Can a dog seek revenge?

 Saw this story on the Quora website and thought it was too cute not to share....

Not quite revenge, I guess. But my Duke was capable of something I thought only humans had the ability to do…Duke, used to being the center of attention and the only dog, adjusted pretty well when Mr. Piggy became part of the family. There was never a fight between them. There didn't have to be- Duke knew how to make Piggy suffer mentally.

We spoil our dogs equally. Duke was a ball dog and he got balls bought for him on a weekly basis. Whenever we bought him a ball we would get Mr. Piggy the exact same ball and present their toys to them at the same time to keep it fair. Each dog would take his ball and venture off to enjoy them. But Duke was smart. Too smart for a dog. And while he tolerated Mr. Piggy, he drew the line when it came to letting Mr. Piggy enjoy a ball.

Duke would immediately hide the ball we gave him (sometimes in the couch cushions, sometimes in the bed covers). He would then watch Piggy, waiting for the perfect opportunity. The second Piggy lost focus, Duke would steal Piggy's ball and tear it up into little pieces. He would then bring his unharmed ball out of hiding and enjoy it to the fullest. At first, Piggy would play with the ball pieces as if they were still fun, but he couldn’t keep up the charade for long. Eventually he would lose interest in the pieces of the ball, lay down in the corner of the room, and let out a big sigh as he watched Duke chew happily on his intact ball. This went on for years. There was a phase where Piggy would attempt to steal Dukes unharmed ball, but he was never successful as Duke never let it leave his mouth. Even when Duke ate he would place it in the food bowl so that he could keep an eye on it. As he got older Mr. Piggy tried to bury his toys to keep them safe from Duke, but Duke would smell them out and unearth them. Piggy would return to his hiding spot only to find a pile of dirt and a torn up ball. This went on until Duke died of old age a few years ago. Don’t feel too bad for Mr. Piggy. He still had a great puppyhood and him and Duke were friends despite Duke's sinister behavior.

 

                                                               Mr. Piggy as he sleeps

                                                              Duke with his ball