Fact-Checking Lessons from a Dachshund

“Look before you leap.” — ancient proverb


When I was a young adult, I had a dachshund named Liebchen. If you’ve ever lived with a dachshund, you already know at least half this story. Dachshunds like to sleep under the covers, too. Well, I sleep on my stomach, with my feet hanging over the end of the bed.

One night, Liebchen hopped up on the bed. She burrowed under the covers and headed straight for my feet on my right side. She fell off the bed. She was fine — startled, indignant, and clearly offended by physics.

A moment later, she climbed back onto the bed. She went under the covers again, this time from my left side. She was very certain she had solved the problem. She fell off the bed again.

Same bed.
Same feet.
Same gravity.

At the time, I laughed. What else could you do? It took me years to realize I’d been given a small, perfect lesson in how humans handle information.

Liebchen wasn’t foolish. She was operating on experience. Beds were safe. Covers led somewhere warm. This had always worked before. So she didn’t check. She just went down to my feet.

I see us do the same thing now — especially with information that arrives looking confident, tidy, and complete. AI answers. Headlines. Search results. We assume there’s solid ground under the covers. Sometimes there isn’t.

This is why I’m such a believer in pausing and checking the facts. It’s not because I distrust new tools. I use them. Experience has taught me that confidence and correctness aren’t the same thing.

I tend to fall back on what I call the Three Checks Rule:
Source check – Who would normally know this?
Cross-check – Can I find it somewhere else?
Sense check – Does this match reality and experience?

It’s not fancy or technical. It’s just looking before you step. Experience teaches slowly. Sometimes with a soft thump on the floor.

I’m not interested in telling anyone to stop using AI, technology, or modern tools. That ship has sailed, and honestly, I’m glad it has. I want to encourage a small pause. Take a quick peek out from under the covers. Do this before we assume the bed is longer than it is.

Liebchen eventually learned to curl up safely in the middle. I’m still learning, too.
And maybe that’s the point.

If you’ve ever had a quiet thump moment of your own, I’d love to hear about it. Share your experience in the comments. We can also talk about it the next time we’re having coffee.