Dogs (and cats, and dolphins, and parrots, and even octopuses) are smarter than most of us give them credit for, and according to the cover story of the March issue of National Geographic they're getting smarter all the time.

The article, "Inside Animal Minds," determines that humans are not alone in their ability to invent, plan, problem solve or contemplate, and it offers more than just anecdotal evidence of that.

Advanced intelligence is evolving in many species of animals (let's hope that humans aren't going in the opposite direction) -- from the number of words they can understand to their use of tools.

The article centers on Alex, an African gray parrot (now deceased) who could speak 100 words, express thoughts unsolicited and knew colors shapes and sizes.

It also features two Baltimore-based animals -- JB, a giant pacific octopus, and Maya, a bottlenose dolphin, both residents of the National Aquarium in Baltimore.

JB has a distinct personality, can use tools and recognize individuals, according to the article, and Maya grasps vocabulary and syntax and has a creative streak.

Also highlighted in the piece (and making the cover) is Betsy, a border collie who has a vocabulary of more than 300 words, knows 15 people by name and can retrieve objects seen in photographs.

The issue also offers readers a chance to go online, send photos and brag about their own intellectually gifted pets, which, by the way, you can also do here -- if you're smart enough to figure out how. If you're not, ask a border collie.

To read the National Geographic story, click here.

(Cover photo courtesy of National Geographic)