Pet owners, one of the great mysteries of dog-hood has finally been answered. You know how dogs will do that little dance of going around in a circle before they settle down to do their business? Well, scientists spent a LOT of time following around dogs and watching them relieve themselves to find out what that dance is all about. In my next life, I will follow around scientists to find out why they study things like dogs pooing. But I digress. My point is, we now know why dogs doo like they do.
Dogs like to align their bodies along a north-south axis whenever they pee or poo. I am dead serious: This is the profound discovery about dogs. They have some sort of internal magnetic compass that compels them to orient their bodies a certain way before they crap all over your flowers, much like the compass that helps birds migrate to the same location year after year. Now, I ask you. What do we do with this information?
Is it me, or does this sound like proof that dogs are from outer space? I'm just saying. Besides that, I guess it means we should be a little more patient with dogs when they insist on doing that pre-pee dance. They're not necessarily crazy. They're just aligning their fecal chakras or something.
What I find most perplexing is why dogs need to do this. What about a north-south alignment is necessary for voiding their bowels? Isn't that a weird connection? I don't know... maybe not. We humans often need certain requirements before we can relieve ourselves. Still, I dunno. Dogs. So simple and yet so mysterious.
Have you noticed your dog "orienting" itself before doing its business?
Image via RPavich/Flickr