Anderson Cooper investigates the intelligence of dogs for 60 Minutes. He meets 86-year-old retired psychology professor Dr. John Pilley, Jr. and his Border Collie Chaser. The professor considers Chaser a part of the family, like a child. He spent five hours a day at Wofford College, teaching her developmental things like how to speak, how to differentiate colors and shapes. For nine years!
Pilley says Chaser has the learning capacity of a two-year old human. Although most two-year-old toddlers know about 300 words, Chaser’s vocabulary is three times greater than that. She knows more than 1000 words. Chase even understands the difference between nouns and verbs. And Pilley can prove it. You can read more about Pilley and Chaser in their book, Chaser: Unlocking the Genius of the Dog Who Knows a Thousand Words
