What if People Knew DogSpeak?

I know my dogs lack human intelligence but sometimes I really wonder about people smarts and all it’s cracked up to be. In the wake of hurricane Sandy, I overheard a conversation about food scarcity at grocery stores in the Big Apple.

Dog intelligence.

One woman, middle-aged and obviously well to do, commented that she did not see why this was such an issue. “In my home, I have enough food to last at least a month!” The conversation grew more appalling when another woman explained, “Well, in the city everyone eats out.”

HELLO! As a Bronx girl, I can assure you that not everyone in NYC eats out. Other factors contribute to why food shortage becomes problematic. All of a sudden I heard a voice say clearly and emphatically, ”Not everyone can afford to buy a month’s or, for that matter, even a day's worth of food. Plus, many people in the city live in postage-size apartments and don't have the luxury of freezers and pantries, which would allow them to stockpile food.” By the way, I was the voice – didn’t win any friends there.

But it got me thinking how out of touch people are with reality. It reminded me of the French Revolution and the statement Let them eat cake, often attributed to Marie Antoinette as her solution to the peasants' inability to procure bread.

Then I started thinking about the Republican Party following this election. I thought the Rolling Stones song Out of Time and the line You’re out of touch, my baby, perfectly defined their relationship with the American public.

Back to my dogs. What they lack in human intelligence they make up for in direct communication that makes logical connections. Barking for Feed me, Walk me, Pet me, or I hate that cat, dogs speak clearly when they have something to say. You just have to listen. I can’t say the same about people. What comes out of their mouth often makes no sense.

Sometimes the wisdom of dogs baffles my mind.