nci ng smi l e bef or e he can dar et o demand a sl i ce ofcake.

Dogs have enj oyed a pr i vi l eged r el at i onshi p wi t h humans f or40.

000 year s,si nce t hei r ancest or sf i r stshar ed di nneri nt he t r embl i ng l i ghtofcampf i r es.Humans’ext r aor di nar y abi l i t yt o shapet hei renvi r onmentext ended t oi nf l uenci ngt heevol ut i on ofwi l d car ni vor es i nt o cani sf ami l i ar i s,i n a pr ocess t hat ,among ot herr esul t s,pr oduced wheezy pugs out ofwol ves.We see so much ofour sel ves i n dogs t hatant hr opomor phi zi ng t hem comes nat ur al l y,asbel i evi ng t hey’ l lappr eci at e bi r t hday car ds.

We and cani nes ar e undeni abl y cl ose.Dur i ng t he pandemi c,we wer e pushed,l i t er al l y, cl oser ,butwe’ r e st i l lwor l dsapar t .Ceci land Iof t en shar et he pr i me spoton t he couch, somet i mest he l astbl ueber r yi cy pol e,butnevert he same t hought s.

On ourwal ks,If ol l ow t hepat h,admi r i ngt hewi l df l ower st hatcol ouri t ;i fIr ai semyeyes, t he Al ps t ake me back t ol ong summerhi kes.Ceci lf ol l ows a scent ,smel l sr abbi t ,he’ s f ocussed on cat chi ng i tnow.A cr ackl i ng sound st opshi m col d,he mechani cal l yl i f t shi s l ef tf oot ,poi nt s.Hei ssayi ng“ do you see?”butIneverdo,Ihavea di f f er entsetofeyes, connect ed t o a di f f er ent l ywi r ed br ai n.

Ti ed down byl ockdown r est r i ct i ons,we t ur nt o pet st o hel p usescapi ng.Thr ough pat i ent obser vat i on,and a l i t t l eeducat i on,wecan expand ourl i mi t ed r eal i t ybyseei ngi tt hr ough ourdogs’eyes,orbet t er ,nose and ear s.Adopt i ng t he per spect i ve ofa bol dt er r i eri sa heur i st i c pr ocesst hatunear t hsval uabl et r ut hs.

Al t hough he has a whi t ef r i zzy bear d and st er n expr essi on,Ceci li s notyour t ypi cal phi l osopher .He does hol d unshakabl e bel i ef s( Fr ench bul l dogs ar e di abol i c, Gol den Del i ci ousappl esar ef arsuper i ort o Gr annySmi t hs,l eashesar ei mmor al ) ,buthedoesnot car et ot heor i se aboutt hem.He’ san unconsci ouspr oponentoft he mai eut i c met hod:he does notsetoutt ot each you anyt hi ng,buthi s conductal one shoul d el i ci texi st ent i al quest i onsi nt hekeen human obser ver .Ever ydogi sa t hi nkeri n act i on,each oneoft hei r behavi our s,t he embodi mentofan i dea.

We can r ead i nt o dogs’act i onsi fwe car et o,abst r acti fwe l i ke,dr aw ourconcl usi ons, t hey won’ tl ect ur e.Fat i gued by t he pr ogr ammat i c expl i ci t nessofsel f hel p booksand t he uni magi nat i ve opt i mi sm ofMar i e Kondo,who pr ovi des exacti nst r uct i ons on how t of ol d each t ype ofunder gar ment ,t hi si sr ef r eshi ng.

I ti s al so i nt ent i onal :dogs ar et oo absor bed i nt hei rdai l y deeds f orcont empl at i on,but t hey ar e except i onalcommuni cat or s:t hey pul lt hei rear s back i n agr eement ,wag t hei r t ai l sf or emphasi s and modul at et hei r voi ces f r om a di spl eased gr owl t o yappi ng conf i r mat i on.They have mast er ed al lt he devi cesneeded i n pl at oni c di al ogues.

Whenambul ances’si r ensand chur chbel l sf i l lt heempt yst r eet s,Ceci lpul l shi shead back, st r et ches hi s neck,cl oses hi s eyes and opens hi s mout hi nal ong sor r owf ulhowl .He pr oj ect s pai n upwar ds,l i ke a si ngi ng vol cano.Howl i ng i st he expl osi on ofempat hy t hat keepst he pack t oget her ,t he cel ebr at i on ofsoci albond t hatr oar s“ Iam r i ghther e wi t h you” .I fyourempat hy i s wor n down by t he r het or i c ofpol i t i ci ans and t he anonymi t y of st at i st i cs,l i st en t o a dog howl .

Ter r i er sar ebr ed t o wor ki ndependent l y,t hei rnosei st hei rmast er ,butt her e’ sno sobbi ng on t he bat hr oom f l oorornost al gi c cal lhome t hatt heywoul d notr ush t oj oi n wi t ht hei r vocal i sat i ons,yourGr eekchor us.

So pr esent i n t oday’ s st r uggl es, dogs ar e di st ant f r om t omor r ow’ s wor r i es. Thei r i ndi f f er ence t o eschat ol ogi calel ucubr at i onsi st el l i ng:deat h doesn’ tconcer nt he l i vi ng,as Epi cur us pr ocl ai med a t housand year s bef or e Ceci l ,when She i s her e we ar e not ,and when She comes we ar e gone.Dogs,unl i ke humans,don’ thave f ool i shl y masochi st i c habi t s.To Ceci l ,pai ni sa r ealt hi ng,a meat yconcept :he yel ped when t he el ect r i cf ence zapped hi m,whi nes t he r ar et i mes he’ sl ef t behi nd,but ,f aced wi t hi ndef i ni t ef ut ur e t r oubl es,he’ ssi l ent ,and puzzl ed.He can smel lf ear ,butnotdanger .

Pi ckup hi sl eash,st and byt hedoororj ustqui et l yconsi dergoi ngout si deand happi ness possesses Ceci l : hi s whol e body par t i ci pat es, he shakes wi t hi mpat i ence and bows, dr ummi nghi sf eetont hegr ound,er upt i ngi nsneezes.Hecan’ twai t ,hi swaggi ngt ai ldust s of fcar pe di em.Dogs’j oy i sur gent .

Ceci li s as qui ck atchasi ng happi ness as he i s atf l eei ng f r om wor r i es.He has t he i nf al l i bl ei nst i nctofa hunt i ng dog,he knowswhatj oysmel l sl i ke:l ong gr ass,sl ow har es, f atshank,and he sni f f si tout .When he spot sa chance ofhappi ness,he j umpsi n,head f i r st ,l i ke i nf r esh snow,r ol l si ni tt ot ake i t ssmel l .

I nt hi st i me ofi nact i on,Il ookatmybusyt er r i er .Humansand dogsar e made t ol i ve i n symbi osi sand t of ol l ow di f f er entphi l osophi es.Dogs’mer e pr esence comf or t sus,i magi ne whatgood t hei ri deas woul d br i ng i nt o ourl i ves.The phi l osophy books t hatdogs don’ t car et o wr i t e woul d be enl i ght eni ng.They be woul d be wr i t t en wi t h caps l ock on, excl amat i on mar ks af t ereach wor d.Sent ences woul d chase each ot heri mpat i ent l y,no f ul lst opst o sl ow t hem.Ther ewoul dn’ tber oom f orbi r t hdayanecdot es.I twoul dbeur gent pr ose,bi t i ng l i f e.

Gi ul i a Ber t ogl i o

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THI NKER I N ACTI ON Word count :1000 Sources: ThomasMann:Bashan and I Vi r gi ni a Wol f :Fl ush,a bi ogr aphy Mar kRowl ands:The phi l osopherand t he wol f Car l o Cassol a:The man and t he dog Susan McHugh:Dog Al exandr a Hor owi t z:I nsi de ofa dog Sue Hal per n:Whatmakesdogsdogs( New Yor kRevi ew ofBooks) Vanessa Woods and Br i an Har e:Why ar et her e so many books aboutdogs? ( The New Yor kTi mes) Amer i can KennelCl ub:Cani ne communi cat i on:deci pher i ng di f f er entdog sounds Fr ed H.Har r i ngt on:What ’ si n a howl ?

Targetaudi ence:A magazi ne l i ke The New Yor kerora websi t el i ke Li t er ar y Hub