Essentially, dogs have been found to have short term memories than the average animal or even as compared to humans.
But although they may have short-term, episodic memory, through the help of their ‘associative memory’ that sticks with them, dogs can remember many things such as people, places, and experiences based on associations they have with them.
For example, a dog can associate the sound of the keys as an indication that its owner is going outside their house, or even if you invite someone over and have them give your dog some treat, your dog will associate that person with treats. In other words, they can also remember their favorite things.
Take this smart dog who rides a bus daily to a nearby park all by herself.
Meet Eclipse, a black female Labrador and Mastiff mix who lives in Seattle and a regular passenger on the D-Line Bus.
It all started years back when Eclipse was at a bus stop waiting for a ride with her owner Jeff Young. When the bus finally arrived, the dog just got on it by herself since her owner wasn’t ready to board.
To his surprise, Eclipse recognized their usual stop and got off at the Belltown dog park, where she patiently waited for him to catch up 10 minutes later.
Since then, this routine becomes a tradition as her owner realized that the smart dog can ride those 3-4 stops on the D line on her own and always knows where to get off.
In King County, Seattle, they allow dogs on public transport at the discretion of a driver and as long as they aren’t creating a major disturbance. In her case, the drivers are always more than happy to give Eclipse a ride since she causes no harm but only makes all the passengers smile.
The dog has become even more recognizable and she was also featured in various news channels across the country. Because of her popularity, Eclipse was now regarded as Seattle’s celebrity dog.
“She makes everybody happy. How can you not love this face?” one of Eclipse’s fellow passenger said.
source: justsomething