Dogs clearly have memory. They remember us; they remember where they dropped the ball or the bone; they dream. But do dogs have a concept of forgetting? Dogs clearly do forget. But are they conscious of having forgotten and are they aware that we do that thing we call forgetting -- that we do the >blank<.
Nicki's morning routine is as simple as it is invariable: up, poop, eat. He expects me to get up somewhere around 7:00 a.m. When I stir, he stirs. If I do not stir somewhere around 7:00 a.m. he stands over me and stares until I stir.
Once I'm up, he stands waiting for me to be attached and ready to yank me outdoors where -- yanking me still -- he pees, sniffs and poops. All of this happens, I might add, before I've had any coffee.
When we return, I turn on the water pot and Nicki stands around waiting for me to open the door to the place where CHOWBAG is, whereupon he will nudge me out of the way and thrust his muzzle into the bag to scarff up more kibble than he will get from his cup. He will then hear the high pitched whirrrr of whatever it is that precedes his bowl getting put on the ground full of kibble that has been pulverized and bulked up with water or broth so that it has the consistency and approximate taste of hamburger. He will then gobble and lick.
Habit is a form of fixed memory and so he clearly remembers this routine every morning. But this morning, I did not. I was working on a project and forgot, or more accurately put got enmeshed in a ridiculous mash of html which I didn't mix up in the first place. At 10:30, I pulled away from the screen and went to make another cup of coffee.
Nicki followed me to the kitchen were he sat down, looked up and gave me this worried/pleading look.
Ohmygawd! I forgot! I'm sorry... I patted him on the head, and immediately set about making his kibble burger, apologizing yet again.
Obviously Nicki knew he had not been fed and he had remembered that by then he ought to have been. I think he felt something was wrong. as obviously something was. He knew I was not doing what I have invariably done. But did he understand that I simply forgot?
