Mastiff in a lion’s cage and other ‘believe-it-or-not’ stories

When a Chinese zoo displayed a Tibetan Mastiff in lieu of an African lion in 2013, it created a flutter among visitors. Many of them spotted the ‘lion’ barking from inside the cage, much to their dismay. The hairy canine was well-groomed to be in disguise by its masters. Just that it couldn’t mask its natural trait.

If you think it’s weird, there are stranger incidents involving pets. An Alsatian dog barking to the name of Rex, and its play partner, used to take free tram rides to a recreation ground and back home in Southampton, England, way back in 1940s. The incident came to light only when Rex’s owner was penalised for the mischievous act by the pet that continued for months.

Quite recently, 23 horses were trained at Norwegian University of Life Sciences in recognising and using symbols to indicate their preferences for 10-15 minutes a day. All it took was 11 days for each one of them to prod their trainers to cover them with blankets when it was cold, and take them off on a sunny day. How nice would it be if our cats do the same!

Another research study, by Queen Mary University of London, established a common trait between dogs, horses and, well, goats. The herd of goats under supervision surprised the researchers by gazing pleadingly at the latter when faced with a difficult problem or situation that demands human intervention. Much like your dog.  Interestingly, they also altered their responses based on human behaviour at that very moment.

What’s the weirdest pet story that you are privy to?