[Because it's Memorial Day, I'm going for "Blog-Lite" today. Content-rich blogs will begin again next week. Thanks for letting Maggie, Willie, Tootsie, Jim and me enjoy the holiday. And thanks especially to all the veterans who deserve our gratitude and respect today. We don't tend to go to parades, but I always take time to sit by myself and think about all the sacrifices that have been made. I hope you can find time to do that too today.] We're just back from the first sheepdog trial of the area, Nippersink or Swim, one of my favorite trials of the year. It's well run (Margaret, Patti and crew, you are amazing), challenging but fair, and simply gorgeous. It's like walking into an Irish photo calendar in the month of May. The title is based on the fact that the Nippersink River runs Read More
Archives for May 2016
Willie’s Volunteer Work
Tootsie isn't the only one of my dogs who is helping others. Right now Willie and I are volunteering at the International Crane Foundation, working on a project to teach young, hand-reared Whooping Cranes to respond appropriately to canid predators. This species of crane came about as close to extinction possible, with only about 20 birds still alive in the forties because of feather hunting. Extensive efforts in the past decades have gotten their numbers up to 600 or so, some captive, but many living now in the wild. Six hundred individuals is still an appalling low number of birds, and so efforts continue to hand rear chicks to add to the population in the wild. Researchers have found that although the cranes learn their migration routes (thanks to the ultra-light project of years Read More
OXYTOCIN EXTRAVAGANZA – 2016 Neurobiology of Human-Animal Interactions
I’m just back from Denver for the “Animals on the Mind, The Social Neurobiology of Human-Animal Interactions,” Conference. Oxytocin was flowing, in more ways than one. It was there theoretically—in the talks that emphasized its importance in social attachment/feelings of security, along with its increase during human-animal interactions. But it was also there in reality, as we heard about the impressive accomplishments of programs that create uber-healthy interactions, like the Warrior Canine Connection and The Horse Boy Foundation. I had originally planned to write a short summary of each talk, but that became ridiculous before the end of the first day. Not many people want to read a 15-page blog post. Here then, is a summary of a few of the highlights of the conference, more to come Read More
Sleeping Dogs Two
As I mentioned in the April 11th post of sleeping dogs, I was overwhelmed by the number of great photographs sent in. I promised "Sleeping Dogs Two," and here it is. The timing is somewhat self-serving, in that I'm leaving soon for a conference in Denver on The Neurobiology of Human-Animal Interactions, and trying to get done in two days what I'd normally do in a week. Although I wish the conference had not been in May, also known to farmers and gardeners in Wisconsin as "Please-someone-make-the-world-slow-down-because-I-am-losing-my-mind" month, I am very much looking forward to some interesting talks and discussions. I'll write about them next week. Clockwise from top left: Numie between the knees, Adrian & Newton napping together, No Name re-purposing an "arm rest", Keeva Read More
Dogs and Hugs, Revisited
Dr. Stanley Coren, psychologist and blogger for Psychology Today, recently discussed his research on the observation that dogs, in general, don't like to be hugged. Predictably, the fur hit the fan. As I found when I went on tour for The Other End of the Leash, some people do not appreciate that their dog might not enjoy being hugged. At first I was blindsided, especially when the host at one radio station was so angry at the idea, he could barely snort his way through the rest of the hour-long show. But I got used to it, and learned to explain that it didn't mean that their dog didn't love them... just that we all have different means of expressing love. Coren's post has raised the issue again, in which he decided to see for himself if he could find clear evidence supporting the belief Read More