The Smartest Dog of All Time?

The phrase, "a dog is man's best friend," originated in the Supreme Court in 1870. Lawyer George Graham Vest defended a man who deeply loved his coon hound named Old Drum. A neighbor shot Old Drum for trespassing on his property. Vest argued that the man not only took the life of a pet, but he killed an important family member.

Vest declared, “The one absolute, unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world—the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous—is his dog.” Everyone who has ever owned a dog, understands the sentiment expressed. During the Great Depression, people suffered immeasurably, their hearts and minds focused on surviving. One of the bright spots to emerge during this extraordinarily difficult period of American history, was Jim the Wonder Dog.

Jim the Wonder Dog was born of pureblood champion field stock in the state of Louisiana. Jim came into the possession of a hotel businessman and avid hunter named Sam Van Arsdale. Having little time for the pup, Arsdale enlisted his niece to care for the young dog until he could be sent to a professional trainer. Once Jim commenced training, he quickly caught the eyes of all who watched him work.

Jim had the uncanny ability to hunt quail without the typical zigzagging methods of most hunting dogs. Jim didn't need that extra time to pick up the scent. He just padded directly to the quail he was hunting. Mr. Van Arsdale kept count of the number of birds Jim flushed in his lifetime. The hunter stopped counting at 5,000. No other hunter ever reported a dog flushing as many as Jim. Outdoor Life Magazine termed Jim "The Hunting Dog of the Country." Even though this astounding feat brought Jim a bit of fame, this wasn't why he was nicknamed the Wonder Dog.

As the story goes, after a hot summer's day of hunting, Mr. Arsdale said to his prized dog, "Let's go over and rest a bit under that Hickory tree." Jim trotted ahead and went straight for the Hickory. Mr. Van Arsdale started naming off other trees like elm, oak and walnut. No matter the kind of tree Jim was asked to find, he found it.

Realizing the dog's intellectual ability, Mr. Van Arsdale took Jim along on his frequent trips around the Midwest. Mr. Van Arsdale showed off the dog's talents to intrigued onlookers. Jim could pick out people in a crowd based upon clothing color, not an easy feat since dogs are color blind. He identified Doctors and Lawyers and Preachers in the crowd based upon what they were wearing. Some doubted the dog's ability, believing that the owner was using hand signals. However, one of Jim's greatest feats was being shown a license plate number on a piece of paper and then finding the car with that license plate, and placing his paw on it.

According to eyewitness reports, Jim the Wonder Dog picked a Kentucky Derby Winner, a World Series Champion, and could predict the genders of unborn babies.

In 1931, Mr. Van Arsdale and Jim went to Columbia, Missouri to be tested by a faculty member from the veterinary school and another from the school of agriculture at the University of Missouri. While a physical exam turned out fairly normal, Jim’s performance of his usual tricks amazed the animal specialists. After a few command tests, the university professors could only conclude that Jim was the smartest dog they had ever seen.

Jim the Wonder Dog and his owner attracted the attention of Hollywood Movie Directors and dog food companies wanting to use Jim in their commercials. Mr. Van Arsdale declined all offers.

Jim, Sam Van Arsdale, and his wife Pearl eventually moved to Marshall, Missouri, to manage the Ruff Hotel (Yes, Ruff), where Jim would perform tricks in the hotel lobby and the town square. Mr. Van Arsdale never profited from Jim's performances, believing that people needed something to free them of the worry of surviving the crushing economic hardships of the times.

At the ripe old age of 12, Jim collapsed and later died at a vet clinic in Sedalia, Missouri. The Van Arsdales requested Jim be buried in the Ridge Park Cemetery in Marshall because he had meant some much to the people who lived there. Their request was denied because the cemetery was for people and not for dogs. As a compromise, they arranged to have Jim buried just outside the cemetery. After years of expansion, Jim's final resting place is inside the cemetery and his grave is the most visited.

Jim’s legacy lives on to this day, especially during the celebration of Jim the Wonder Dog Day in Marshall, hosted by the Friends of Jim the Wonder Dog organization.