Meaghan Griffin’s Springer Spaniel “Rocco” loves squirrels. Chasing them is his greatest goal in life, and he wants to be on the job anytime there’s a squirrel in the vicinity.
Unfortunately for Rocco, sometimes he can’t just launch himself into action when he sights the furry varmints. Like when he’s in a car.
With an ear-piercing, chattering yip, Rocco sings out his “squirrel song.” It’s not a howl, not a bark, not any sound you’re likely to hear from most dogs. It’s really unique.
But why do dogs like to chase squirrels, anyway? And why do some squirrels stay just out of reach of dogs, seeming to taunt them with their flicking tail and dashing feet?
According to Stuart Brown in his new book on play, dogs and squirrels are more often than not just playing.
He says that play is how neural connections are formed in the brain. It’s how animals bond and develop empathy. Dogs and squirrels tease each other and love to play chase simply because it’s fun. If you watch this interaction between species very often, you might notice that some dogs actually slow down if they get too close. To them, the object isn’t to catch the squirrel, but to keep the game going. Of course, in their enthusiasm, some dogs will kill the squirrel if they do actually catch it.
Rocco wants to go play with the squirrels so badly! His vocalizing is a vibrating chatter that somewhat resembles the sounds the quarry makes as it sits in a tree and challenges the dog to catch it.
Watch the video and then tell us what you think. What would Rocco do if he actually caught the squirrel? If you have a dog, what would he do? Tell us what you think in the comments below!
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