Dogs are infinitely interesting to me. They do everything from make my neighborhood better by their very presence, to making me healthier by lowering my blood pressure. I am endlessly fascinated by their behavior and why they seem infinitely smarter than most humans at times. 

I love reading books about dogs. Soldier Dogs, by my friend, Maria Goodavage, is an outstanding book about America's military working dogs. (Read my 2012 review) The Education of Will, is an incredible memoir about empathy, compassion and forgiveness for both the author, Dr. Patricia McConnell and her dog. (Read my 2017 review) I absolutely loved reading the book, Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know by Dr. Alexandra Horowitz. As a layperson, this book really got me interested in knowing more about the science of why dogs do what they do!  

After reading that particular book, I paid closer attention to how dog's sniffed me during my Muttville Senior Dog Rescue shift. I'm also happy to report that earlier this month new research shows that letting dogs exercise their noses is good for them! Read the blog post, Allowing Dogs to Sniff Helps Them Think Positively by Dr. Marc Bekoff.

Public Television is a great place to learn, and my husband and I have been long term supporters of our local PBS station, KQED. They also produce an ultra-HD (4K) short video series with PBS Digital Studios called Deep Look. It’s about exploring big scientific mysteries by going incredibly small - from grains of sand to squid skin. They have a new Deep Look video, “How Your Dog’s Nose Knows So Much,” about the science behind dog noses.