Jim the Wonder Dog

The wonder dog, in the town of Marshall, Missouri, the owner of the Ruff Hotel, a man named Sam Van Arsdale, bought an English setter puppy of pure bloodstock, in 1925. He called the pup Jim.

The puppy was placed in a training kennel, where he was to be trained as a hunting dog. Three years later Jim and Sam were walking through some woods when Sam said to Jim, "Come on boy, let's go and sit under a hickory tree". There were many diffferent kinds of trees in the wood, but Jim ran straight to the nearest hickory tree, placing his front paws on it.
Sam was surprised that the dog knew the tree, so he decided to test Jim. "Show me a black oak tree" he said. When Jim ran straight to the nearest black oak tree and put his right paw on it - Sam was amazed. The dog eventually correctly recognised walnut trees, cedar trees, a hazel bush and even a tin can just by the spoken word, easily!

Soon Jim's reputation spread far beyond the small town of Marshall. Jim's feats aroused scientific and medical curiosity. Jim was able to understand written instructions and different languages. Sam said, "All I know is that Jim has the power of doi ng whatever I ask him to do, and there seems to be no limit to his knowledge or ability."

One day some friends persuaded Sam to test Jim further. Could he possibly predict the future? Sam wrote the names of of the horses of the Kentucky Derby - America's famous horse race - on pieces of paper and he laid them on the floor.
He asked Jim to select the horse that would win. It later turned out that Jim had picked the winner!

Although it seemed Jim could predict the outcome of any future event with certainity, Sam Van Arsdale refused to take advantage of any of his dog's knowledge by betting on the results. Jim died in March, 1937.