By Jim Nichols

It is impressive when one sees how someone else has solved a problem with minimal skill but with great logic. Adding to that is when the action reminds or teaches us about something that has widespread application and significance.

The sound, frankly, was deafening. The construction of the building involved two primary areas. One was predictable looking offices, and the other was the kennel. The former featured expected business décor: the latter lacked much soundproofing, had washable floors, and contained multiple fur-bearing animals, mostly cats and dogs. The dogs were having a barking contest. It was the city animal shelter.

A small truck-like vehicle arrived and parked on the gravel in front. The wind was kicking up some dust. The worker-driver emerged, picked up a leash, and walked to the back of the truck. Although it frequently contained multiples, there was only one occupant this day.

I am reluctant to consider that dogs and cats can have expressions on their faces, but it is what we humans like to think. It would be reasonable to suspect that this lone dog showed negative excitement about having just been captured and put into the back of a vehicle that moved erratically enough that the dog could hardly stand up. The worker opened the rear door and connected a leash to the dog’s collar. The presence of a collar indicated the dog had at least once belonged to a human, but there was no contact or vaccination information there.

The dog willingly jumped from the truck and the worker led it toward the kennel that had exploded in barking when the visible truck had arrived. How much louder could it get? 

The dog’s hesitancy increased as they approached the front gate. Through that gate they entered a door into an area labeled “waiting room 1.” In that room the dog began trying to pull on the leash and get loose. Firmly holding the leash, the worker began speaking to the animal. The worker’s words were calm and kind; they were, however, loud since the barking of other animals was consistent.

Now we could witness a battle of persistence. The dog was working hard to get release, and the worker was trying to move it toward the door leading to “waiting room 2.” It was a stalemate. The worker sat on the floor and touched the dog kindly. He offered a dog treat that was accepted with no change in behavior. The worker was moving through a series of approaches that had yielded past success, this time, not so much.

After about fifteen minutes of uncooperating by the dog, the worker knocked on the door to room 2 and another worker entered from there with a second dog on a leash. Now there were two workers and two dogs.

Another fifteen minutes elapsed, and the dogs spent the whole time doing the dog-sniffing activity that we have all observed. I was young when I learned dogs have four expected characteristics: they bark, they sniff, they jump, and sometimes they bite.

At that point, the worker with dog #2 opened the door to room 2 and entered it. The worker with dog #1 followed and the dog willingly accompanied him. Both dogs had now entered the main holding area, which was the goal of the whole transport. The magic of having a companion had appeared.

I am cautious about projecting our human emotions onto animals. We do the same thing when we project our human language to speaking about God. Nevertheless, it is the only language we have as humans, and it helps us make at least some sense of life around us (and God).

What might strike us about this kennel story is its simplicity as well as ingenuity. In ways, we can say, “Well, of course the new dog felt it had a companion who was safe and could be followed. Just lead the way.”

One does not need to be an animal behaviorist to see this as an expected action. This is clearly a behavior not limited to dogs. Each of us can remember instances where we have been dog #1 and the presence of dog #2 alleviated our concern. 

To me, this is a story about how there are smart people everywhere and that community is important (even for dogs).

Jim Nichols is a retired Abilene Christian University biology professor and current hospital chaplain