Todays Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul

[Guest guest]

Jim the Wonder Dog

By Aubrey

In 1925, Sam VanArsdale, proprietor of the Ruff Hotel in Marshall,

Missouri, purchased an English setter puppy born of pureblood champion field

stock in Louisiana. The puppy was considered the least promising of the

litter

and was sold at a throwaway price. The dog was nothing special to look at

as he

had unusually big paws and an ungainly appearance. Sam decided to call him

Jim.

Jim grew to be a fine companion for Sam. The dog was smart and good-

natured, and Sam was pleased with his " bargain. "

One day, when Jim was three years old, he and Sam were walking through

the

woods. The weather was hot, and Sam said to Jim, " C'mon boy, let's go and

rest

a little under a hickory tree. "

There were many types of trees in the woods, but Jim ran straight over

to a

hickory tree. Sam was a bit surprised. No doubt it was just a coincidence.

On

a whim, Sam said to Jim, " Show me a black oak tree. " When Jim ran to the

nearest black oak and put his right paw on the tree, Sam was amazed. This

couldn't possibly be true.

" Show me a walnut tree, " he said, and Jim ran unerringly to the nearest

walnut and put his paw on it. Sam continued with everything he could think

of -

a stump, hazel bushes, a cedar tree, even a tin can. Jim correctly

identified

them all. Sam could hardly believe the evidence of his own eyes. How could

a

dog do such things?

Sam went home and told his wife what had happened.

She said flatly, " Sam VanArsdale, you can tell me, but don't go telling

anyone else. "

Sam persuaded his wife to accompany them back to the woods, where Jim

put

on a flawless repeat performance. She shook her head in amazement - Sam's

crazy

story was true!

Over the next few days, Sam couldn't help telling his friends around

town

what his smart dog could do. They smiled at him indulgently and moved off

pretty fast.

One man did listen, although of course he was skeptical. Sam, noticing

that the man had parked his car on the street a few yards away, told Jim to

show

the man which car was his. Jim went straight to the car and put his front

paw

on it.

Then another man gave Sam the license plate number of his car. Sam

wrote

it down on a piece of paper and put the paper on the sidewalk. He told Jim

to

identify the car. Without hesitation, Jim walked to the car in question.

After incidents like these, Jim's reputation spread like wildfire

around

the small town. Soon he was demonstrating his powers in the Ruff Hotel for

amazed crowds of up to a hundred people at a time. There seemed to be no

limit

to what Jim could do. When people were in the lobby, he could determine

what

room numbers they occupied in the hotel. He could identify people according

to

the clothes they wore, the color of their hair - in spite of the fact that

dogs

are thought to be color-blind - their profession, and, in the case of the

military, their rank.

In addition, he could identify objects not just by name but by

function.

For example, at a command such as, " If we wanted to hear Amos and Andy,

where

would we go? " Jim would go to the radio.

Perhaps, the skeptics said, Sam was secretly signaling to Jim.

Although

none of Sam's friends and associates questioned his integrity, knowing him

to be

a plain-speaking man who wouldn't dream of deceiving others, one woman

decided

to test this theory. She had the clever idea to write an instruction for

Jim in

shorthand, which Sam did not understand. When Sam showed Jim the paper on

which

the instruction was written, and told him to do whatever it said, Jim went

over

to a certain man. The woman shouted, " He's doing it! " Then she explained

that

the instruction was, " Show us the man with rolled socks. "

One year, at the State Fair in Sedalia, the editor of the Joplin Globe

asked for a demonstration. Since they were near the bandstand where the

musicians were putting away their instruments, Sam said, " Jim, show us who

plays

the tuba. " Jim went to the tuba player and put his paw on him. The

citizens of

the " Show-Me State " had to admit Jim had abilities far beyond the normal.

By this time Jim's reputation had spread far beyond the small town of

Marshall. Newspapers and magazines from all over the country sent reporters

to

cover the story. They went away, like everyone else, amazed. Jim became

known

as the Wonder Dog.

Jim's feats aroused scientific and medical curiosity. He was examined

by

veterinarians at Missouri State University, who said that there was nothing

unusual about Jim - physically, he was just like any other dog. They could

offer no explanation for his uncanny talent.

Later that same day, Jim gave an outdoor demonstration at the

university,

attended by students and professors. Various professors gave him

instructions

in different languages.

In Italian, " Show me an elm tree. "

In French, " Point out this license number. "

In German, " Show a girl dressed in blue. "

In Spanish, " Find a man wearing a mustache. "

Not once did Jim err.

Sam watched the demonstration with quiet satisfaction. His bargain pup

had

become his dearest treasure, an extraordinary dog whom he loved and was

proud

of. But he had no explanation of how Jim could do all these things. When a

friend at the demonstration asked him about it, he said, " All I know is that

he

has the power of doing whatever I ask him to do, and there seems to be no

limit

to his knowledge or ability. "

One man who was deeply impressed by Jim's ability was Jack L. Jolly, a

Missouri state representative, who invited Sam and Jim to Jefferson City for

a

joint session with the legislature. The politicians tried to trip Jim up.

They

gave him an instruction in Morse code. But Jim had no problem indicating

the

person they were calling for. Anyone who harbored any lingering doubts that

Jim

was simply reading his master's mind, or responding to secret signals, had

to

put them aside, because Sam knew Morse code no better than he knew

shorthand.

Sam was as astonished as everyone else by Jim's supernormal gift.

One day, some friends persuaded Sam to test Jim further. Could he

possibly

predict the future? Sam took an interest in the Kentucky Derby, so that

year he

wrote down the names of the horses on pieces of paper that he then laid on

the

floor. He asked Jim to select the horse that would win. Jim put his paw on

one

of the slips of paper, which was then put in a locked safe until after the

race.

It turned out that Jim had picked the winner. He repeated his success the

following year, and so on for seven successive years.

Sam was not a gambling man and never attempted to profit from Jim's

abilities to foretell the future. He received many letters and telegrams

requesting Jim's predictions of winning horses. Some people offered to

split

the profits with Sam. But Sam never wavered. Nor was he interested in a

lucrative offer from Paramount for Jim to work in movies for a year. Like

the

modest midwesterner he was, Sam said he didn't really need the money and

didn't

want to commercialize Jim.

As time passed, the bond between Sam and Jim grew. Sam's love for Jim

was

that of a man for his greatest friend. And the dog's ability to do anything

Sam

asked was just one facet of Jim's deep devotion towards Sam. So when Jim

died

at the age of twelve in 1937, Sam was devastated. And indeed, the whole

town of

Marshall was stunned by the loss. Jim was buried in the Ridge Park

Cemetery,

where his small white headstone reads: Jim the Wonder Dog.

Many people visit Jim's gravesite every year, leaving flowers and coins

in

remembrance of the Wonder Dog whose mysterious powers won him lasting fame

and

honor and love.

[Editors' Note: The events in this story have been confirmed by eyewitnesses

and

documented in numerous newspapers, magazines and other publications. The

editors have checked the author's sources and are confident that they are

reliable.]