Just a few photos today. I've recently returned from San Antonio, celebrating my amazing sister Dr. Wendy Barker, at the Festschrift put on in her honor by her colleagues at the University of Texas, San Antonio. She is the real writer in the family, and I wish that each of you could have been there to listen to her read some of her poems. I don't think anyone moved the entire time that she was reading her poems; the entire room was enthralled. Engrossed. Captivated. It was a highlight of my life to listen to her colleagues and students acknowledge her contributions to creative writing. Her book, Nothing Between Us: The Berkley Years, is beyond brilliant. Yes, I know, she's my sister, but seriously, she's really, really good. And how fun is this: My other sister, Liza, is writing her own Read More
Archives for February 2015
How Do Dogs Interpret Human Facial Expressions?
What ever is a dog to make of a human smile? Or a frown for that matter? On the one hand, it seems to me to be trivial for a dog to distinguish between obviously different expressions on the face of a human. Dogs, after all, are highly visual and the preponderence of their social communication is based on visual signals. But here's the question I've always wondered about: What signals from our faces are salient to dogs? My experience has suggested that dogs are exceptionally good at noticing (and interpreting) the following, whether done by a person or another dog: a still body versus a relaxed one, a hard, direct stare versus a soft or indirect gaze, and a loose, relaxed, open-mouth face versus one that has a tightly closed mouth. These are, obviously, signals that appear to be highly Read More
A Valentine to Our Dogs
I know, it's mushy, but I don't care. Here is a Valentine to each of my dogs, followed, I hope, by lots and lots from you to your own dogs. Every morning, I will read them while drinking my tea. Tootsie and Maggie will be cuddled with me on the couch and Willie will warm my feet. I will read your Valentines and smile and laugh and get soggy eyes more often than I want to admit. (I write more about love and dogs in The Other End of the Leash and For the Love of A Dog, but here are my Valentines to the dogs I have now:) Willie, with thanks to Elizabeth Barret Browning: How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, except when you slam into me on your way to the barn. I love thee to the level of everyday's Read More
Placebos and Dogs: Really? (Yes!)
I've always been fascinated by placebos and I never understood why the phrase "the placebo effect" was often spoken with such disdain. Here is a standard definition (from Wikipedia): "A placebo is a simulated or otherwise medically ineffectual treatment for a disease or other medical condition intended to deceive the recipient." Except, it's not necessarily ineffectual, right? That's the point, if you think about it: We know that you can be helped just by the belief that something can help you, and that factor must be eliminating when testing new medications or treatments. Yes, the placebo effect can be a confounding factor when trying to discern if a particular treatment or medication is worthwhile, but isn't it even more remarkable that belief itself can be therapeutic? Study after Read More