There must be a light under the bushel!

It's raining dogs!

My brother dropped his dog off out our house last weekend so that she could have playtime with my dog, Freddy. He does this once a month or so, even though he lives in Austin and I'm in Houston.

He has a golden lab that he paid 500 bucks for. My dog is a mutt (probably an Australian Shepherd, Border Collie mix, along with some other indeterminant breeds). I paid 60 dollars for my dog, just enough to cover the shots he received.

My brother is so proud of his dog because she follows all these commands. She can sit, stay, fetch, shake, high-five, and open doors. My dog just follows me wherever I go. If I stop, he stops. If I sit, he sits.

We have this big debate in the family about which dog is smarter.

My brother always tells me that I need to teach Freddy to do tricks. "Watch this," he'll say. He throws a ball and tells his dog to stay. Then, he tells her to sit. She waits anxiously for permission. "Go get it, Molly." She tears out after the ball and promptly brings it back and plops it at his feet when he tells her to drop it.

My dog watches these proceedings with curiosity and then ambles over for a petting.

It's time to eat. "Molly, eat your dinner. Where are you going, Molly? Eat your dinner." She eats. He has to command her when it's time to eat.

"Let's go outside, Molly. Go to the bathroom. No, it's not time to play. Go to the bathroom, Molly." She goes to the bathroom.

Freddy: You put food in his dish, he eats it. You open the back door, he goes outside and goes to the bathroom. Chasing a ball around, he doesn't see the point.

Molly also drinks out of toilets.

You tell me; which dog is smarter?