Dawn's drip drip drip drip Early winter snowmelt sings The herd's lullaby
Meditatio Pastoris
Molly Lindsey
Mors Amici
lifelong loyalty imperishable moments with each breath taken
Shout About It:
Pavlov’s Dog
Photo courtesy of Molly Lindsey
Who Is Pavlov’s Dog?
For starters, do you know about Pavlov? Ivan Petrovich Pavlov (1849 – 1936) was a Russian born physiologist known for his work in classical conditioning. His work has greatly influenced our understanding of human behavior and learning processes, and he continues to influence the formation of modern behavior therapy.
His contributions have influenced a broad spectrum of fields, from psychology and physiology, to medicine and philosophy, but in popular culture he is well known for his “conditioned reflex” experiments with dogs. Various stimuli would be presented as an antecedent to feeding time, and the dogs would then become conditioned to salivate upon the stimuli presented before food was actually presented.
Hence, the image (above) of my Australian Shepherd, Molly, licking her chops. All we have to do is mention “treat, snack, breakfast, lunch, or supper,” and she begins licking her lips. The other day it made me wonder who Pavlov’s dog was, but then I discovered, he had many dogs! Duh!
Oh well . . . Pavlov and Molly conspired to make me think about who Pavlov’s dog was, which inspired a poem. I hope you enjoy “Pavlov’s Dog.”
Shout About It:
Dogs of December
This recent picture of our Australian Shepherd Molly (taken at Harmon Patridge Park) reminds me of all the winters spent playing with her in the snow. She has been our loyal friend for seven years. At age eight, she has a few more winter play days left in her–more great fun to be had! She has lost a step in her elder years, but she’s still fast, powerful, agile, and her heart is as big it ever was! The haiku below is dedicated to Molly Lindsey.
Carmina ad Gloriae Dei 