The Three Dogs scenario - A 'thinky' thing...

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During holidays, your dreams are much more lucid when you sleep on an unfamiliar bed. One night, I dreamed half of a Columbo episode. A damn mosquito woke me up at 05:30 before I could resolve how the detective solved the case. Another night, I came up with this 'management question' discussion topic thingy whatever, as part of a job interview I was dreaming I was having.

There are three terriers, Imogen, Mikey and Suzie. One is to be sent to an old lady as a pet. The decision on which one, is to be based on which is more efficient. So the three dogs were raced, to the end of a large field and back. Mikey won, so was sent to the old lady.

Six months later, Mikey died.

This situation has been sent to you for comment.

What would your comment(s) be?

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 16 August 2006 07:37 (nineteen years ago)

Without knowing how Mickey died it is very diffulcult to comment. Did he die of a broken heart after his new mistress died of old age. Was he murdered by the old lady who never liked dogs and never understood why someone sent her a dog.

Either way, you probably should stop watching big brother.

― Merrini (Mezza), Wednesday, 16 August 2006 07:44 (nineteen years ago)

A broken heart? Murder? Or something even more nefarious?

http://pics.drugstore.com/prodimg/84374/200.jpg

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Wednesday, 16 August 2006 08:24 (nineteen years ago)

As Allyzay would say, wake up, people!

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Wednesday, 16 August 2006 08:24 (nineteen years ago)

Oops, I would pick the veggie entree.

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Wednesday, 16 August 2006 08:25 (nineteen years ago)

This is clearly a trick question, because Suzie is the only one who's a dog.

― C J (C J), Wednesday, 16 August 2006 08:30 (nineteen years ago)

Mark, wait, you weren't being interviewed by dogs?

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Wednesday, 16 August 2006 08:40 (nineteen years ago)

See, the first thought was "That's no way of finding out which was more efficient!" which is the engineer in me. Then it was "Who decided to use that method?" which was the project manager in me. Then it was "should we try out one of the other dogs?" which is the salesperson in me. Then I was "wait, who am I commenting to?" which was the diplomat in me. after that, I was "hang on, what is my role in this scenario" which is the actor in me.

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 16 August 2006 12:42 (nineteen years ago)

You've got a hella lot of people in you.

― C J (C J), Wednesday, 16 August 2006 12:44 (nineteen years ago)

i don't see how just racing the dogs was a very thorough way of testing for efficiency. The whole process needs re-thinking.

― Ste (Fuzzy), Wednesday, 16 August 2006 13:33 (nineteen years ago)

An efficient dog would have stayed exactly where he was.

― slugbuggy (slugbuggy), Wednesday, 16 August 2006 18:27 (nineteen years ago)

"Efficiency" by whatever benchmark is a bad criterion for a pet.

-- I Am Curious (George) (Slight Return) (crumpw@bellsouth.net) (webmail), August 15th, 2006 6:48 PM. (Rock Hardy)

I'm still OTM!

― Danny Aioli (Rock Hardy), Wednesday, 16 August 2006 18:33 (nineteen years ago)

Of course you are! It was a dream, but a good thinky situation..

The 'project' was bad from the start, but how would someone progress from the position they are in now?

(or should I drop it?)

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 17 August 2006 07:22 (nineteen years ago)

I'd kill the old lady.

― JimD (JimD), Thursday, 17 August 2006 08:04 (nineteen years ago)

I want to know why Mikey died.

― C J (C J), Thursday, 17 August 2006 08:41 (nineteen years ago)

Good answer also.

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 17 August 2006 09:03 (nineteen years ago)

Also : how old are the three dogs?

Plus : are the three dogs related to each other?

I'm really getting into this now! (not the dogs, you pervs)

― C J (C J), Thursday, 17 August 2006 09:32 (nineteen years ago)

Good question, followed by indifferent one.

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 17 August 2006 09:35 (nineteen years ago)

It might be important to know if the dogs are related, in case Mikey died from a condition which might be a hereditary one. Or from a disease which affects only male terriers from a litter, and the female siblings.

― C J (C J), Thursday, 17 August 2006 09:42 (nineteen years ago)

NOT the female siblings, I mean. Ack.

― C J (C J), Thursday, 17 August 2006 09:43 (nineteen years ago)

Was Mikey a greyhound? They have heart trouble. It would explain his winning the race, though.

― Beth Parker (Beth Parker), Thursday, 17 August 2006 12:21 (nineteen years ago)

They're all terriers, I believe. No greyhounds.

Maybe Mikey did have a heart defect, though. I remember reading about a famous Australian racehorse called Phar Lap who won the Melbourne Cup in record time or something. He was super fast. After he died, they did an autopsy on him and apparently he had a heart which was much much much larger than a normal horse's heart should have been, and it was thought that was the reason why he was so much faster than the others (but it was also what killed him too soon). Maybe Mikey had a similar problem.

― C J (C J), Thursday, 17 August 2006 12:28 (nineteen years ago)

Did the other two dogs survive or did they die before?

― wogan lenin (dog latin), Thursday, 17 August 2006 12:38 (nineteen years ago)

What sort of field was it? Was it just grass, or was anything else growing in it?

― C J (C J), Thursday, 17 August 2006 12:44 (nineteen years ago)

Mark, go back to sleep!

― Beth Parker (Beth Parker), Friday, 18 August 2006 00:05 (nineteen years ago)

If the point of the race was to start at point A and end up at point A, an efficient dog would have just stayed at point A without running to point B and back, dammit.

But I am sorry about Mikey. He was a brave and noble spirit and we should honor his memory.

― slugbuggy (slugbuggy), Friday, 18 August 2006 02:05 (nineteen years ago)

Mark, go back to sleep!
-- Beth Parker (marthasminion...) (webmail), Today 1:05 AM. (later) (link)

I did, and am now awake.

Don't forget, even in my dream the dogs did not exist and were a supposition.

You guys are pondering the situation in much the way I proposed. What does it all mean? Who knows...

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 18 August 2006 06:57 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.frenchtoutou.com/groupe3/images/cairnterrier/accueil2.jpg

Imogen, the ill-fated Mikey, and Suzie.

― C J (C J), Friday, 18 August 2006 07:03 (nineteen years ago)

is it to do with the sex of the dogs?

― wogan lenin (dog latin), Friday, 18 August 2006 09:19 (nineteen years ago)

Mikey looks a little off-colour there.

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 18 August 2006 09:44 (nineteen years ago)

You'd have thought the person racing the dogs would have noticed that. Their failure to be concerned with Mikey's state of health - and to put him through the efficiency test regardless - is tantamount to murder.

― C J (C J), Friday, 18 August 2006 10:20 (nineteen years ago)

For what job were you interviewing in the dream?

I don't know what the dog or old lady represent specifically, but from what everyone's said I'd summarize it thusly:

The dog (product, or whatever) that was deemed superior succeeded because the trials actually tested for different qualities than those specified (speed or endurance vs. efficiency). Perhaps a different design would have done better in a more accurate trial (the female models vs. the male). The dog was shipped to the old lady (customer), but the error wasn't noticed until the dog conked out many months later (presumably the Mikey line had already been put into production).

I asked about the job because that might be important in figuring out what the scenario applies to. Conceivably the dream analysis could be applied to different situations, maybe.

― slugbuggy (slugbuggy), Friday, 18 August 2006 14:15 (nineteen years ago)

The job was the usual "IT consultant i.e. System Analysis" I used to do on contract basis.

You actually have sussed out what my perspective on the situation was. The scenario as presented has many flaws inherant. The question is basically to analyse the flaws, and present comments based on who you may be presenting it to. Also, based on what role you could be taking.

The old lady presumably wants a new dog. (caveat emptor, but hey)
The project manager wants shooting for deciding the dog should be chosen on 'efficiency' grounds.
The technical team want shooting for deciding that racing the dogs was a good test for efficiency.

Basically, the dog needs better and clearer criteria for selection. Health, age, temperament.

That's it, I guess.

(Wonder if I got the job?)

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 18 August 2006 15:25 (nineteen years ago)

I would change my supplier of old ladies.

― Aimless (Aimless), Friday, 18 August 2006 16:34 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/CUTS/signs/elderly.jpg

― C J (C J), Friday, 18 August 2006 16:44 (nineteen years ago)

one year passes...

I found the story stored on a text file on my laptop, and wondered if I ever got round to posting it somewhere other than the sandbox. Guess I did!

― Mark G, Wednesday, 5 September 2007 06:17 (eighteen years ago)

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/MEPOD/10121177~Three-Dogs-Together-Posters.jpg

http://alexandriadailyphoto.files.wordpress.com/2006/10/img_1956a-450px.jpg

http://www.blindenhundeschule.ch/assets/images/TricoloreWelpen.jpg

― kingfish, Wednesday, 5 September 2007 07:23 (eighteen years ago)

one year passes...

thinky!

― Mark G, Tuesday, 27 January 2009 11:56 (sixteen years ago)

systemsy thinky!

― Ben E Gesserit (Marcello Carlin), Tuesday, 27 January 2009 12:07 (sixteen years ago)

yeah, the "efficiency" fallacy; I've had that one as well in the past (though with differnet dog names).

― Ben E Gesserit (Marcello Carlin), Tuesday, 27 January 2009 12:09 (sixteen years ago)

Oh really? I'm demandin' copyright!

― Mark G, Tuesday, 27 January 2009 12:57 (sixteen years ago)

Why would running speed be considered the essential quality when choosing a pet for an old lady?

― Tuomas, Tuesday, 27 January 2009 13:04 (sixteen years ago)

fifteen years pass...

"Efficiency!"

― Mark G, Friday, 9 August 2024 08:35 (one year ago)

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