What does astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson have in common with a farm dog in Australia? A shared love of physics!
Tyson recently shared a video of a farm dog who he claimed to love because of its knowledge of physics. Only its ears are visible in the first few seconds of the clip. Soon, the owner of the dog throws water along the field.
At first, the dog jumps out of the way of the incoming water and thereafter starts digging a ditch along the path of the liquid, forcing it into a channel. Just like a mini irrigation canal on the farm. The water obediently follows the rules of gravity and slopes along the channel.
The most impressive thing about the video, other than the dog’s keen knowledge of physics, is the speed with which he digs. When the video ends, he has already created a canal worth several feet and is still going.
The original video was tweeted by a user named Buitengebieden where he called the canine “irrigation dog at work” with a smiling emoji. Tyson then retweeted the video to his 14.3 million followers. The video has over 5.3 lakh views and around 30,000 likes.
Gotta love when farm dogs know Physics. https://t.co/iT5o0VSWlX
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) November 18, 2020
Hundreds of people reacted in the comments section gushing over the smartness of the pet. A user pointed out that he isn’t just any farm dog but specifically an Australian Cattle Dog. These dogs are used to herd cattle along with the fields and protect them from attackers.
Based on the colour of their coat, they are categorised as “Red Heelers” or “Blue Heelers,” as they herd the cattle by pecking at their heels. The coats aren’t actually blue or red but a smattering or brown or black fur on a base of white which may give a bluish or reddish hue.
Many Twitter users referred to their own Red Heelers and Blue Heelers after watching the video. Here are some of the responses.
That's not just a farm dog, that's an Australian Cattle Dog! The world's smartest and greatest dog and the best friend you could ever have! Just ask me about my buddy Cowboy! 👍🏽 P.S. I may be slightly biased.
— Marvin and Cowboy - Covid 19 Refugees (@DesertFriedJeep) November 18, 2020
Love dogs. They’re smarter than we think. Look at this City dog, working from home 😅 pic.twitter.com/2P7A19RYFv
— F a t i m a (@F471m4Mo) November 18, 2020
One person was curious about the dog’s activity and wanted to know if it was trained to dig. “Has he been trained to do this for a purpose or he just likes it? Haha,” he wrote.
Has he been trained to do this for a purpose or he just likes it? Haha
— Hunter Smittz (@HunterSmittzz) November 18, 2020
Many users then pointed out that this was a very smart breed that just loves to dig!