We here at GeniiOnline are well aware that dogs make good audiences for magic. They’ll never heckle you, try to ruin a trick or load an actual bullet into the pistol and shoot one of your fingers off like that guy in The Prestige. Man, imagine how different that film would have been if that guy had been a dog.
Anyway, the fella in that video up there at the top of the page is Simon Pierro: “The iPad Magician,” who, as you may have guessed, performs tricks with an Apple-branded shiny tray. He also gives very interesting talks about gathering and maintaining online audiences. Those videos aren’t quite as high on the cute-o-meter as this one, but they’re still pretty interesting.
You know what the best thing about dogs is? No, it isn’t their innate compassion, their propensity for unconditional love, their undying loyalty or any of that sappy crap. The best thing about dogs is they have teeny tiny brains and are thus the perfect audience for magic tricks. Your garden variety doggo, you see, has enough gray matter to comprehend that the ball is in your hand, but not quite enough to grasp that despite appearances to the contrary you have not thrown it. That mix of raw stupidity and innocent trust is catnip to a good magician. Or dognip. Whatever. Here’s some dogs getting their tiny minds blown by magic tricks.
Dumle here seems to have almost figured out he’s been set up by the way he knowingly stares into the camera, but sadly his trusting nature and inability to comprehend the concept of deception has cost him a treat.
Despite his initial confusion, this little guy has obviously had some experience with shell games. Securing one hand while getting the deceitful human to turn over the other is a strong but ultimately fruitless move.
Unable to grasp the cunning secret at the core of this deceitful trick, this poor canine is reduced to madness.
This isn’t even a good trick, dog.
Lassie here is having no part in this witchcraft. Take your haunted wiener and leave this place.
Tico, on the other hand, has a far more relaxed attitude towards the supernatural. A haunted wiener is still a wiener.
Magic is the mastery of deception, but I’m not sure if you have to master anything when your audience is this dumb. IT’S RIGHT THERE, DOG. RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU.
Finally, for the sake of balance, here’s a cat reacting to a magic trick.
