Curly Fido, a three-year-old Border Collie-Labrador mix, has become the first dog to perform a slam dunk, during a basketball scrimmage organized by the Goblin Research Institute (GRI).
Fido, a standout among the institute's bipedal, opposable-thumbed, culturally fluent dogs (BDCD), took a well-timed pass, leaped toward the modified hoop and, using his opposable thumbs, threw down a dunk that drew cheers from researchers and teammates.
"This is a monumental achievement for both Curly Fido and canine athletics," said Dr. Barker, head of the GRI. "It shows their understanding of complex tasks, and their vertical leap. He also understood the trash talk, which we did not teach him."
The hoop was lowered to a height accessible for BDCD, and the ball was designed to be easy to grip with thumbs. Fido credits his training regimen and "a lot of peanut butter."
The dunk has drawn attention to the GRI's proposed National BDCD Sports League. After the scrimmage, Fido was seen hanging from the rim for an unusually long time, then asked to be paid.
