A dog-owner with a home security camera provided this top-voted answer to the Quora question, "What does a dog do every day [when it's at home alone]?" The gist of her answer was that her dog mostly sleeps, walks around, and waits for her to come home.
I don't want to cast any aspersions on her dog, but my own experience is far different. I am incredibly active both physically and mentally during the moments that I am at home alone.
For one thing, I see that time as a critical opportunity for me to go back to the well, figuratively-speaking, and recharge my creative processes. I fit in some slow breathing and meditation. I eat the breakfast I was too emotionally wrought up to focus on while everyone was at home. I reorganize my rawhides.
Additionally, I am acutely aware that I have been left in charge, a position of responsibility. From my monitoring station on the sofa, I observe the neighborhood closely, integrating my observations into a constantly-updated internal representation of threats and opportunities. We're talking substantive and sustained work here. I'm often exhausted by the time my owner gets home.
Several Quora respondents' answers included the observation that their dogs appear to be able to measure the passage of time, for example coming to stand near the door shortly before the owner would routinely be returning home. In this area, their experience mirrors my own. I too find myself very tuned in to the passage of time. I pick up my cues and clues from changes in the ambient light, as well as from repetitive patterns of neighborhood activity, such as children coming home from school.
If you're worried that all this cogitating is overtaxing me, please don't be. Remember, what doesn't kill me is making me stronger. Given that I will soon be entering my ninth year, I think it's a good thing that I devote so much bandwidth to staying mentally acute. It's my canine version of Lumosity.
