Does your dog watch F1?
by Jack Lamure on May 14th, 2011The noble dog: over the centuries it has evolved from the wolf in to the myriad variety of canine chums that share the lives of people the world over. They've learnt to take on a vast array of tasks, from herding sheep to aiding the visually impaired. Some have even evolved so far as to be able to appreciate the greatest form of motorsport known to man - and now man's best friend.
As you can see from the gallery below, some dogs enjoy watching Formula One as much - perhaps more - than the average human. Flicking through, you can see that Smaller Dog gets tired after the first few photos have been taken and conks out on the mat (perhaps knowing that the race has already been settled in Sebastian Vettel's favour). However she's a few cables short of a wheel tether, and thus runs in circles almost constantly, so it's to be expected.
Bigger Dog meanwhile continues to watch the action, showing particular interest in Mark Webber. In fact, she turned around shortly after the Aussie passed Fernando Alonso as if to say "I told you he'd pass that Ferrari - I'm a dog, and I saw it coming. That's DRS for you."
Team Lotus have canine connections too, with a few four-legged cohorts hanging around their Dingham offices. They filled us in via the magic of Twitter last week...
But now the important question: does your pet - dog, cat, guinea fowl, whatever - enjoy watching the grand prix? If they do be sure to get a snap of them next time they're following the race and send it our way. Once we've collected enough photos we'll put together a pet-inspired grand prix gallery!
Comments and Discussion
my cat sit's on my lap and looks at the screen during practice but she seems almost to look right through it. Even if there's a picture of a cat on the screen she pays no attention.
My dog sometimes goes to look behind the telly to see where the cars have gone, will have to take a pic next time he does it
My kitten, Timo, likes watching races, although usually not the whole length as he either falls asleep or gets hyperactive and goes nuts! He likes looking for his namesake, and trying to eat McLarens.
He also likes Top Gear videos on YouTube (yes, we use tv as a substitute for parenting!). His favourite is Hamster
Pics: http://twitpic.com/3ntc8b
http://twitpic.com/4xsdat
http://twitpic.com/4xsefr
My cat has been known to watch the early morning races from the comfort of my bed but she doesn't seem as interested by the European seaon.
My cats sometimes watch the race but never seem to react to anything that happens. Can cats see TV's?
Mine tend to pace around anxiously or leave the room, because I tend to shout...
My dog helpfully (so he doesn't distract me) falls asleep during F1, as seen here during the Spanish GP...
http://yfrog.com/khd9n0j
Mine will watch calmly on the sofa with me then when I start cheering or shouting at Vettel for being Vettel she joins in and barks at the tv
she thinks it's a massive game though her tail wags like crazy
I have two cats but only Singha my ginger male loves watching F1 and has done since a kitten. I have pics of him right next to the tv, cocking his head. His favourite racers seem to be Lewis Hamilton and Paul Di Resta...
My dog, Chocko, is a Webber fan too. She has good taste.