Communication with Ray!

I have a PC in my bedroom and, as I was working away on it yesterday, I heard the clicking of paws on hardwood floors getting closer and closer.  I watched the bedroom door opening and, not unexpectedly, Ray appeared. He came right up to me; stood there, and stared (he can hold amazing eye contact).

He then turned right around so he was facing the doorway, and then turned his head to look back at me. I have experienced this routine before, and it is his way asking me to follow him. He just needed to hear two words … “Show me!”

I then followed him through the house and into the kitchen, and watched as he went up to one specific area of the kitchen counter. His nose was giving a very distinct direction … to a food container which contained the results of Carol’s recent baking … a healthy banana bread.

As the banana bread was “dog friendly”, we did give him a couple of small pieces of it when we tested it the day before! I guess he felt it was time for us to have another piece each and, of course, to share with him! We did, and he was very happy. 🙂

For the whole story of Ray, please don’t forget my book about him “Who Said I was up for Adoption?” It is available direct from Friesen Press Bookstore, and also from amazon (many reviews are there) and other on-line book retailers. All net profits will be directed to the Oakville & Milton Humane Society, who initially rescued him and trained him for adoption.  Click the book cover over to the right (may have to scroll) for more information.

25 thoughts on “Communication with Ray!”

  2. My cat is a good communicator. He wants one of three things and will go to the appropriate place to let us know which. For a drink of water, he jumps on bathroom counter and waits for you to turn faucet on to “drip.” He has a water bowl, but running water is much tastier. For a treat, he makes a prrrr-pp noise and walks to the cabinet where they’re kept. To go out, he scratches on anything he’s not supposed to, then walks to the front or side door and waits for us to open it. The dogs are less specific about what they want, forcing us to figure it out. 🙂

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    • Hi Joan. I have had four cats in my life and, while I loved them dearly and found them great to have around, none of them were as varied in their communication attempts as our Ray. All the cats were consistent with the saying that “a cat’s attention span is proportionate to what it wants.” i.e. it will pretty much do anything for food. Ray is my first dog, and has been a real education, particularly in the area of his interactions with us. This brings to mind another saying from long ago – “If you want a wonderful lodger, then get a cat. If you want another family member, then get a dog.”

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    • He is very good, but it took us a while to actually understand him and, even now, we make incorrect assumptions of what he wants. The learning curve for us is quite slow, but he is a very patient “boy”. 🙂

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