03/10/2024
Happy birthday to Jim the Wonder Dog! Born March 10, 1925, Jim, a Llewellyn setter, is the Official Wonder Dog of the State of Missouri! He was designated as such due to his astounding intelligence and performance of unexplainable feats.
Jim was born in the state of Louisiana but when he was just a pup, he found a home with Sam Van Arsdale in West Plains. Sam discovered that his dog was a naturally gifted bird dog, but also a dog with supernatural skills. One hot afternoon Sam suggested that they stop hunting and go sit under a hickory tree to cool off. There were lots of trees around, but Jim walked directly to the hickory. Sensing it was more than a fluke, Sam named other trees, and Jim correctly identified them all. The baffling behavior grew from there and was put to the test many times, including by professors at the University of Missouri who asked Jim to perform tasks in multiple languages and in Morse code. He was asked in French to find a certain car license plate number and asked in German to find a girl in a blue dress. On and on. Jim responded correctly every time to multiple commands.
None of the experts, or the thousands of people who witnessed the tests he was subjected to over the years, could ever determine the source of Jim’s amazing powers. Sam, who himself knew only English, once told a reporter, “I never asked Jim a question he could not answer. He understood every language, written or spoken…In fact, Jim knew everything.”
Jim died March 18, 1937, and is buried in Marshall, Mo., where he had lived with Sam for most of his life. Discover more by visiting the website jimthewonderdog.org.
