A dog will know who has been along the road by smelling the footsteps. Although it cannot read the way on a sign-post it can smell out the way to places and follow any one who has been along, even if it was some time ago.
You wouldn’t know if a friend had been to see you while you were out unless you were told, but a dog would know as soon as he came back; he wouldn’t be obliged to ask, for he would know just who it was. If the friend had brought another little dog, too, your own dog would be so excited he would probably try to tell you all about it, and yet he was away when it happened.
The road is as interesting to a dog as the most thrilling story book is to you. It may look just an empty road, but to a dog it has all sorts of messages that conjure up pictures. He knows, for instance, that another dog has traveled there and can tell what kind of dog it was. By and by his nose tells him this dog found a rabbit and caught it. Then he finds out a bigger dog came along and chased the first dog and got the rabbit. At least, did he get the rabbit? He is puzzled and sniffs hard round one spot. It is exciting news he is finding out and you can see his tail wagging with eagerness. No, it seems, neither dog got the rabbit, for bunny was too sharp and between the two managed to get away. If a dog can find out all this by his sense of smell you may guess he can easily track the rabbit to its hole, and there he sits probably waiting for it to come out and give him the chance of a little sport, too.
Haven’t you often seen your dog stop suddenly when he is coming towards you and hold his head in the air? You must have wondered why he didn’t come straight on. He has probably had a message, a scent blown on the wind, which like a wireless, tells him a rat has just crossed the road and is somewhere in the hedge if he will only go and look. And so it goes on; there is not a dull moment in his walk.
To a dog every one has his own particular smell which never deceives him. If you dress yourself up you may puzzle your dog’s eyes for a little while. He may even bark at you as if you were a stranger, but once let him get near enough to smell you and it is all over. He will wag his tail and look up at you, as much as to say, “Did you really think you could take me in?” So you can understand why dogs when out hate to be made to come to heel, as they miss all the fun of the walk, and have no chances to stop and read the interesting smells that tell them so much.
“All the happy, livelong day,
We eat and sleep and laze and play.”