Our one dog can hear the tiny >snik< sound of turning off the wireless mouse, which means HE’S GETTING OUT OF THE CHAIR AND MIGHT LET ME O-U-T! OR MAYBE SOMETHING TO EAT! OR BELLY RUBS! YAY!
Boy, I wonder when I’ll figure out how to phrase an OP to elicit the sorts of responses I hoped for. 
I guess I had hoped for a discussion somewhat more batlike.
Of course they do. We used to have a dog whose thought processes were pretty much this whenever left alone:
Well, it is kinda hard to read their mind to actually know what/how they’re thinking. They can’t tell us.
Even humans can’t say exactly what they’re thinking, sometimes, with speech capabilities.
All we have are clues by how they act or react to certain circumstances.
I’m not sure it’s possible for humans to understand and express what an animal is thinking in human terms without being anthropomorphic. Although we know that dogs and cats do have thought processes, it’s doubtful that they experience abstract thought in the way we do. From observing my cats, I feel confident that they feel some form of emotions like jealousy, greed, love, contentment, and joy. A whole lot of what goes through a cat’s mind seems to be “What’s that?” This makes sense because the evolution of the cat has resulted in an exquisite killing machine. Housecats very rarely get to put their skills fully into practice (aside from the odd bug), so I imagine a lot of what goes through their minds is a sublimation of that instinct.
While awake, my dog thinks about food and how long until the next walk. While asleep and dreaming. I’ll never know.
Perfect analogy!
We have a fairly decent agility course in our yard: eight jumps, a tunnel, 3 sets of weave poles, a small teeter, a hoop, etc. When my gf runs Simi and Kizzy through the course, Loki lays there watching, and I’m sure she’s thinking, “what idiots!”. Loki loves walking in the woods with us and the other dogs, but she doesn’t “get” agility.
Dupicate post.
We have two dogs. Both pretty well behaved.
We are also getting our septic system replaced. Their yard looks like WWI battle field. For a while they where barking at the trac-hoes and skid steers, but finely said “f it”.
18-20 tandem loads of gravel/dirt/sand now. I’ve lost count and I’ve said f it too.
Yesterday, after a long hard afternoon of dirty, nasty work, I was sitting in the shade drinking a beer. Teddy was laying down next to my feet. I looked at him and asked, “Wadda ya think, Old Buddy?”
He turned his head and looked at me and said, “I think you should have another beer.”
Good Dog.
Did he fetch it?
He did not. He is a Dachshund, and the fridge is about 4 feet up in the air, and he is kinda lazy and an enabler.
But I think he’s a Good Dog!
If he actually said that out loud, then you’ve already had another beer. Perhaps several another beer.
A Fair Cop
The cats we’ve had over the years seemed to have 2 typical thoughts: 1) This is a nice warm spot-- think I’ll take a nap; and 2) I’m feeling a bit peckish, time to see if I can get a snack.
One time when I’m sure what a dog is thinking is when I’m stopped at a light and the car in front of me has a dog in the back seat with windows partly open on both sides.
<Dog, with head out a window, tail wagging furiously.> This smells so good! Nothing can smell better than this. No, wait – the smell could be better from the other window. <Rushes to other side of car, puts head outside window.> This smells so good! Nothing can smell better! No, wait!
My dog in the car:
OH MY GOD, WE ARE GOING ON A WALK!! OH MY GOD, WE ARE GOING ON A WALK!! OH MY GOD, WE ARE GOING ON A WALK!!
ad nauseum.
My dog on a lead: LOOK AT ME, I AM GOING ON A WALK!! etc, ad nauseam.
My dog having just been released from the lead: hmm. I think it is time to poo.