My Dog Gus's Favorite TV Program

My Golden Retriever, Gus, watches television. While many dogs will pause in front of the TV to watch an action packed commercial, Gus's interest in television goes way beyond the passing glance. He has program preferences and watches movies. He enjoys cartoons but will opt for more serious venues as well, and we can usually count on any of the Animal Planet programs to hold his attention. Gus has no interest in commercials; he walks away from the TV when his program is interrupted.

There is one show that he prefers above all others but, before I tell you his top choice, I think a little background on Golden Retrievers in general and mine specifically will put Gus's behavior in perspective.

You might think Golden Retrievers are pretty much all the same. Cheerful, demonstrative, trustworthy with everyone; their kindly expression says it all. This is an accurate description of the breed in general but each Golden also has a unique personality. Gus is my third Golden Retriever. Trust me, they are not all the same. Chelsea, my first Golden, was an exceptionally enthusiastic dog. "Untrainable", proclaimed the expert I had hired in desperation. To Chelsea, going for a walk meant running down the sidewalk at top speed with me skidding along at the other end of her leash. Open doors were an invitation to dash straight out into traffic. Guests in my home suffered through her leap-pace-pant-repeat ritual until their nerves were frayed. She ate shoes, $20 bills, Brillo pads, glass Christmas tree ornaments and holly berries. She was devoted to me and I loved her but Marley had nothing on Chelsea.

My second Golden Retriever, Augie, was given to me by a rescue group who had managed to sneak him out of a pet store warehouse in the middle of the night. Deemed "unsellable" due to hip displasia, he had been stashed in a crate for weeks, scheduled for euthanasia. After living with Chelsea for 14 years, Augie's calm nature was a welcome surprise. He stayed by my side without a leash, didn't swallow foreign objects or eat poisonous plants, and not once did he leap all over our guests. Keenly aware of the dangers of traffic, he wisely avoided the street. But, occasionally, Augie would wander off our property. Not to worry, though. Ever trusting, when he finally woke from his reverie, he would simply invite himself into the nearest home. Over time, if Augie was missing, we learned to expect a summons to come fetch him off his latest rescuer's sofa. Augie endeared himself to all who knew him, including the local "dog catcher" who brought him home one morning carrying an orange in his mouth. When we said he didn't have an orange in his mouth when he wandered off, she explained that he had taken it from a child's lunch bag in the elementary school yard down the street and was obviously very attached to it because she couldn't pry it from his stubbornly clenched jaws. Augie is still much missed.

Gus, my third Golden Retriever, was easily trained and housebroken. He, like Augie, walks by my side without a leash. His responsiveness to the sit, stay, lie down, go back and fetch commands is admirable, and he even knows his left from his right. Impressive! But he has a stubborn streak and will sit by our car for hours waiting for a ride to the beach. If this ploy doesn't work, he'll walk himself to the beach, over a mile away.

We first discovered Gus's unusually high "TV IQ" when he was about 6 months old. It was when my husband, Freddy, was entertaining his brother with a video of himself training Gus. There were sections on fetching, leash walking and the various obey commands, interspersed with humorous quips by Freddy about Gus's progress. Throughout the video, Gus sat front and center, watching himself being trained on television. We were amused by his attentiveness to the video but it was his reaction to the finale that really surprised us. It was a clip of Freddy commanding Gus to sit and stay while Freddy filled his food bowl, placed it on the floor and gave the release command which is a sharply spoken "OK!!. The moment the real life Gus saw and heard Freddy give that command on the video, he abruptly turned and made a bee-line, directly to our kitchen, which was where his food bowl had been placed in the video. Clearly, Gus understands what he sees on television, but he thinks it's happening right now, as he watches.

So, what is Gus's favorite TV program? First, I should explain that his interests are diverse. The other day, he was engrossed in an hour long program on Cats. Tonight he watched the movie "Lost World" with Bob Hoskins. Not too long ago, I arrived home after being away for a week, expecting an enthusiastic greeting from Gus but, instead, it was eerily quiet when I walked in. When I inquired about Gus's whereabouts, Freddy told me he was watching television. So, I went to the family room, thinking Gus would come running. When he heard me, he just turned his head toward me, nodded and turned back to the TV. His message was clear, "Oh hi, can you just wait 'til this program is over?" He was watching a murder mystery.

But, yes, Gus does have one very favorite TV program. His choice shouldn't be much of a surprise. He absolutely loves watching "Lassie"! He sits up close to the screen, eyebrows arching up and down, eyes flitting back and forth, head cocking intermittently, and he barks when Lassie and Timmy are in danger. If Lassie whimpers, Gus whimpers. He undoubtedly understands the story-line and, based on his reaction to his training video, he thinks it's all happening right then, in front of him, in living color - and maybe even black and white. No wonder he finds television so exciting! I wonder what the Dog Whisperer would make of Gus's TV IQ!

(Gus lives with Freddy, me and Gus's "brother", a chocolate lab named Harry, along with our 2 Burmese and 5 rescued cats. You can visit Gus and his friends at http://shoppingdirector.com/pets.html).

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