How to Teach a Dog to Fetch Beer
"Here's how to teach your dog to fetch you a beer."
Dogs
Dog Brains Reveal How Much Human Language They Actually Understand
We love to tell dogs what to do, but we rarely consider whether they understand what we’re saying. Pet owners assume their dogs comprehend commands like sit, stay, or heel — even play dead and make me Instagram famous, for that matter — but without the ability to read their minds, no one can know for sure. An ingenious new study in Frontiers in Neuroscience, however, finds a way to determine which of our commands they actually understand.
How a 6,000-Year-Old Dog Cancer Spread Around the World | WIRED
Researchers say Coyote tapeworm transferalbe to pets, humans — Furbearer Conservation
Recent studies have found an increased presence of a tapeworm infecting coyotes, foxes, and rodents across the Canadian province of Alberta. The research was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Led by the University of Calgary's faculty of veterinary medicine, the findings state that a parasitic tapeworm called Echinococcus multilocularis is now prevalent in Western Canada, including in urban off-leash dog parks in Calgary.
The tapeworm was first recorded in the area in 2012, and has long since been common in Europe. The tapeworms have also been present in wildlife found in Ontario, with the latest research suggesting the parasite has been present in the region for decades - now well established.
Echinococcus multilocularis is spread through the feces of coyotes and foxes that have eaten infected rodents such as mice and rats. Tapeworm eggs can be passed through their feces, which poses a risk to other animals that come into contact with it - including humans. Domestic pets such as dogs and cats can contract the parasite through contact with coyote feces or by also eating infected rodents. The worm can then be passed on to people via fruit, the handling of contaminated soil or through an infected pet’s fur.
Why Do Dogs Look So Sad? – The Atlantic
Dogs, more so than almost any other domesticated species, are desperate for human eye contact. When raised around people, they begin fighting for our attention when they’re as young as four weeks old. It’s hard for most people to resist a petulant flash of puppy-dog eyes—and according to a new study, that pull on the heartstrings might be exactly why dogs can give us those looks at all.
A paper published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that dogs’ faces are structured for complex expression in a way that wolves’ aren’t, thanks to a special pair of muscles framing their eyes. These muscles are responsible for that “adopt me” look that dogs can pull by raising their inner eyebrows. It’s the first biological evidence scientists have found that domesticated dogs might have evolved a specialized ability used expressly to communicate better with humans.
Your pet dog is poisoning our planet | Tri-City News
I think pets are such a nuisance, especially in the cities due to pet waste being everywhere. If they raised license fees on dogs and cats, and made it a felony to have an unlicensed pet, then there would be less dog shit on the sidewalks and our planet would be a healthier place for all.
September 3, 2018 9:55 am Update
Millions of Americans are celebrating the new holiday on the first Monday of September known as Labrador Day. This new holiday honors the Labrador Retriever, the most loyal of human companions. Businesses across the country are giving their employees and clients free dog cookies and sample size bags of dog food. Some employers have worked with local rescue facilities to even offer their employees discounts on the purchase of a rescue dog of their choice, including non Labrador breeds.
The replacement of Labor Day with Labrador Day has raised a few heckles from dog hating legacy organizations known as Labor Unions. But faced with being associated with those who eat dog meat and animal abusers, criticism of the Labrador Holiday has been muted. Indeed, the Labrador Day holiday has been one of the most popular acts by congress in the past twenty years, especially as it made it possible for the first time to take a tax deduction for pet ownership.
Labrador Day has saved businesses millions in overtime and paid compensation costs by eliminating the paid holiday. Many employees came out ahead too as legacy employers like the federal government not only give their employees free dog treats, they got a new floating holiday that they could take off any day they wanted to take off.
Businesses also celebrated Labrador Day by highlighting their products available for sale to the dog owner, often offering special discounts to customers during the Labrador Day Weekend. Communities throughout the nation celebrate and honored dog owners with great parades of people walking their dogs while children on the sidewalk hand the passing dogs treats. Many pool complexes closing for the end of summer offer dogs a chance to swim.
Labrador Day Weekend throughout the nation is viewed as one of the greatest accomplishments of Congress, maybe the greatest in 50 years. Dogs are honored, children are having a tag wagging good time as the unofficial last weekend of summer comes to a close.
