I've heard many stories about dogs' intelligence, but recently I had the opportunity to experience it firsthand. I happened to ride on a bus with a rather unusual passenger.
Tailed passenger
I live close to work, so I rarely use public transportation. But recently I was assigned to deliver documents to the other side of the city, so I took the bus. At the next stop, a dog followed the other passengers on board. It looked like a mongrel, but it was clean and had a collar. The dog, looking businesslike, walked to the back of the bus and settled comfortably under an empty seat.
The dog was calm but focused, as if listening to something. When the "Victory Park" stop was announced, the dog hurried out from under the seat and exited the bus in the order of the live queue.
Nothing unusual
I was quite surprised by what I saw and even temporarily lost my speech. But I clearly heard my fellow passengers begin to chatter. Some praised the clever dog, others grumbled that animals have no place on public transportation, and still others offered their own explanations for the dog's behavior.
But, as it turned out, some passengers weren't at all surprised by the appearance of a furry passenger on the bus. The friendly, talkative conductor explained that this dog rides on her route almost every other day. It turns out there's a shawarma stand near the stop where the dog gets off, and they feed the animal there.
Smart Rex
It turned out the furry passenger's name was Rex. He'd ridden a couple of times with his owner, who was a fan of Middle Eastern fast food. Every time the man brought Rex to the shawarma stand, the staff would feed the adorable dog, who would stand on his hind legs when he smelled the meat.
One day, while the owner and Rex were waiting at the bus stop, the phone rang. The man was called from work. Apparently, the matter was serious, because the man got so carried away that he missed the bus. But Rex didn't.
A clever dog, walked by his owner off-leash, slipped onto the bus, arrived at the right stop, got his share of treats, and then safely returned. Apparently, Rex enjoyed traveling alone so much that he categorically refused to stay home while his owner was busy. Eventually, the man gave in to the dog's urge and began letting him go. After all, the animal is smart. He'll find his way and stand up for himself.
The astonished public
When the conductor finished her story, the conversation resumed. Passengers marveled at the dog's intelligence. After all, it's not enough to remember which stop to get off at. You also have to get on the right bus. Unfortunately, I don't know what my fellow passengers concluded, because the bus pulled up to my stop unnoticed, and I had to get off. But I was left speechless by what I'd seen and heard, telling Rex's story to everyone I knew.
