Pooch Science

I’m over at SleuthSayers, the mystery blog, today, talking how dogs and humans came to be pals, and other amazing facts about canine noses. I don’t think you’ll want to miss it if you are a dog lover.

The post is called:

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Our-Time!

Which some of you will recognize as a line in the Sherlock Holmes canon. My, how it all comes together when you’re a geek in multiple realms!

I was inspired by the dog days of summer, which is astronomically suggested by the appearance of Sirius, the “Dog Star,” in the night sky, from late July to about mid-August. The star has nothing to do with dogs or the weather for reals but it’s historically the hottest time of the summer. Until of course it isn’t.

Here’s part of what I’m saying today:

In the morning I head outside with the dog to sit on the back patio and enjoy the garden before it gets too hot. I almost alway screw around on my phone to check emails. The dog checks the news too, but he doesn’t need a device to do it. He just lifts his nose to the air and sniffs.
He probably knows which dogs on the block are already out in their yards, and which females are in heat. He knows if a black bear invaded our territory in the night. He knows if rabbit marauders have menaced the tomatoes since his last patrol, even if he doesn’t feel compelled to let me in on the secret. He knows if a local possum is returning to her den after a night of munching ticks.
In the words of a beloved dog psychologist, when a dog sniffs anything—the air or another dog’s butt—he is reading the local paper.

Why am I writing about dogs at a mystery blog? Because dogs are probably the hardest working animals in America, and are found throughout the military, law enforcement, and in medical settings as therapy dogs, search-and-rescue animals, and so on.

I’m also paying tribute to some writers who have written amazing books about dogs, such as (Amazon affiliate links):

Stanley Coren (psychologist)

Alexandra Horowitz (dog cognition scientist)

Kevin Behan (dog trainer and author of Your Dog is Your Mirror)

Tommy Tomlinson (journalist and author of Dogland)

I can recommend nearly all the dog books by these authors. But I do think Behan’s book is a tough read but can be enjoyed by the right person. Read the reviews before you buy that one. It’s not for every body.

That’s it, folks! I’m off to play with my pooch, which despite being very naughty today is still a sweet little fella.