Stopping the Traffic
Clover
Deciding on the intelligence of a canine has puzzled “experts” for decades. How do they think? When confronted with a puzzle, how do they work it out? How long does it take them? Does the relationship between a dog and its owner influence its thinking? How do they overcome a natural fear of moving vehicles by standing in the middle of a road to get assistance for their owner?
Here is another example of this phenomenon that provides insight into the thinking of one of them, because, unlike most of these incidents, this one was captured on video. There are numerous stories of our canine buddies going for help when their human needs assistance. They have worked out that if they attract enough attention, then people can be made so curious that they will follow them back to assist their human, but sometimes it obviously comes with a degree of risk.
Standing in the middle of the road to get the driver to stop may be acceptable in films, as the hero faces the vehicle speeding toward them, and it screeches to a halt inches from the intrepid hero. In real life, anyone standing in front of a car is likely to get run over, which is why we don’t do it. It’s not rocket science. Even a dog with a modicum of intelligence stays well away from moving vehicles; however, consider the case of Clover.
A desperate situation
This event occurred in the neighbourhood of Stittsville, Ottowa Canada.
The Marrema is a large Italian breed of dog used as a livestock guardian, primarily for sheep.
Clover is a Marrema and the constant companion of Hayley Moore, who, during a walk, suffered a seizure. This event was captured on a neighbour’s security camera and clearly shows Hayley just collapsing with absolutely no warning. The video shows Clover desperately attempting to rouse Haley with no success. Just to complicate matters, Hayley still has the lead firmly in her grasp, and this restricts Clover’s options. With no one about to render assistance, her distress is palpable. So what does she do? As she ponders the problem, a car passes, and this appears to provide inspiration. Fortunately, the Maremma is a fairly large, powerful breed of dog, and this enabled Clover to pull the lead out of Hayley’s grasp.
She then moved to the road and stood stubbornly there, forcing a motorist to stop. Dryden Ottway, on his way to work, was somewhat surprised to find a very large dog in the middle of the road, but stopped and attended to Haley; however, he was aware that Clover was unhappy about his touching her mistress. The dog’s natural protective instinct was visible as Clover barked continuously to warn Dryden that she was not happy, but seemingly knew that he was assisting Hayley.
Calculated risk
Two issues spring to mind.
- Clover’s ability to get assistance regardless of the risk to herself.
- Her willingness to allow a total stranger to be touching her mistress, something she would probably not tolerate generally, but accepted under the circumstances, but by continually warning the rescuer that he was being watched, she indicated her willingness to intervene if she felt Dryden was a threat.
Hayley was taken to the hospital but quickly recovered from her ordeal and remains eternally grateful to Clover for her actions that day
The dog with many names
On a lighter note.
Batumi is the second-largest city in the country of Georgia
Batumi is the scene of a quite different traffic stop by a dog. It appears that some drivers are unwilling to stop to allow pedestrians to use the crossing; however, a new crossing patrol pooch is on hand to lend a paw. A local stray dog comes to the rescue, especially when the schoolchildren need to cross. Stepping onto the crossing, he barks furiously at errant drivers and then escorts the youngsters to the other side of the road. It is unclear what has prompted this stray dog to take on this self-imposed role, but it transpires that the dog turned up one day as a stray and just never left. As a friendly, happy individual, he was accepted by the locals, who have taken it upon themselves to care for him and ensure he is fed and comes to no harm.
Strangely, despite his established place in the community, he appears to go by a variety of names, with everybody calling him something different. While not having a constant name is rather unusual, not having a name does not appear to cause him any anxiety. Still, whilst that may appear a trifle odd, the important issue is that his contribution to public safety and the fact that he remains a much-admired member of the community is a tribute to his easy-going nature.
Why he remains a stray
You might be forgiven for asking the obvious question. Why does nobody adopt him? It needs to understood that in many parts of the world street dogs are a common occurrence and while the overwhelming majority welcome being adopted a very small number of them stress if deprived if their independence is interfered with. Where I live, the local town of Sitia on the island of Crete has a number of permanent strays that happily wander the town, local residents, shops, cafes and restaurants ensure they are well fed, and the local animal welfare charity ensures they are taken to the local vet when necessary. Most visitors, particularly those from northern Europe and Scandinavia, welcome their presence, and if one ventures onto the blue-flag beach to accompany a visitor, even though it is forbidden, the authorities take a very relaxed view. Attempts in the past to rehome certain strays were abandoned because of their distress, and thankfully, we have learned that dogs are individuals and should be treated as such.
So if you are visiting Batumi in the foreseeable future, you might like to look up the dog with many names that escorts humans across the road. He is a medium-sized canine, predominantly white with black markings and don’t forget to stop at crossings!!!
“Dogs don’t allow their fears to hold them back, teaching us to face our own fears with bravery and confidence.”
Anon
Related Tails
