Trooper and 'The Martian'

In certain situations, such as the sudden opening of an elevator door upon a person Trooper doesn’t know, he often emits a low, startled growl. Then the tail-wagging begins once the person is aboard and the elevator starts moving.

Last night we were viewing “The Martian” on the living-room TV when it happened again. Matt Damon was struggling to remove his helmet after being skewered by a flying antenna and left behind on Mars when Trooper suddenly sat up from his nap and growled, his eyes transfixed on the screen.

For five long minutes, as Damon removed the wayward antenna from his abdomen, Trooper watched intently, cocking his head, growling all the while like a small car with a bad transmission.

Then he grew bored with the events and fell back asleep. No tail-wagging this time.

We wondered what went through his doggy head. Was it suspicion at the unfamiliar sight of a human in a bulbous space helmet? Was it sympathy for Damon’s moans of pain? Or maybe he just didn’t like Damon as an actor?

We’ll probably never know, but I’m tempted to consult a canine shrink just for the hell of it.