It’s often debated which animal is more intelligent — the cat or the dog — and which pet is better for a child. While there are great examples of brains for both species, here’s a story that might shift your opinion in a certain direction.
In the town of Santiago, Chile, traffic cameras picked up video of a small dog trying to cross the busy Costanera Norte freeway. Unfortunately, the dog was hit by at least one car (it’s difficult to tell in the video) and subsequently left defenseless in the middle of the road. Amazingly, from out of nowhere a second, apparently homeless dog ran in and dragged the injured dog to relative safety by the side of the freeway, where later a couple of city employees arrived to help. Check out the video embedded below.
Sadly, an update to the story (despite what the voiceover in the video claims) mentions that the injured dog soon passed away of his wounds, and the rescuing dog ran away before it could be claimed by the dozens of supporters who called the station providing news coverage and offered to take it in.
Now, while not in itself indicative of any kind of rigorous intelligence test, it does prove to display the canine tenacity and compassion that makes dogs such wonderful pets. Dogs are also in general strong enough to protect a family member and sensitive enough to know when someone is in pain. I have a cat and love her very much, but it’s nearly impossible to imagine her coming to wake me up in case the apartment were on fire, much less dragging my unconscious body to safety.
