Obviously I am one who puts great faith in the capabilities of our four legged friends
! There is no doubt in my mind that they ARE indeed capable of intelligent thought.
Some examples:
*Rotties have been known to herd children out of the street or other harmful situations.
*In Texas we have a lot of rattlesnakes
; I hear quite a few stories of pooches who have intersected the bite to save their human.
*Dogs often "alert" owners to dangers such as fires, carbon menoxcide (sp?), smoke, ect. Even if they have a way out (i.e. dog door) they take the time to wake up their owners to save them.