Dogs are very intelligent. When they are rewarded for something, they tend to do it again. Reward them again, and you've got a habit going. In a story from 1908 France, we learn of a Newfoundland who became a habitual rescue dog when he got a fine steak for pulling a drowning child out of the River Seine. Matt Nelson of We Rate Dogs tells the story, as reported in The New York Times.
@weratedogs An absolute legend. 14/10 #weratedogs @ahistoryofdogs
♬ original sound - weratedogs
There's nothing wrong with rewarding a dog for a heroic deed, but in this case it came with unintended consequences! We don't have a followup, because it happened so long ago. Did the dog's owners face any consequences? We they required to keep the dog under supervision afterward? Or at least keep him away from the river? We hope so. Honestly, you have to wonder how it took the as long as it did to discover what was happening. -via Boing Boing