I have no doubt that our pets know more than we give them credit for.

My feeling is that for the most part, animals don't get to flex their cerebral muscle like we do.

So because of that, we assume that they're not as able and mark them down accordingly.

However, once they get a suitable challenge, that's when we see the sort of qualities being exhibited that we expect to be found only in the great apes...

My pet dog has a fear of bells. She's never smart enough to turn the tv off when Big Ben begins to chime though. Perhaps I should follow Pavlov and turn the whole thing on its head (not the dog!).