Stocking Up for Christmas
One Christmas my husband and I were lying in bed with our beagle, Maggie, when our son came in to show us a bright red stocking full of gifts he'd received at a party.

An excited Maggie started jumping at his stocking. Each time, he calmly lifted it out of her reach. Disgruntled with him, she headed out of the room.

Within minutes she was back carrying her own stocking. She'd gone into a box of decorations stored in the basement and retrieved her stocking from the previous year. I'd have trouble finding that stocking, yet she tracked it down in less than two minutes.

Virdell Barclay, Alberta, Canada

Pumpkin's Patch
My sister and I have a beautiful six-year-old cattle dog husky mix. Pumpkin is frisky but also extremely sensitive. Loud noises irritate her and make her run to hide in her "den" - better known as my bedroom. Particularly distressing to her is the way the wind can pick up and make one of the doors in the house slam.

One lazy Saturday afternoon, while taking a nap with her, I forgot the window was open. Sure enough a door slammed. Pumpkin, who had been lying sleeping on the bed, calmly jumped off and proceeded to the door. What amazed us is that she quickly analysed how to open the door by tugging on a bag that was hanging on the handle. Once the door was open wide enough (she stood and waited to see if it banged again), she came back to bed. This is a dog who is smart enough to make sure her afternoon nap goes uninterrupted.

Margaret Schick, Alberta, Canada

STORIES COMPILED BY JENNY CAMPBELL FOR THE BOOK SERIES "SMARTER THAN JACK." © 2005 AVOCADO PRESS LIMITED, VICTORIA