How smart are dogs?

This interesting article is about a border collie who understands 1,022 proper nouns. Border collies are known for their intelligence and amazing desire to “work” (or else destroy a home in bored frustration). But this dog is exceptional. Chaser can distinguish between words and commands, knowing which Frisbee—out of 26 possible options—to fetch.

Does Chaser really understand English? Or has she just been trained by a supremely patient owner? Perhaps these questions will be answered in How Smart Are Dogs?, which airs February 9th on PBS.

Chewie is a bright girl, but she’s never demonstrated a real desire to work. Her vocabulary is mainly made up of silent commands: “Give me another cookie,” “Let me under the covers,” and my favorite, “This party sucks, I’m going home.”

As I write this, Chewie hovers by my feet, communicating her most commonly used phrase, “I’M HUNGRY. WHERE’S THE BEEF?” I don't know. I like her willful personality. If I wanted an animal to mimic me, I’d have gotten a parrot.