The dog Whisperer

By AIMEE NEISTAT
Name: Or Rabani Age: 23 Occupation: Dog trainer (specializing in rehabilitation and training) IQ: Averages 140 (depending on the test) Schooling: Rabani was placed in a class for gifted children in primary school and self-educated for high school. She is currently studying Biology and Psychology part-time at the Open University. Rabani's primary school placed a strong focus on enriching gifted children, offering extra subjects like electronics and music. The school had two classes for gifted children and ran a program in which the gifted children tutored children with special needs. According to Rabani, this enabled the children with high IQs to develop sensitivity for people with all levels of intelligence. What does she think of "regular" people? Rabani says that thanks to her experiences in primary school she learned how to work with people of all intelligence levels. "Everyone's the same from my perspective," she said. Why she joined Mensa: "I thought it would be interesting and it is. People with high IQs tend to be eccentric and I thought it would be interesting to meet more people like that," she said. What does she think of Mensa? Rabani said she deliberated a lot as to whether or not to join Mensa, but is glad that she did because, she says, the members are interesting and activities are fun. She also said that her experience with Mensa broke a lot of the stereotypes she had that people with high IQs are "conceited." What would she say to people who think she's smart enough to do something "better" than being a dog trainer? People who don't know her ask why she decided to be a dog trainer when her level of intelligence would allow her to do almost anything. "I love it and it's very challenging work," Rabani said, adding that her job demands her to solve problems from new perspectives every time, which she finds very interesting. People who know her well know that she loves animals, so her decision to be a dog trainer does not surprise them. "I wanted to learn to be a veterinarian [at first]... but [decided] it would be more fun working with animals who aren't anesthetized!"