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"I agree with Agassiz that dogs possess something very like a conscience.......Dogs possess some power of self-command, and this does not appear to be wholly the result of fear"

-Charles Darwin

After reading a recent article posted on USATODAY.com about dogs having a sense of fairness and that "animals react to inequity," I thought back to the days when we had two dogs. Was this true? Did my dogs think we were fair? Did they feel any inequity? Was I a fair and just pet parent? Interesting....................... So I read on.

The article went on to explain about an experiment where two dogs were placed in the same room and were asked to perform the same trick. After both dogs performed the same trick, only one was rewarded with a dog treat.

Apparently, the dog who did not get the treat felt slighted. One might even say he felt betrayed by his best friend--- man. And, in turn, when when asked to repeat the trick again, the dog who did not receive a treat the first time, actually snubbed the person! Imagine that. A dog with a sense of dignity....

After reading this article, I began to think about how my dogs acted when I gave treats or played games with them. I do remember that there was a "sense of order". The older dog, Arthur, would always be first to push his nose into my hand, while Suki would bark, bark, bark and wiggle closer, but wait her turn.

But, then I remembered that sometimes Suki would plow through and go first, and Arthur let her. However, when it came to a certain toy bone that they both loved, my dogs would start to play a game that my husband and I labeled as"The Samoyed Bone Games."

Both of my dogs were Samoyeds, or Sammy's (the common nickname for the breed). Samoyeds are smart and stubborn. They are also known as the "laughing" dog because they appear to be smiling at all times. Believe me, there is a reason for that smile. I love this breed of dog and would not think of getting another, but they are sly... and fun.... hence, the bone games

The games began when I decided to purchase two very indestructible dog bones, for my pets. Samoyeds are big chewers, and the harder the bone, the happier they are to gnaw relentlessly through it. But, as time went on, I realized that I did not need two of these bones. One was enough. In fact, one was plenty because both would sneak, slither and steal one bone away from the other while the other perfectly new bone was used as a decoy.

The Samoyed Bone games got really good when the dogs started to use me as the bait. Unbenownst to me, Arthur would steal the bone away from Suki and come by my feet and chew away. As he happily chewed, Suki would bark at the back door and pretend she had to go outside. As soon as I got up to let her out, Arthur would get up, leave the bone, and Suki would make a run for it- the bone that is.

It took me a few times of getting up to let Suki out to realize what was really happening. In fact, it was my husband who told me that the dogs were playing me. I was incredulous. "No way".... I said. "just watch" he said. So I watched, and waited, and sure enough, I was being played like a violin.

After that incident, I really began to watch them and see how they played this game. Sometimes, when they were outside, Suki would start barking at the tree and Arthur would drop the bone to come over and investigate. She would immediately take possession of the bone and Arthur would end up the loser.

At other times, when Arthur was happily gnawing away, Suki would come to me and bark for attention. I am somewhat oblivious when I am reading or engaged in something else, so I just reach down and pet whoever wants some love. However, Suki was not quite as affectionate with me as Arthur was, so I should have known something was up. But before I could figure out what was happening, Arthur would see me petting Suki, get jealous, leave the bone and come over. Suki would instantly dash for the bone, pick it up, and start to chew. I would just look at Arthur and say "Well, now we know".

So, being a double dog owner for over a decade, I can certainly relate to thinking that dogs do have a sense of fairness and that animals can react to inequity. One thing I can say for sure is that both my dogs had a sense of dignity. They would try to outsmart each other over and over again, until the best dog won. But through it all, I believe I benefitted the most because I was able to observe the fun and baffling behaviours of two of the most beautiful animals a human could ever have.














felt slighted and actedonly one dog received a reward or treat for performing the trick. Apparently, the dog who did the trick, but did not receive a treat acted differently had two dogs. And a cat. But, for this blog entry, the cat shall the cat shall remain anonymous for this short story...............sorry Kimba. We still love you.



So, we had two dogs. A male named Arthur and a female named Suki. Both dogs were the Samoyed breed. Arthur was 2 years older than Suki, and they came from different litters and different states. they loved each other. Different litters Big, white, fuzzy, stubborn, friendly, sled dogs who have an uncanny sense of the human spirit. The Samoyed is sometimes referred to as the "laughing" dog because it seems as if they have a smile on their face at all times. This is true, they are completely adorable and lovable.





and are bred to be sled or "working" dogs. Trust me, neither dog pulled a sled or anything resembling a sled in their life. As for work, I don't believe either of those dogs ever knew what the word meant. They lived very charmed lives.



In any case, as I read the article







And not just two ordinary dogs. We had two Samoyeds. Big, white, fuzzy, friendly, stubborn, fun-loving, sled dogs who never pulled a sled or anything else for that matter.



Their names were Arthur and Suki.



We started with Arthur the Samoyed in 1992. He was 6 months old when we found him. I've always loved the Samoyed breed. My brother used to tease me that I was brought by the Eskimos by a sled dog and that's why I loved the breed so much. All I know is that I used to babysit for a summer at a house that had a Samoyed. I loved that dog. So, as soon









And a cat. This was all before we had a child. Now we have only one dog, and a child.



We always had two dogs. Both were Samoyeds because I am a glutton for





A recent article featured on USATODAY.com discussed how dogs can think no fair. "he may even turn away and refuse to look at you.



After owning 2 dogs and a cat I can attest that this is true. However, getting 2 treats for each dog doesn't seem to work either. This is where the "Samoyed Bone Games" begins











The Samoyed bone games.

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