Man’s best comedian

Dogs are funny. Not joke-telling funny but just with their actions.

I mentioned last winter I got a hyperactive puppy. Yes, that’s my version of a baby since there’s not going to be any kids in my future. And what I’ve noticed is, much like babies, dogs do things that most of us would find absurd.

As adults, a person taking something away from us wouldn’t make us get excited. It would probably annoy us. If that person throws it away from us, we certainly wouldn’t be excited to go chase it. But strangely with a dog, this is fun.

If somebody came up to you and sprayed you with a hose for no reason, chances are you might be upset. With my dog, Ernie, it’s the best thing that could happen to him. His two favourite words inside the house: bath time. (He actually jumps into the bathtub when he hears that.)

The veterinarian’s office can be a scary place and many dogs put on their brakes when they take the familiar walk up to the building. For Ernie, he runs in there and can’t wait to see the staff – the staff that remembers him from months ago when he had surgery. And those ridiculous-looking cones dogs sometimes have to wear can be a challenge to get on. Ernie sits nicely to have his put on and runs around like it’s the most fashionable accessory to have.

But it’s not all fun and games with Ernie. He has his growling and protective moments. Again, not something that would rile up a human, but a leaf blowing up against the backyard chain-link fence has Mr. Territorial defending his turf. But as soon as it blows through the gate, he’s running around the side of the house and hiding from it as though it’s chasing him.

They say a dog is man’s best friend, but I think a dog is man’s best comedian. Without even saying a word, a dog is probably one of the funniest things in the world.