Sunday, July 12, 2015

Meet Jess, my sentient dog

Would we recognize an intelligent species if we met it?

In my time, I’ve had some incredibly smart dogs.
For example Jess, my current dog, understands English. However, if I try to prove this with you in the room, she’ll just stare at me with confusion. I have to trick her into revealing her understanding of not just 30 words, but my grasp of the English language.

Here’s how I found her out. As a writer, I’m
terrible about using the various word for a command. No my poor dog has to deal with 'stop', 'hold on', 'just a minute', 'wait', 'whoa', 'did you see this', 'I’m tired'…etc. etc. Yet in all cases, she stops. And if I ask her if she saw whatever I’m looking at, she’ll come back and check it out.

In most parks, we have a favorite path we walk. Once I declared myself bored and suggested we do something else. Jess immediately turns down a new path we had never taken. And today, I told her she could pick the trails, and not only did she pick out new trails, but when she headed up a way that would commit us to another hour of hiking, I mentioned I wasn’t up for it since I didn’t have enough water or any snack, but if she wanted to, I would try. She stops, turns around and chooses the fast trail home.


So, I’m declaring Jess Sentient.
She understands English and her own language.
She makes good logical decisions.

Now let’s reverse the evaluation and see how I do…
I wander off in the woods without sufficient water or snack to sustain me.
I don’t understand dog barks at all. Which is just as well, because Jess rarely barks.
While I firmly believe I’m sentient, it makes me wonder if Jess agrees.

 
Is it possible the animal kingdom fears what we’ll do upon discovery that we aren’t the only sentient creature on earth? We are highly volatile and easy to upset. And aggressive. Jess tries very hard to hide her intelligence from other humans. Do other animals do the same?

The Gods of Probabilities
By
Liza O’Connor
 Blurb
The Gods require a time shifter to ensure the Path of Light reigns during the final collapse of possibilities. To speed the process of finding an Oceanic with the specific talents needed, God DNA is induced in several batches of Oceanic eggs, resulting in a generation of brilliant tiny blue Oceanic children.

One charming boy named Drogan has the ability to manipulate quantum reality in ways that will strengthen the Path of Light. Only trouble is that his gift runs a high probability of killing him and wiping out the Path of Light for good.

While the bureaucratic Gods will try to assist, in Quantum all possibilities not only can, but do happen, so the future is never certain.

Sales Link

About Author
Liza is a multiple genre author of 15 novels. A Late Victorian Series, The Adventures of Xavier & Vic, plus a spinoff, A Right to Love, is an ongoing series.    A Long Road to Love is a humorous Contemporary Disaster Romance series (5 books). She has two single books. One is a humorous, bad boys contemporary novel with ghosts, called Ghost Lover, the other is Untamed & Unabashed, a spinoff from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
Now, she’s rolling out her Science fiction series (with romance & humor) called The Multiverses. The first four books are slotted for last half of 2015.  In addition she hopes, if she hasn’t dropped from exhaustion by then, to re-release a sometimes humorous/suspense thriller called Saving Casey
Liza would love to know: What’s your favorite genre?
Social Networks
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT
Investigate these sites:

6 comments:

  1. I believe Jess understands every word.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I truly do. But if anyone else is about, she acts like a normal dog.

      Delete
  2. Replies
    1. She is the best and smartest dog I have ever had. (She glares if I use the word 'own', so I never say that anymore.

      Delete
  3. Jess really does understand a lot. Too bad that most animals have given up talking to us because we don't understand them or think that they have anything to say.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, I do talk to her a great deal. I try and explain why she should or shouldn't do something, why we aren't going out until later. I talk to her like a person. She seems to like that.

      Delete

All spammers will be shot with a plasma gun.