We have just returned from an excellent lunch at our favourite restaurant having left Benson locked up at home. When we were about 500 metres from the house we noticed a black Labrador walking in the middle of the road and we stopped the car thinking that Benson must have somehow have escaped. The dog was without a collar (Benson wears a chain collar which he occasionally slips) but to all intents he was identical to Benson; same age, colouring, sex and mannerisms but there was something unfamiliar with his eyes. I called my wife and she also felt that it was Benson and we were about to put him in the car when a local farmer who we know approached us and said the dog belonged to someone living down the road. We were mightily relieved to find our Benson safely at home and remain perplexed that we were unable to identify him in the first place! It is a strange world particularly as we thought that we were the only owners of a black Labrador in this area and you cannot identify your own dog! Must have had too much wine at lunch? Roger
Re: Benson is missing? *shakes head in despair* Not sure what is worse.....not knowing your own dog.....wine at lunchtime..... Could you imagine if you took the doppleganger home then found Benson curled up in his bed? ;D ;D ;D Even more embarrassing!
Re: Benson is missing? Looking for a silver lining in Dexters tail amputation ....We agreed at least we would always know him
Re: Benson is missing? I have a bit of sympathy with this - my recognition of people is highly dependent on context. I met someone I used to work with (for quite a while, and not all that long ago) in a street in Cornwall and had absolutely no idea who she was. She appeared as a stranger to me. Super embarrassing.
Re: Benson is missing? Well - I couldn't work out why Benson didn't recall from making a nuisance of himself with some people and their dog. He was a fair way off - so off I go to retrieve him - to find a lovely little black lab (Benson's brown) playing with his owners, and their other dog.... oops :-[ Still - they thought it was hilarious, and proceeded to point it out to me several times during the morning (We came across them far too frequently after that)...
Re: Benson is missing? 3 black labs having a swim this morning who is who when they are bobbing their heads in and out of the water , only got a snap of them coming out of the water
Re: Benson is missing? [quote author=JulieT link=topic=7905.msg111287#msg111287 date=1411198069] I have a bit of sympathy with this - my recognition of people is highly dependent on context. I met someone I used to work with (for quite a while, and not all that long ago) in a street in Cornwall and had absolutely no idea who she was. She appeared as a stranger to me. Super embarrassing. [/quote] Don't worry, Julie, you are completely normal. It's called the Encoding Specificity Principle