Unusual encounter....(dog&sheep)

[Catherine]

This has proved to be an interesting thread.
I think we are exploring the levels of communication that exist.

Dogs certainly communicate on levels we can't touch. That is why they are so helpful to people who are in any way impaired.

Dogs are great with cognitively impaired people. They are able to understand what the person is still trying to communicate. Humans get to caught up in details. If you use one wrong word people reject the whole sentence. If I know what the person is saying you can carry on without fussing about the wrong word. If you are not sure, listening a little longer will tell you what the person means.

I found it might take most of the morning, but eventually an Alzheimer's person will tell you what they want you to know. It just takes longer and we are used to instant communication.
Sometimes the cognitively impaired are capable of great truths because they have lost some of their social inhibitions. They can't lie anymore. That is a little like dogs who are always authentic. No wonder dogs communicate with people whose minds are impaired. They might actually prefer us that way. Who knows. Dogs are pretty tolerant of our weaknesses.