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After receiving a steak after saving a child who fell into the Seine, the dog became an example of the Pavlov effect and began throwing children himself and falsifying his rescues.
In a curious story dating back to 1908, a dog became the star of his community by saving children from drowning in the River Seine – until his seemingly selfless acts took an unexpected turn.
Reported on February 2, 1908, the saga begins with the dog’s first heroic act: he jumped into the Seine to save a child who had accidentally fallen into the river while playing. The community celebrated the dog’s bravery and his owner rewarded him with a steak. Just two days later, the same dog saved another child, receiving more petting and another steak.
This pattern of rescues continued, with children falling into the river so frequently that residents began to suspect. Concerned that a criminal was pushing children into the water, residents organized a vigil to catch the culprit. What they discovered was as surprising as it was amusing: the “criminal” was none other than the dog himself.
The dog, having associated his heroic rescues with food and attention, decided to take matters into his own hands. Observing that the children did not fall into the river quickly enough, started pushing them into the water before diving in to save them, effectively manufacturing your own reward opportunities. As it says o The New York Timesthe dog “had thus established a profitable source of income for himself”.
Although the story is described as a “good tale” by the publication, which suggests some skepticism about its complete accuracy, it highlights the principles of the famous Pavlov effect. The concept shows how animals can learn to associate specific actions with rewards — in the original experiments, Pavlov rang a bell whenever he fed a dog, causing the animal to associate the two things and start salivating when it heard a bell.
The story of the “Seine Shooter” is a fun historical anecdote and a reminder to think carefully about how we reward our pets.
