hand. I do not bark, "Come here," but instead calmly say, "Let me see you." Jasper understands the difference between "Treat" and "Medicine." He knows his destination when I declare "Groomer" or "Veterinarian."

Most dogs follow a routine, and Jasper is no different from other breeds. However, he follows at least two distinct routines: one dictated by my schedule and one that evolves around my parent's activities. My parents take in Jasper at least once every two months. They rise earlier than I rise, and feed him at ten in the morning. My work schedule runs until ten or eleven in the evening; I immediately come home to feed Jasper. The difference in the feeding routine is twelve hours. Jasper's ability to adapt to different lifestyles may be the greatest indication of his intelligence.

Jasper ability to track down squirrels has diminished with age. Even in an enclosed backyard, Jasper became accustomed to chasing fleeing squirrels to no avail. For some time, he never moved a muscle when an intrepid squirrel violated his sovereign territory. The squirrel incursion ended after Jasper hatched a plan to compensate for his declining speed.

One morning, I looked out the kitchen window to monitor Jasper's whereabouts. I could not locate him. Then, I noticed a slight rustling in the bushes as a squirrel entered the back yard. Like a bolt of lightning, Jasper sprung from behind the bush and seized the wayward squirrel. After a minor tussle, Jasper let the squirrel go, as he always did. I went outside and found a huge hole that Jasper dug. The hole behind the bush was the hiding place where Jasper implemented his strategy to catch squirrels.

Dogs generally have a keen intuition, especially when it comes to reading their human friend's mood and disposition. After I received a concussion in an automobile accident, Jasper instantly knew something was amiss the moment I walked through the front door. He constantly followed me around the house, and stood by my side every time I sat down to contemplate why I felt so lethargic.

Shortly after the accident, Jasper was scheduled to spend some time with my parents. Less than two days after he arrived, my mother called to inform me that Jasper had not left his perch by the front window. He had not eaten since he arrived, and made unusual whimpering noises throughout the day. I concluded Jasper communicated to my parents that he needed to be close to his best friend, in order to nurse him through a debilitating bout of pounding headaches and short-term memory loss. My conclusion was spot on.

Jasper does not retrieve beverages for me from the refrigerator. He does not sit in for me when I take occupational advancement tests. Nonetheless, his heightened intellect is one that I learn from, which is a true sign of canine intelligence.

Jasper even offers his pearls of wisdom when I attempt to write. One particularly frustrating writing session had me pacing around my home. Jasper immediately rose from his stretched out position on the floor and began walking by my side, as if we were strolling through the park without a care in the world. After a number of circles around the house, I looked down at Jasper and started to laugh. My best friend broke the tension caused by a seemingly intractable bout of writer's block.

I resumed my writing position, and hammered out a chapter in my book titled, "The Jasper Effect."

Learn more about this author, Keith Bailey.
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