WOW! What a smart little pup!
She reminds me of a rescue dog, mostly Australian Sheppard, named Lucky, that I had many years ago. Lucky was so smart she could've been a circus dog. One day I decided to give her hand signals along with verbal commands. Soon, we were going through her routine with just little movements of my fingers. When the little kids in the neighborhood came around, I would show them Lucky and her tricks. I'll never forget the day when I told the kids that Lucky could count. I'd look at Lucky and say, "Lucky. If you had one bone and I gave you one more bone, how many bones would you have?" I'd move a finger, Lucky would bark. I'd move a finger again and Lucky would bark again. Two barks. Moving on, I would then say, "Lucky. If you had 3 bones, and buried 2 bones, how many bones would you have left"? Moving my finger, Lucky would bark once. I'd say, "No Lucky, I think you would have 2 bones left." The kids would jump up and down and say, "No, Mr. Andersen! Lucky's right! She'd have only 1 bone left!" One little girl would hold up three fingers and say, "Three, take away two (folding two fingers down), leaves one bone left." I'd scratch my head, rub my chin, and say, "Well, I'll be darned." Ăś Today, 20 years later, I can't help but wonder if those kids remember the dog that could add and subtract.