Merlin was hands down the smartest dog we've ever owned or even seen. Martha and I stopped telling people many of the things he did because they were beyond belief. I will say this much, his vocabulary was far larger than I've ever seen in a dog. He was very partial to Martha and it took at least two years before he thought it was okay to associate with me on anything other than an occasional basis. He was a rescue dog and I suspect he had been abused by a man.
Good bye old friend, you were a loyal companion.
Chas.
