Is it OK to lie to a dog? Sometimes my dog, Ornette, escapes our fenced yard and won't return on command. We open the car door and tell her excitedly that we'll take her for a walk--her favorite activity--to entice her into the car. Then we put on her leash and take her home, no walk. Although dogs don't really understand language in the way humans do. Is it stilt wrong to mislead her?

• Author: Schade, David
• Position: THE ETHICIST: Life's full of questions; he's got answers. - Brief article

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

I SHARE your skepticism that your dog understands the precise meaning of "walk." (Some animal rovers will dispute this--but please, no e-mails about how much your dog enjoys Great Expectations.)

For art you know, when you excitedly say, "Walk!" your dog hears, "I like you!" or, "Let's drive home and watch Benji."

Clearly, it's possible to deceive a dog and in your case, that's a good thing.

What's the alternative? You can't offer even the most linguistically gifted dog a convincing argument for returning to the yard. You could bribe her, if you carried meat in your grove compartment. But bribery also raises moral questions.

Happily, what you're doing is harmless: It's not the same as telling your kids they're going to Disneyland and...